Remember how horrifying Microsoft Word toolbars used to be? Here’s a little nightmarish blast from the past. Straight up heinous.
Even the best, at times, really suck. And it’s these mistakes that can also present themselves as opportunities to understand more about what users need. But, if you ignore your mistakes for too long, you’ll alienate your users and audience.
The blog post we’re featuring today breaks down some terrible UX mistakes so that you can learn them and understand why they’re bad news for your product or brand. If you see a mistake that looks familiar, don’t worry, this post will help you fix ’em too.
Mistake 1: You built a Norman door. A what? In UX talk, that means “any button, menu, or digital object that doesn’t give you any hint on how to use it.” Google did it here in Google translate. When you introduce a new symbol like this, help a new user understand the function by (1) building prototypes and collecting user feedback and (2) providing clear and simple user on-boarding.
Mistake 2: You under-utilized user data in personalization. We’re not talking about [insert name here] tactics. The value of personalization is in using what is unique about a person and their usage to help them reach their goals and increase engagement—optimizing every interaction your user has with your brand. Look for ways to use the data you have about your customers to offer personalized advice and recommendations.
Mistake 3: You loved too much of your product. When you’re too attached to your product’s features or design elements, it’s difficult to get rid of them. But this can be detrimental to UX because adding more stuff can overwhelm and confuse your user. This shows itself as content overload and visual overload. Instead, focus on the core value of your product and prioritize visual simplicity.
More takeaways and baaad UX examples inside.
