Six design decisions that can hurt your content

Image: Simon Berry

Bad design decisions can turn readers off for good, while good design decisions can draw them in and have them stick around to read more. Here are six design mistakes to avoid:

1. Cluttering up your page

Too much clutter is not very visually appealing. More importantly, it makes your content hard to engage with. The more images, text, and colours you have on a page, the more difficult it will be for your visitors to find the information they need. You can still present the same amount of content⁠—just spread it out.

2. Unnecessary animation

Animation can make your website run slower. It can also distract from the information you are presenting to your readers. Both of which can be frustrating for visitors. If they are frustrated, they will navigate away from the page and you’ll lose your chance to engage with them.

3. Choosing illegible fonts

Cursive or other frilly fonts, small fonts, and fonts in colour with a low contrast ratio with your background are all difficult to read. If your visitors have to strain to get the information they need, they’ll find somewhere else to get it. 

“How you present your content can impact whether or not people are engaging with it. When designing your website, the choices you make will impact whether or not visitors stay.”

4. Complicating site navigation

Site navigation needs to be intuitive and easy. People should be able to instantly understand where they can access the specific information they need. If your website does not have a menu bar or site map, or creates a multi-step navigation process, people will move on.

5. Not designing for mobile

Mobile optimisation is key since most people use their mobile devices to access the internet. If your webpage is not mobile optimised, the formatting will be extremely difficult to access. Without optimisation the layout will be a mess, the font too small to read, and visitors won’t be able to navigate your website. 

6. Lacking a clear brand identity

Without a clear brand identity, your website will be confusing to visitors. For example, if you are a law firm and your site has floral backgrounds, people may not realise they are at the right website and may navigate away, or worse, not take you seriously. However, if you sell aromatherapy products and have a floral background, people will be engaged in your products. Developing a unique brand identity can be challenging, but here’s some inspiration to get you started (Tenfold). ALHAUS can make sure your content is making the biggest impact possible⁠—contact us today to find out more.