The Top 5 Scariest Web Design Flaws
by Matt Gorlaski
Sometimes I lie awake in fright due to the terrible things I see during the day. With Halloween just around the bend I wanted to share some of the SCARIEST things that keep me up at night.
Hold your blankets tight and your candy close for THE FIVE SCARIEST WEBSITE FLAWS:
1. Big Logos
Making the company logo as big as Frankenstein’s monster might be the most common design flaw when creating a new website.
The fact of the matter is, most of the users know what site they are on, there’s no need to jump out like a demonized jack in the box.
Logos are built to be big and small—so go small; or at least medium.
2. Too Many Focal Points
Many times, clients want to cram as much as possible “above the fold”, which doesn’t even exist anymore. When there are too many different focal points, it’s easy for a user to get overwhelmed.
If you have a bunch of candy bars in a pile and wanted to find one certain kind, you’d have a pretty tough time.
That’s why every good trick-or-treater has a candy organization system.
3. Your Stock Photo Isn’t Hiding
Every designer, at some point in his or her career, has used stock photography. The problem with stock is that it’s not real and doesn’t feel real; just like the monster under little Timmy’s bed.
People can tell the difference between imagery that’s been professionally shot FOR a company and images that were found for a company.
A business will be viewed as trustworthy if the pictures are authentic; which is more than I can say for the apples I got from old man Larry on Halloween.
3. Too Much Content Front and Center
What would you do if a huge flock of bats came flying towards you?
I’d run.
The same goes for a website that comes at you with way too much content all at once. Paragraphs of content are for pages that are deep within your site.
Content on the homepage and even some secondary pages should feature quick digestible info with links to more detailed content.
It should be like a haunted house with a bunch of doors. You can see all the different doors to go through and choose which room to lock yourself in.
4. Not Enough White Space
Negative space helps a user breathe. They can digest the content easily so they can focus and ultimately click on where they want to go.
In fact, a designer can use that space to direct a user’s eye to a new place–talk about spooky mind control.
When there is not sufficient negative space on a website design a user will get overwhelmed and flee.
Again, quick snippets of information will help a user find what they want fast and ultimately stay on a website.
There you have it!
Follow these tricks and treats to avoid designing a scary website. If you think you need to clear those creepy cobwebs from your site and need help deciding what to do next, download our website refresh workbook.
Happy Halloween!