People use the web and online services for various needs, including entertainment, utility payment, buying foods, accessing financial services, education, and so on. While the content of a website and app is what actually matters, the importance of UI design also plays a key role. The instances of web users overlooking content-rich, functional websites owing to poor UI design are numerous. The same thing is applicable to apps. For general web users, the first impression matters a lot. So, it is important to ensure the UI of your site is effective and user friendly. You need to know the common UI design errors and evade them at any cost.

Top UI design mistakes that you must avoid

Listed here are a few UI design errors that can repel your target visitors instantly and make them flock to other sites. 

• Lack of consistency in UI elements-

  The elements used in your app and site UI should look consistent. Using too many styles in the UI make them users baffled. A consistent-looking design is likely to win the trust of first-time visitors. Consistency should be there in aspects like UI colors, button shapes, and sizes, text font style, links, etc. Lack of consistency in site/app UI affects the credibility of the company/entity adversely.

• Choosing colors inappropriate for a business niche

  – When designing the UI for a brand/entity, color selection is crucial. If you do not think of the niche of the company or the type of customers it caters to, you may end up picking a color that does not gel well with its image. For example, it does not make sense to use vibrant and bright hues like purple, orange, or tomato red on the website of an entity offering healthcare services. The same colors go well for sites catering to working women and students. 

• Using too many effects in the UI

  – The site UI should not look too cluttered. This happens when you use a lot of effects on the UI elements. For example, there is no point in using both 3D emboss effect on the buttons on the page along with drop shadow or inside glow. Using any one of these would suffice in most instances. Try not to use black as the drop shadow color always. 

• Lack of color contrast-

  This is a reason many UI designs fail to take off. Based on on-site or app type, you can choose a background color or image. However, ensure that color contrasts with secondary color as well as the content text. Lack of contrasting colors adds to visual clutter, and it also reduces the legibility of the text. It may make many of the first time site visitors flocking to other sites.

• Lack of white space

  – No matter what type of a site you plan to design, lack of empty or white space can be detrimental to its success. It is wrong to assume that you have to load every part of the UI with some visual element or other! Without an adequate amount of blank space in UI, the clutter grows. Too many visual elements in the UI make it hard for the viewers to focus on any element, as it is. 

• Lack of text hierarchy

  – Ultimately, the viewers in your site will access the text content. However, to make the UI striking and appealing, the text hierarchy needs to be proper. The font, size, style of the text used as header, subtitle, and main content should be different. Proper spacing should be there between different blocks of text as well for enhancing legibility. 

• Icons

  – small but important- In UI design, you can’t overlook elements that seem apparently trivial. This is applicable for the icons. Some designers tend to overlook icons and think how they use icons will not matter to the end-users. This is a mistake you have to evade as randomly picking and using icons affects UI aesthetics. It is necessary to maintain consistency while picking the icons. Ensure all the icons picked by you are either filed or outlined. It is prudent to use SVG or vector graphics for icons. 

• Overusing dynamic elements

  – You need to use both static and interactive or dynamic elements in UI design. However, using too many interactive elements is not desirable. It makes the users distracted. So, it would be a good idea to evade using animations and effects in abundance in the UI. Doing so can also prolong page load time, and that can make the end users irate. You may also keep an option for disabling the animations on the site to suit the user’s needs. 

• Poor touch targets in the UI

  – Think of the people who would be accessing the site using mobile devices. The smartphones and tablets used for web access come in varying resolutions and screen sizes, as it is. The links and buttons in the UI should be easy to reach and use. If the buttons and links are positioned too close, selecting the required one can be tedious for users, especially those using devices with a smaller screen. Besides, people who use these devices will have different sized fingers. So, ensure there is adequate space between the buttons, both horizontally and vertically.

• Using poor quality images

  – The images used in the UI are important. Whether you use an image as a page background or use it as a collage, the quality is important. Using low resolution, pixelated images is something you should never do. Using images irrelevant to the company niche or services is also not advisable. The same is applicable to images with watermarks and blurry finish. Using crisp HD quality images is a must for the success of the UI.

Summing it up

The target for UI designers is coming up with an interface that looks consistent and is user friendly. The UI must inspire confidence in the viewers, and it should not look confusing. A balance must be there between the usage of text and other elements. Overusing any element in UI is something they have to evade. The importance of color contrast and spacing is there too.