The internet is full of people who hate. Seriously, just check out Twitter trolls harassing a 14 year old, or any Facebook comment section, EVER! Honestly, it’s starting to feel like the internet has the capability to bring out the worst in us. But sometimes our rage filled hatred can be wholly justified. Especially when we are confronted with a range of highly irritating web design fails. From infinite scrolling, to broken links, certain design choices in the User Interface (UI) are guaranteed to drive us mad. So here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester, we have produced this guide to the web design and user interface features that users hate. So you know what to avoid when it comes to redesigning your company or business website.
Broken links
Top of the list of things that user hate, is broken links. Broken links aren’t necessarily a user interface feature, but the buttons and navigation bar that directed users to a HTTP 404 Error page certainly are. And if your navigation system isn’t fully working, you shouldn’t be subjecting users to it. Honestly, there is nothing more annoying than following a beautifully designed call to action button, to find out the link is broken. So before launching your new user interface, please make sure it is all in working order.
Pop-ups
Pop-ups are the single most hated thing on the internet in general. Nobody likes having their browsing experience disturbed and interrupted in such an obvious way. But in general, users do understand that these popups can lead to significant conversions. And so we put up with them. But, pop-ups that can’t be removed from the screen, without a sign-up or an entering of data, are a definite NO. And at the same time, popups with an overlay that cover the entire screen, and prevent you from reading the latest Love Island gossip, are equally as irritating. Nothing screams “increased bounce rate” quite like it!
Infinite scrolling
When it comes to web design and user interface features that users hate, infinite scrolling is a bit of a marmite issue. While this is a user interface design principle that makes life so much easier for mobile users, it can have big complications for some desktop websites. The main issue being lag. Once you reach what appears to be the bottom of the screen, more content simply appears immediately, as if by magic. Unless the website doesn’t load fast enough. By which point, you’ve already scrolled again (the maximum wait time is generally less than 2 seconds) which loads the page about three stories below where you last were. Completely distracting you from the content, and making you lose your place. The usual reaction is simply to leave the page. The verdict, there’s a time and place for infinite scrolling. Use it wisely.
Web design and User Interface features that users hate
Ultimately, users hate their browsing experience to be distracted or interrupted in any way. We all want to browse the internet without our experience being hijacked. While users will tolerate some issues, you can’t guarantee that they will all stick around. So if you are looking to boost sales, or conversions, ditch these user interface features today.
For more information or professional web design advice, from Manchester’s web design experts, get in touch with Pumpkin Web Design Manchester today.