8 Mistakes Web Designers/Developers Make

Websites continue to grow in number every second. With the stiff competition, how do you stand a chance against websites with a similar theme as yours? One way is to build a good and functional website design that combines usability, useful and well laid-out content, and optimization. Web developers and designers must always keep in mind that the main reason for building a website is to provide users with valuable content and thus, they need to be able to access them without difficulty. Some of the biggest blunders designers and developers make are easy to fix once they are addressed.

Taking ‘Search’ for Granted

Never underestimate the power of adding an efficient Search Box placed in a highly visible part of a site. For elderly users and not-so-tech-savvy website visitors, a search box is of vital importance in searching for whatever they are looking for within your site. The ideal search box should be able to respond to typos, plural forms, hyphens, and variants of query terms. Designers have the option to incorporate Advanced Search but a simple box would serve the purpose just as well.

Poor Readability

Ever notice how news sites and successful websites use an interface design that promotes easy readability and legibility? It is the most effective way to deliver content and increase the time users spend on-site, as well as the frequency of repeat visits. The choice of fonts and colors is crucial to the success of a website. Go for type faces that are easier on the eye and learn how to make good use of white space. Make sure that text body and headings are consistent, properly aligned and spaced. Emphasize some words but do not overdo it. Keep paragraphs narrow and sentences short.

Cluttered Content Layout

There is a reason why newspapers and magazines hire a layout artist. His job is to structure the elements that need to be included in each particular edition. Proper layout on your website is likewise important and must be done carefully. No matter how much traffic you drive to your site, visitors will not stay for more than a minute and be enticed to explore further if content is outdated, disorganized, and overloaded. Jakob Nielsen recommends hiring an exclusive “web gardener” who could help maintain your site by “rooting out weeds and replanting flowers” as your website evolves.

Complicated, Confusing Navigation

Website navigation should always be user-friendly and made as simple as possible. Web development trends and technologies continue to emerge but developers should understand that navigation links need to be logically and consistently organized. The entire website structure must first be carefully planned in such a way that information is logically arranged. Navigation keys and links should always be easily accessible, meaningful, and comprehensible. Tempting as it may be to incorporate advanced Flash or JavaScript codes, always consider if the design promotes easy navigation.

Inconsistent Interface Designs

Web designers are artists in their own right but creativity does not mean applying varying designs on website pages. Inconsistent interface design is distracting to web users and most of the time, also annoying. This is the reason why seasoned professionals have hundreds of available web templates at hand. A standard, consistent template applied to each page of a website containing links to main sections to the site makes for an effective interface.

Screen Resolutions That Don’t Fit

A good web developer/designer optimizes a website’s layout based on a resolution that fits most screen sizes. Most of today’s websites optimize layout in 1024x768 pixels. If in doubt, used Google Analytics to determine the resolution most of your visitors are using. The program also offers all sorts of information to guide you on how to make your website more effective.

Too Many Images/Animation

There is no doubt that images and animation can do a lot to keep your visitors interested – if they are used prudently and tastefully. One mistake some developers make is being overenthusiastic about posting images and animation that only distract readers, not to mention slow down the pages’ loading time. If and when you feel that posting an image or animation is relevant to your site, offer options such as a Skip button so as not to try your readers’ patience.

Other Usability Blunders

Remember, visitors go to your website to get information. Do not frustrate them by requiring them to fill up long registration forms. Also, make sure clickable areas are visible by using a larger type face or maybe using a slightly different font color from regular text. Avoid using pagination to split a long article into parts. Websites that do this are usually after more page views but the wrong use of pagination affects how search engines determine the relevance of web pages. Website copy should be concise and easy to scan. Last but not least, never forget to add a Contact Us page.