Web design errors that somehow still occur
One of the great things about the internet is how things on it can theoretically last forever. If no one makes the decision to tear it down, it can last there forever, like some kind of digital museum oddity.
However, it is much less fun when websites today use these types of elements. The hundred different fonts, the terrible backgrounds, and the small, low-quality images. Crazy to imagine a website in 2018 still using these aspects. However, it does happen, and much more often than you might think.
With that in mind, here are 5 terrible web design mistakes that even a talented web design expert will make from time to time. Suffice to say, if your website uses any of these aspects, it may be time to think about an upgrade.
- garish colors
I’d like to think that web developers have learned a lot about color theory in the last 20 years, and for the most part, they have. The use of complementary colors, often subtle or pastel shades that help add visual flair to a design, is now the norm.
Then there are the websites that think that color is the most important aspect of a website, rather than the content. These websites go and put it in your face. Websites with bright red or bright green designs. These websites are a visual nightmare and no web design expert would make these decisions, so we can only hope that they are caused by aggressive clients.
- too many fonts
The right choice of font can do a lot for a text. It can be presented professionally (Arial), perhaps with more character (Papyrus), or it can be cartoonish to appeal to children (Comic Sans), while Sans Serif fonts are theoretically easier to read on the screen.
With all these possibilities it can be hard to know which one to choose. What if you want a different meaning for each piece of text on the screen? Why, use 30 different fonts of course!
No do not do that. She was using sarcasm to illustrate a point. Too many fonts on the screen can be confusing to watch as each style fights for attention. The text itself loses the flow it has as your eyes jump from one font to another, instead of focusing on the content itself.
- Music
Music on websites is one of the most memorable aspects of websites in the early 2000s. MySpace was the most prominent offender, with the ability to add your own song to your profile. The idea was to help give visitors an idea of who you are and what your personality is.
People did this for years, despite knowing that every time they entered someone else’s profile, the first thing they did was turn off whatever horrible music was playing. Adding music to your web page is distracting, and whatever you choose is unlikely to attract all (or any) of the visitors you receive. However, the most important thing is that it changes the first thought of the users:
“What a beautiful website. What should I look at first?” in
“How the hell do I convert this awful music?”
This is known as “Starting off on the wrong foot.”
- Background
As I mentioned on the Space Jam website, it has a terrible space background, with bright stars to distract you. Well guess what? That type of fund is still used. The space theme is certainly less common, but the dark background with repeating patterns still exists on a multitude of websites. They are distracting and even if the pattern is made of the company logo, it ruins the design and theme and looks unimaginably youthful.
A background should generally be a block color, usually pastel or faded. This then highlights and complements the content, rather than fighting it for attention.
- Confused navigation:
Augmented reality games (ARGs) are played online, often on innocent-seeming websites. ARGs are a story that spans multiple websites. Readers must interact with the websites, investigate, and solve puzzles along the way to continue the story. In order for these games to work, browsing the website is intentionally awkward, creating a challenge for players to solve.
Unless your website is running an ARG, and I highly doubt it, then you should have clean and simple navigation. Your users are not yet engaged with the website and will find no pleasure in struggling to find the section of your website they want. Any self-respecting web design expert should be able to create a simple website design that accentuates a simple and pleasant user experience.