7 Tired Web Design Trends That Make You Look Dated
The one thing we can be sure of about the internet is constant change. Something ahead of the curve at the start of the year can become tired or stale by the end of it. Web design trends fade and evolve constantly, so if you’re using any of these tired tropes, your website may need a bit of a makeover!
Here are seven web design trends to quit in 2023:
1. Unwanted, Persistent Popups
While browsing through your website, if a user is interrupted by something on the screen, especially if it’s information that may not interest them, it creates a negative user experience.
Site owners added popups to increase conversions, newsletter subscriptions, or offer incentives and promotions. Bad popups show up immediately as you access a site or require a user to accept or reject a promotion/offer. Popups are great if you use them for something unmissable, like a flash sale, but add them in a way that does not completely derail the user’s website experience.
2. Stock Photos
Professional photography is the best way to go for branded, high-resolution pictures of your products. Real images show diversity, are more relatable, and positively impact a website visitor. Believe it or not, even the most novice eye can detect fake/posed stock imagery. In some scenarios, it might make economic sense to use stock photos. If you need to use stock photos, stay away from the generic and overused ones used across the web. When using stock images, try showing ideas or deeper pictorial references rather than people.
3. Inconsistent fonts
Using too many fonts across your website can be tempting, considering the many beautiful fonts available today, but avoid the temptation. Too many fonts can confuse your user and make your content appear very cluttered. Imagine a page where the header, body, menu, and footer have different fonts––that’s too many! This is an easy one to fix. Select a clear and easy-to-read font across your website. You could select a font and use its bold, semibold, regular, and italic iteration for different sections like headers, tag lines, product descriptions, etc. Doing this lets the user distinguish between the content and maintains your brand’s aesthetic.
4. Inaccessibility and Lack of Inclusive Design
If your website is not accessible, it can’t cater to a portion of the population that may have temporary or permanent disabilities. In certain jurisdictions, your website must comply with the accessibility standards laid out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Is your website accessible and compliant? With an inaccessible website, you may not just be losing out on potential customers but might also be at risk of legal action.
5. Security and Load Time
Many studies outline how a user will abandon a page if it takes too long to load. Today a few seconds of wait time is considered acceptable before a website loads. You want to ensure your website design is efficient so that it doesn’t hamper your load time, e.g., don’t use large file sizes or graphics and compress/optimize images. User experience is at the forefront when designing your website; waiting for a page to load will more likely result in losing a potential customer/subscriber. Another important aspect to consider: security. At a bare minimum, your website should use an SSL certificate. Not getting an SSL certificate could lead to the following:
- Your website could potentially be hacked
- Lack of trust from the average user (your website URL might be flagged as not secure when users try to access it)
- Could affect search engine rankings
6. Responsive Design
A large portion of users access content on the internet through their phones. A mobile-first approach to web design is vital. Responsive design scales the website automatically to fit smaller screens without any distortion, making it much easier for users to interact with your content.
7. Infinite Scrolling
Sometimes, an endless scroll may still be applicable, like when you have an online store with a large product list. This design does solve the pagination issue, but it comes at a cost––say goodbye to your page footer. The footer contains important information and useful links for customers and partners alike. If you need additional motivation, Google uses footer information to rate your website. Many people also scroll directly to the footer to find your address or phone number, and the endless scroll frustrates them enough to leave your site. Kill the endless scroll.
Ditch These Tired Web Design Trends Today
The goal of your website should be a great user experience while showcasing your products or services. The user should not be distracted, overwhelmed, or confused with how you have laid out the information or how they are required to interact with your website. Ditch these tired and data web design trends asap to bring your website user experience up to modern standards and start growing your audience.