“Bad” design is a pretty subjective opinion. BUT if something is giving users a less than desirable experience, we are happy to be the ones to call it bad. Here are 5 popular UX trends that should be reconsidered:
- Pop-Ups: Either use very sparingly or not at all. Pop-ups are great for urgent CTAs, but can also give users a negative experience of being interruptive. Try to integrate CTAs more into pages or with sliding bars instead.
- Auto-Play Videos: Have you ever been minding your own business browsing a site then suddenly you have audio playing from your tab and you can’t understand where it came from? No one likes auto-play with sound.
- The Flash Intro: Much like an auto-play video, flash intros are not worth it and will likely make a user bounce.
- Stock Photos: It’s got to be real! Users can sniff out overused stock. While it’s fine to use them here and there, you are better off investing in your brand’s own, authentic photography.
- Bad Parallax Scrolling: We’re not saying kill parallax…but use it sparingly. It slows down your site, isn’t mobile-friendly, and can make your users a little dizzy if it’s too drastic.
We’re not all bad news bears here. Here are 3 simple UX trends to check out:
- Bold Color and More White Space: C’mon it’s the internet. Play with some more vivid color schemes to catch a user’s eye. Counter it with plenty of white space to breathe instead of overstuffing pages with content.
- Illustrations: If you can, get custom illustrations for your brand to bring your site unique life. It creates a more memorable user experience, too.
- Accessibility: This isn’t a trend, just a reminder that accessibility is a must. Not only is it more inclusive, but it also improves UX for everyone with better visibility, reading, and navigation.
Check out Lounge Lizard’s full post for more design details!
