The importance of UX design through the lens of data:
- Poor UX design is the reason why 70% of online businesses fail.
- 90% of users never return to a website because of poor UX design.
- 80% of users will pay more for having a good user experience.
Now you want to hire UX designers. However, read this article before you do. Why? You must know what are the common UX design errors to avoid.
Know the errors and you’ll be better equipped to analyze if the UX designer you hired is doing a good job. If you’re a UX designer, you’ll know which mistakes to avoid.
In the next five minutes, learn the 8 common UX design errors app projects should avoid.
8 Common UX Design Errors App Projects Should Avoid
1. Complex User Interface
Online users have too much on their plates. They’re listening to music on an online app. Ordering food from another. Browsing through your website. All at the same time.
Thus, if you’re asking what mistakes should you avoid in mobile app design, a complex user interface is one of them. Opt for a simple and minimalistic user interface instead.
Here’s why you should:
- A simple and minimalistic user interface helps users to find the information they need with ease.
- A simple and minimalistic user interface offers a good amount of whitespace; thereby making the webpage pleasing to the eyes.
- A simple and minimalistic user interface reduces loading time; thereby lowering the bounce rate.
Three apps that offer a minimalistic user interface are:
- Google Calendar
- Medium
- Airbnb
2. No Responsive Design
62.06%. That’s the percentage of website traffic mobile devices generate. Furthermore, 92.1% of users access the internet from a mobile phone.
Can you afford to lose this large number of users because they can’t open your app or navigate without hassle once inside? Thus, not opting for a responsive design will be a horrible UX design problem.
Check out the 3 common signs your website isn’t responsive:
- Your design elements are too small on the mobile screen. Illegible texts and buttons too small to click are all signs of a non-responsive website.
- Design elements never adjust when the size of the browser changes.
- The website takes longer than three seconds to load on the mobile; thereby increasing the bounce rate.
3. Dreadful Onboarding Process
76% of users uninstall apps three days after they download those apps. An onboarding process that’s too sketchy or too overwhelming is one of the key reasons. However, a detailed yet short onboarding process increases retention rates by up to 50%.
Thus, if you’re asking what UX designers shouldn’t do, not including a detailed onboarding process is the answer.
Make sure the onboarding process of your app:
- Highlights the core features
- Focuses on the value proposition
- Asks for a minimum amount of information
- Keeps the process short
- Ends with a CTA
4. Spammy Push Notifications
- 46. That’s the number of push notifications average smartphone users in the U.S. receive in a day. Furthermore, 31% of users never find any value in them.
Thus, if you’re asking what’s a good thing to avoid in mobile UX, spammy push notifications will come close to the top.
Push notifications increase web traffic, conversion rates, and revenue when you personalize them. However, steer clear from:
- Sending push notifications that don’t offer value.
- Sending push notifications only to sell.
- Sending push notifications that are irrelevant to the users.
If you want a better idea of how to use push notifications, check out this example from Sunshine; a weather forecasting app that uses push notifications to send customized weather alerts.
5. Below Par App Architecture
A poor app structure:
- Doesn’t integrate with third-party software with ease.
- Is hard to maintain. Furthermore, one change in a specific area of the app might cause issues with other areas of the app.
- Doesn’t allow you to scale the app.
Make sure the app architecture:
- Allows modification with ease and a change in one aspect can affect another aspect of the app.
- Allows you to add additional functionalities.
- Allows you to develop the app in multiple parallel threads.
6. Less White Space
Here’s why white space is essential:
- White space plays a vital role in showcasing all the essential content and yet preventing the page from getting too crowded with elements.
- White space guides the eyes of the users toward useful information and offers a soothing experience to the eyes.
- White space beautifies the web pages on mobile screens.
Google Wave is an example of the consequences of less white space. The app user interface was overwhelmed with features; resulting in a complicated design and users rejecting the same.
Apply these methods to add enough white space in your apps:
- Keep the click targets to a minimum of 30 to 40 pixels. The MIT Touch Lab confirmed the range is similar to the average touch target size.
- Opt for vertical elements over horizontal elements.
- Opt for responsive typography.
7. Inconsistent Design
Consistent branding increases revenue by up to 23%. Why? A consistent design makes sure the number of times the end user must ‘re-learn’ a feature is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, a consistent design increases recognition and familiarity.
Three of the apps that have aced the consistent design game are:
- Duolingo
- Clear
- Hopper
Here’s how you too can pull off the same:
- Opt for the same tone in the app’s user flow and the marketing copy. Have an e-commerce site with a friendly tone copy? Never make an error message copy alarming.
- Design to fulfill the common expectations users have. Users expect a ticket-booking system on an airline site and a video player on a video streaming app.
- Opt for consistent visual elements throughout the app. The content, fonts, backgrounds, and colors should stay similar at every touch point.
- Place elements where users expect them to be. For example, users expect to see the search field on the top right of the screen and the company logo on the top left.
8. Overuse of Popups
Popups are good, right? They can increase the conversion rate by up to 9.3%. True. However, overuse the feature and the strategy will backfire.
Make Sure the Popups:
- Include concise copy over long copies. Highlight the essential feature such as a CTA, a discount code, or a validity period to create a sense of urgency.
- Add the fonts, colors, and graphics that are cohesive with your branding over the rest of the platform.
- Make it easy for users to find the exit door. Never hide the ‘X’ button so that the users can’t leave. Do that and your users won’t come back once they leave your platform.
Common UX Design Errors App Projects Should Avoid To Reap The Roi Benefits
UX investments offer a whopping 9,900% ROI. Thus, fixing the common UX problems should top the list of things to be done.
Now that you know the 8 Common UX design errors app projects should avoid, the information will help you take more informed decisions and make the most out of UX designs.