13 UX Mistakes Explained in GIFs

Making your website look pretty is an important part of web design, but even a nice looking website can fail if it is not user-friendly. If you are looking to improve the user experience of your website, we’re here to help. Below are 13 common UX mistakes and how users may react to them.

1. Centered Running Text

Just say no to this — almost always impossible to read.

2. All Cap Headlines

Again — impossible to read. All caps is okay for most buttons though.

3. Bait and Switch with Images

People hate rolling over images and then having the image swap out totally for text. They want the rollover to be an additive experience — with translucent panels — instead of the image completely disappearing.

4. Non-Scannable Text or Content

You have two seconds to convey the meaning of a page before the user bounces. If the user can not understand the basic information on the page — and be compelled to read it — then the page is bad.

5. Visual / Verbal Duplication

If an infographic tells the story, you don’t have to provide 100% duplication with the text. The text should compliment the graphic and extend the meaning. Not duplicate it.

6. Confusing Lingo

Avoid using terms for labels, navigation, and tabs that reflect your company’s org chart or proprietary lingo. The user must understand these things instantly without thinking about it.

7. Misuse of Buttons or Links

As a general rule, buttons should begin processes, spawn browser tabs, or take users to a completely different section of the site. On the other hand, text links should provide more information or take users to another related page. While there are always exceptions, stick with these rules unless pages look too link-heavy.

8. Page Anchor Links

Nobody likes these. They fool the user into thinking they have gone to another page. Sometimes the scroll-down after the click is so fast that they are not aware it has happened, and then they don’t know where they are in the site.

9. Non-Ubiquitous Navigation

People should always know where they are on a site. They shouldn’t have to rely on the back button in order to get back to a page they were previously on.

10. False Walls

These are left and right walls that hide content (usually images in galleries with sliders). Consider showing 1/4 or 1/2 of an image to encourage swiping or scrolling.

11. Lack of In-Page Hierarchy

Every page should be organized following the natural flow you want the user to take. If the objective of the page is to get them to buy something, then the hierarchy of the page content should reflect the natural progression of the user in making that journey.

12. Missing Selected States on Navigation Buttons

When a user has clicked on a navigation button, it must be highlighted in it’s selected state when the user is presented with the new page. This reminds users where they are and confirms the sequence of their actions.

13. Too Much Marketing Language

You should try and find a balance between motivational heads and those that can be instantly understood by all users. Don’t use so much marketing language to the point where some people will not get the “cleverness.”

Thanks to thegiflibrary, gif-database, and giphy.