How to frustrate a user? ||The Don’ts
Make sure you follow them to piss-off a user.
1. Icons that make no sense
Not sure what does this mean
What is this icon?
This is a pretty accurate example of a user interface icon that can’t be clearly understood and which may confuse the user as a result.
To avoid double interpretations, the designer should create an image with a meaning that can easily be understood. Don’t force the user to do the thinking. When we prioritize artistry over usability, we might design icons that can often be misunderstood.
Icons are tempting
Yes, icons are tempting to use, especially when space comes at a premium. But the trade-off is potentially confusing users and limiting the full benefit they may get from using your product.
Individuals who use digital products extensively, know that people tend to avoid clicking or tapping on anything if they don’t know where it will lead them. Because of this, people are less likely to interact with icons that don’t have labels — they aren’t sure what the labels mean or where they will take them. Including a label on hover is not an adequate solution and assumes that users will hover over the icons in the first place.
2. Long forms with validation submit
Anyone can make a mistake.
The good news is that forms will tell you which field you made a mistake on. The bad news is that if you make several errors on a long-form, you’ll end up with a long list of corrections when trying to submit the form.
Even though Long forms are a major turnoff, getting them to reset to empty boxes due to an error or showing the error after submit is even worse. This can create too much work for users in a long-form because the chances of making mistakes are higher. The more fields on the form, the more information users have to enter which can cause more typing errors.
What should we do?
Instant inline validation is the solution, it gives users instant feedback on whether the input they entered is valid. This approach allows users to correct the errors they make sooner without having to wait until they press the submit button to see their errors.
3. Bad Error Messages
Users don’t like seeing error messages.
Don’t use words with a negative tone. Things like, “oops,” “failed,” and “wrong.” Negative words can make users feel like they’ve made a huge mistake, leading them to think the situation is worse than it is. Instead of focusing on the user’s mistakes, focus on what they need to do to fix the error.
4. Use of Technical Jargons
Non- Technical users also exist!!
Most of the users are not interested in the technical details of the problem occurred. If a message contains technical terms or jargons, the user gets confused. Try to use simple layman language without referring to implementation details.
5. Adding Confirmation Fields
Why should a user re-enter the same thing again and again?
The confirmation field does not solve the incorrect submission problem. Not only that, but it forces users to do more work than they’d rather do. Users can end up making typing errors in both fields. This will cause them to spend more time correcting their input which can frustrate them.
Email and Password confirmation field must die
If you’re worried about a misspelt data, it’s better to make users pay closer attention to what they type. Just change your field’s placement, sizing and labelling.
- Place the field first.
- Increase the size of the field input.
- Emphasize Input Accuracy in the Field Label.
6. Use of Dark Patterns
“an user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things, such as buying insurance with their purchase or signing up for recurring bills.”
Dark Patterns are deceptive UX/UI interactions, designed to mislead or trick users to make them do something they don’t want to do. Designs that use dark patterns can deliver the best conversion rates and showcase excellent results during A/B testing.
But products that make users take decisions they don’t want to make end up creating a deceptive figure in their minds about the product-thus making the users frustrated and distrustful.
Some types of Dark patterns include:
- Bait and Switch- Like sometimes when you try to close an ad, but end up opening that ad.
- Forced Continuity- The user signs up for a free trial but has to enter their credit card details. When the trial ends, they start getting charged. There’s no opportunity to opt-out, no reminder, and no easy way to cancel the automatic charging of their credit card
- Confirm shaming-
Instead, strive for transparency
- Don’t strive for conversions instead build products that engage users naturally.
- Before every interaction, make the purpose clear.
7. Over choices
More features or choices ≠ Better user experience
A grocery store in found that having 24 choices of jam lead them to have a mere 4% conversion while having only six choices helped them to reach 31% conversion rate.
Hicks Law
Law states that increasing the number of choices will increase the decision time logarithmically.
Don’t overload the user with a lot of choices. When someone finds a situation or decision too overwhelming, it can often lead them to take no action at all.
8. Information Overload
Don’t bombard the user with content.
Websites or application users won’t be able to process what you are asking them if you confront them with too many options, unnecessary actions, or overstimulated colours and typographies.
A picture says it all…….
Sometimes you can’t avoid displaying more data, but it’s necessary to avoid more text. Focusing on visual information is a great way to offer enough detail about each section of the website.
Opposite of overload isn’t under-load
- It’s simplicity, Avoiding clutter and needless complexity. Keep the content simple. Lesser the information- easier to understand.
- Keep the content arranged more logically. So its easier to scan.
- Don’t include non-vital elements.
And voila! We are now ready to piss-off any user.
Add your points to frustrate a user down 👇 in the comment section.
Greetings, I am Rakshit Maggon, a student at Vellore Institute of Technology,Vellore. I will appreciate if you give this article a👏 clap.
Feel free to connect with me: rakshitmaggon.co
Thank you for reading.
