It’s not always easy to find your way around the world of web design. There is a great deal of advice that contradicts itself and is out of date.
How many times have you been told that it is important to adhere to the “3-Click Rule”? It stipulates that consumers must be able to get the desired material in no more than three clicks. However, the Nielsen Norman Group asserts that there is no research that substantiates the 3-Click Rule. It’s nothing more than an educated guess, the internet’s version of an urban legend.
In web design, there are some things that should and should not be done in the year 2022. You’ll be able to confidently design websites after reading this piece since we’ll provide the most significant aspects to consider.
Do: Employ Design Patterns in Your Work
Design Patterns seem like a difficult method. It amounts to nothing more than imitating established, common practises. According to Jakob’s Law, the majority of internet users spend the majority of their time on other websites; hence, these users are more likely to comprehend your website if it is similar to those other websites.
Because you can’t make your website seem exactly like every other one, your duty is to choose and choose the design patterns that will be most beneficial to the people that visit your website.
The most common design patterns include highlighting links, positioning critical information like shipping details in the footer, and positioning the logo in the top-left corner of the viewport.
Make Sure Everyone Can Join In!
The philosophy behind inclusive design is that the internet should be accessible to all users. That is not how things have always been. Only a few short years ago, it was normal practise for websites to avoid catering to certain groups in order to keep their development costs down.
It is inappropriate to exclude anybody from your website. It is considered so immoral that in many places it is against the law. If you exclude 5% of your consumers, however, your revenues will decrease by 5%. This is likely the most crucial consideration.
Being inclusive has never been simpler to do. The first thing you need to do is ensure that your website is adaptable, so that it can adapt to any device. Then, make sure that you are welcoming to everyone by adhering to the accessibility requirements. Last but not least, ensure that you are ready to adjust to the requirements of your consumers by listening to their feedback.
Do: Don’t Overcomplicate Things
As a web designer, you’ve probably found yourself green with envy while perusing some of the more creative websites now available online. It is essential to keep in mind that the majority of the most experimental websites are often geared at serving the needs of other designers. Something that functions great on a portfolio website may not be the best choice for a convenience shop near your home.
The decision that requires the fewest mental gymnastics is, on average, the best one. The vast majority of individuals do not care about having a unique design. They are focused on achieving a goal in their endeavour. The more effortless it is to do the job, the more enjoyable the experience will be.
The most common area where complexity may be found is in navigation. To begin, create a logical structure, and then use a straightforward, hierarchical navigation system.
Maintain Your Concentration
Goals are important to any website. It might be for the purpose of promotion, profit, or usefulness, or a mix of the three. Every component of the website, down to each and every page, need to be working toward a single objective.
According to Hick’s Law, the number of options available to a person causes an increase in the amount of time it takes to make a decision. According to the Goal-Gradient Effect, a customer’s likelihood of completing a procedure increases as the client gets closer to the end of the process.
When you combine the two, it indicates that increasing the likelihood of visitors carrying out a call to action (also known as a CTA) by providing them with a single option on a page.
It is OK to keep the navigation, links, and secondary purposes, as long as each page has a single objective that is crystal obvious.
Do: Maintain a Consistent User Interface
It is common practise to refer to consistency as the defining characteristic of quality. It indicates that you are attentive to the finer points of the situation. However, maintaining consistency is about more than simply making a good impression. A good user experience (UX) also requires consistency (user experience).
Users quickly pick up the skills necessary to browse your website as they go. They get familiar with the “rules” of your website or its logic as they continue to use it. They will learn the rules more quickly and have an increased sense of self-assurance if your user interface (UI) is consistent.
The corner radius of boxes, the style of links, and the tone of the content are examples of aspects that often fail the consistency test.
Don’t: Ignore Concerns Regarding Aesthetics
Usability studies and a dependence on design patterns are not the only aspects of design to consider. The aesthetics of the design are also quite important.
The pursuit of beauty is often considered vain and unimportant. On the other hand, according to the Aesthetic-Usability Effect, a website that is attractive to look at is more likely to be seen as being useful by visitors.
A design that is appealing to the eye tends to have a higher conversion rate.
Pay close attention to the hierarchy of your typography, the colour scheme you choose, and the symmetry of your layout in order to create an attractive design.
Users Should Not Be Forced to Wait
The worst thing you can do is make consumers wait. The more technological advancements are made, the quicker connections are made available, and the higher the user expectations become.
Your website should load in less than a second, and it should be fully interactive in less than two seconds. Otherwise, you’ll lose clients who jump back to their search engine and try one of your rivals instead.
Delays are not limited to the rate at which your website loads. It is essential that you make it simple for customers to get the information or product that they need. Avoid placing it a few levels or more below the surface of your property. If consumers are forced to wait because of your website’s difficult navigation or uncertain structure, they will leave your site just as quickly as if it took ten seconds to load.
Users have little tolerance for a lack of patience.
Don’t: Obstruct the View of the Screen
It is shocking to see how many web designers make it impossible for consumers to access the information published on their websites when surfing the web.
The majority of these scams come in the form of newsletter subscription solicitations. If a consumer has not yet experienced any of your offerings, how can they possibly decide whether or not they want to sign up for your newsletter? Allow the visitor to explore your site before presenting them with the option to sign up for your newsletter.
Another typical offender is the use of cookie notifications. In order to comply with applicable laws, the majority of websites are required to provide visitors with a brief cookie warning. Despite this, they show a massive pop-up that prevents access to the site, as if the cookie warning were the most important piece of information on the website.
Don’t: Leave Content Until Last
It is common practise to save the content until last. This is due to the difficulty of the task. Simply because we were taught to read and write when we were children does not indicate that we are capable of writing compelling and convincing advertising copy.
The content you publish has a significant impact on SEO (search engine optimization), but customer experience (CX) should be your first concern (customer experience).
The vast majority of websites’ content suffers from these three major flaws.
The first error is that the copy is not balanced. This requires you to write 25 words on your flagship product and 5,000 words about the history of the firm.
The second mistake is writing for the corporation rather than for the client. This involves structuring material based on the structure of the organisation rather than the tasks performed by customers.
The third error is including an excessive amount of material all at once. The use of large amounts of text might be off-putting. Instead, compose brief, easily scanned passages that will keep consumers interested and engaged.
“Don’t bother trying to be creative……
Just make an effort to behave well.”
This remark was made by one of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Paul Rand.
It all comes down to this:
the quality of the website determines the uniqueness, while you determine the originality of the website. The work that they produce is more important to great designers than their fame.