There are many things told about web design and user experience. Everyone has a version of web design in their mind. They have their own thinking and opinions about user experience. From these limply structured and casual derivations, emerge myths and misconceptions about web designs and user experience that need reconsideration.
Also Read: Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Website Design
10 Misconceptions about Web Design and User Experience
Myth #1: People read on the web
This is the most common myth among webmasters and web designers. Website users look for information that is easy to grasp. They don’t like to read things. They look for keywords, lists, and intuitive illustrations and choose to read only if they find something promising in the first scan.
Myth #2: Only three clicks work
Let me tell you it’s not about the number of clicks. It’s about how natural or justifiable the transition is. You need to work on optimizing the navigation and making the user feel attended all the way rather. Put the user at ease with comprehensive clicks and assure him of right response as and when needed and that would be enough.
Myth #3: They don’t like scroll
Scrolling is a way of browsing. It is not a feature or a practice. You have to understand tricks to kill more content and useless things on top while you plan the scroll. Rather than breaking content across many pages, make most of it interface on one page with smart layout presence and planned scroll transition that perfectly corresponds with user experience.
Myth #4: Design is only about aesthetics
Nope! Design is not just about good looks. It is about the whole entity of presentation. It is about the feel that user gets while going through the website. It is about making user interact with the site, use it in a fast and engaging way. Design covers everything functional and conceptual and everything that is usable.
Myth #5: Accessibility is expensive and difficult
Accessibility simply means making site available on different devices. Making website run on different devices requires a pre-planning and nothing extra in terms of features and content. A few additional hours building plans followed by right implementation and you are done with your website ready to be viewed on different screens.
Myth #6: Graphics make it more visible
This is an age old myth that the more graphics you add the more your interface comes alive. All you need to do is emphasize more on details and watch things not to clutter. Just avoid heavy and loud graphics and go with subtle highlights and presentation themes to make it visually effective.
Myth #7: If your design is good, small details don’t matter
The worst myth ever! You just can’t do without details and this means that there has to be enough engagement of resource entities and characterization at each level of design. Your beautiful design is nothing if it has nothing to offer in terms of functional and communicative details.
Myth #8: You are like your users
Don’t block your way to impress your audience, thinking this way. Your product is like your kid and your love for it is biased. If you want to know your website’s limitations and cons, make your friends use it. They will interpret it objectively and you will have the right user perspective of it then.
Myth #9: Flash is evil
Not everything about using Flash is good. But that doesn’t mean that you simply go on abandoning it bluntly. It’s a great technology. Have the confidence to use it where you need to act ‘flashy’. The new version of Flash will help you achieve a better presentation scheme and push your appeal, without making your site any heavier, unlike what is popularly believed.
Myth #10: Search will solve a website’s navigation problems
You can’t depend on search completely and avoid having an optimum navigation on your site. Consider search as the last sort to be offered to your user just in case the directional navigation and tool tips completely go flat. Try to make it work putting enough of interactive navigation and easy reference points across the site.
Conclusion
Now that you have come across some really dramatized thoughts pushing things beyond reality, take a responsibility to combat them. Try to bring a broader angle to how designs work. Think more about bursting myths and balancing ideas on web design and user experience and you will get through.
Author Bio
Ana Elena Foster is a senior technical writer at CakePHPExpert, A leading Cakephp Website Development Company. The author is contributing to the industry since 2008 with her profound knowledge in Web Development, Design and Technology related content to provide industry insights and personal thoughts on latest topics.
