As soon as users come into contact with your interface, a link is established between the two parties. During this first contact with users, no matter how familiar they are with the technology, they will need to orient themselves. Therefore, being very clear from the beginning what type of design you will choose is a fundamental task.
When we talk about the type of design we are not only referring to the colors of your interface, but also to the words and visual schemes. One of the fundamental laws of UI UX design service establishes that users appreciate the use of already known schemes. If you are considering communicating using a ground-breaking design, you will be very interested in this article.
The most important
- Users come into contact with your interface looking for quick solutions to specific problems. And they must find them.
- A user interface that is too busy or unclear will be a reason for abandoning your digital solution. Causing the bounce rate to increase.
- Users spend most of their time browsing other interfaces that they are already accustomed to. Find out what they are and get inspired by them.
The most common UX/UI Design mistakes: The definitive list
Offering an optimal user interface will be the result of carrying out a series of mandatory previous steps. Has it ever happened to you that you have undertaken a task believing you knew how to do it and in reality, you were starting your house on the roof? Pay attention to the following list of mistakes you will make if you overlook the needs of your users.
Offering an optimal interface will be the result of following a series of previous steps. It has happened to all of us at some point to undertake a task, sure of where to start, and then realize that we have started on the wrong side. Therefore, we recommend that you pay close attention to the following list of errors so that you do not fall into them:
#1. Onboarding is confusing and inefficient.
Onboarding will be the first contact for many users with your interface. This “first impression”, unfortunately, many times, will be what helps them get an idea about your solution. We recommend that you always be very careful if:
- You ask the user to repeat information they have already given before.
- You inflate their expectations and then disappoint them.
- It is not clear how to navigate the site or platform.
Consequence: Your users will feel frustration and distrust.
#2: Users make mistakes easily and cannot or do not know how to correct them
After months of working on your interface, no one in the world can know it better than you. And it is precisely this fact that can bias your perception of it, since for your users it will be the first time they see it. And you will encounter problems if:
- You do not offer confirmation or verification after each action.
- There is no option to go back in case of error.
- You don’t apply UI interaction patterns.
#3: There is no visual continuity or consistency.
Maintaining consistency in the design of your solution will be a fundamental requirement throughout your entire information architecture. Your interface must maintain a consistent design throughout the entire navigation, and you will not achieve this if you first:
- You do not establish a coherent design system.
- You continually change your users’ environments.
- The user does not know how many steps are left to finish the flow. (Added)
Consequence: Your users will feel distrustful.
#4: There are no shortcuts, no search engines, no ways to go faster.
Do you remember any digital solutions that you literally got lost in? Or that it constantly forced you to return to the “Home” to be able to continue browsing?… Always put yourself in the situation of your users and this way you will be able to prevent:
- Your architecture only supports one path to get to a certain point.
- Your content does not include inclusivity and/or accessibility criteria. (Added)
- The use of icons assuming that they are understood. (Added)
Consequence for the user?: Frustration and impatience.
#5: There is no help or user guidance.
Your users come into contact with your interface to quickly resolve a question or problem. They don’t want to have to decipher any ancient enigma to achieve it. And so you will have them, trying to answer the sphinxes like Atreyu if:
- You do not answer frequently asked questions (FAQs), or offer a quick reference center.
- For critical cases the help option is not available.
- There are no different support channels, be it chat, contact email, etc.
Consequence: Abandonment of your solution with more doubts than solutions.
#6: The texts are ambiguous, too technical, specialized or extensive.
A good tip we can give you is: don’t assume that your users are PROs like you. In most cases, your users will not be proficient in any design language that allows them to translate your interface. And they won’t get it if:
- You do not provide all the information, forcing your user to seek more help outside of your solution.
- Your user feels unable to use your channel, service or product.
- You don’t understand the language your users need to hear. (Added)
Consequence: confusion and exhaustion.
#7: The design is unbalanced.
Think like architects and clearly establish where the entrance door to your house will be, otherwise total chaos may result. You will force your visitors to enter through any window, or the chimney, like Santa Claus, if:
- The information is not well structured or organized.
- The relevant parts of the website are not identified.
- Inconsistency in cross-platform design. (Added)
Consequence: rejection and mental fatigue.
#8: Lack of consistency
Always imagine yourself in the shoes of your users and ask yourself if you would feel comfortable navigating through an interface in which, with each button pressed, the environment changes. As if it took you to another different App or website. This will happen to you if:
- You don’t always use the same color scheme on the website.
- Vertical and horizontal spacing differs on each interface. (The content hierarchy is not respected – Headlines, images, buttons)
- The size of the headings is not consistent. (Remove)
- The same link format is not followed. (Remove)
- The icons differ in style.
Consequence: perception of lack of harmony, disgust.
#9: Lack of white space
For American movies and series, the rooms of rebellious teenagers must be lined up to the ceiling by law. Posters, boards with photos, concert posters… everything mixed together and making you really want to run away from there. Rebel and always avoid:
- Content stuck, cluttered or overlapping.
- The absence of space between blocks of text and images.
- Lack of understanding of the distribution of the content or the message.
Consequence: illegibility, mental noise and frustration. Your interface must breathe.
#10: Complex forms
Forms are vital when collecting information from our users, as this way we will obtain super valuable information. From their answers you will get a precise idea of what they need, offering you the correct answer. But you will get the opposite result if:
- You set many fields to fill out.
- You request data that is totally unnecessary or already provided.
- You request all the data in a first form.
Consequence: Your users will feel frustration, distrust and abandon.
Conclusion
When we talk about user experience, we mean that the entire process of designing digital solutions must focus on their needs. To satisfy them, reaching a deep knowledge of them is essential. This is why in your user experience designs, functionality should prevail over aesthetics.
Focus on them, get to know them and you will know what UI UX Design services they need in order to solve their specific problems. Otherwise , starting the design process at your own risk, you will undoubtedly fall into all these errors already seen. As good friends do, we invite you to consult the rest of the tips on UX/UI Design in the following links.
