Stop Killing Your UX: 10 Usability Issues You Need to Avoid

Designing the user experience (UX) for your website should help visitors to find meaningful and relevant content in an intuitive way that guides them smoothly through their journey. Despite this, there are a whole host of common usability issues that could be stopping those visiting your site from getting the best UX. Make sure you aren’t guilty of any of them.

1. Slow loading site

The difference between two seconds and four may not seem like a lot, but on the internet it’s an age and can mean some users won’t stick around. Regular speed tests to ensure your website loads in under two seconds will help to keep your UX in check. Conduct multiple tests to calculate the average and make changes to your site to eradicate elements that are slowing it down.

2. Over-reliance on the back button

Designing the experience to flow is important, but there will be occasions when users change their mind or make a mistake, meaning they need to go backwards. This should be factored into the functionality of the website, with ways to return to previous pages built in without the need to click the back button. Without an alternative route, users can become frustrated and complications can occur with loading.

3. Inconsistent page layouts

Consistency is key to eliminating confusion and improving visitors’ understanding of a page. Inconsistent page layouts make it harder for users to navigate their way around information. Tackle this by reproducing headers on multiple pages, selecting a font and sticking to it and replicating the position of buttons across your site so they’re easily found.

4. Unclear navigation menu bar

Navigation is key to a successful UX and while hamburger menus are commonplace on an app or mobile site, it’s a lazy design choice. Drop down menus are less than ideal too, as mouse usage lags behind the speed of the human eye, which slows visitors down. Instead, a UX designer must create a clear navigation bar that takes users to important pages without cluttering the menu with too many options.

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5. Popups

Popups are disruptive by design and actively interrupt the UX, but they remain ubiquitous because they’re seen as vital to achieve business goals such as obtaining users’ data. In most cases it’s impossible to remove popups all together, but it’s worth giving them some thought to minimize how much they annoy visitors. Instead of an entry popup, opt for an exit popup that allows users to see the value of your site before being asked to sign up for anything. Also, ensure that the popup is relevant to your audience, offering them something worthwhile and connected to the content they’re accessing on your site.

6. Complex signup processes

While it’s important to ensure a user’s security isn’t breached, designers should also make it easy for them to sign up to your site, newsletter or services. After all, you want to collect this data from them and asking for more information than you need, requiring complex passwords and multiple levels of authentication can drive them away.

7. Long forms

Designing successful online forms is an artform and one that should keep in mind the UX, favoring brevity and an efficient use of the user’s time. Format the information into a single column and group related items together, as well as indicating which fields are optional. Specifying errors inline helps users to identify where on a form a problem has occurred, as opposed to spending a lot of time checking every box they’ve filled out for a mistake.

8. Requesting too much information

Users that have to put information into forms multiple times or are required to add irrelevant fields, such as company name or position for a personal order can abandon their shopping cart and leave. Many orders are done online for speed and convenience, so adding in extra form filling will only slow down how quickly a simple task can be completed.

9. No flexibility on data input

Websites that only allow dates, phone numbers or passwords to be inputted in a certain format, but don’t let users know what it is, compromise the UX. They slow down the process of completing an order or logging in and require a lot of patience that may not be seen as worth the end service or product.

10. Lazy error messages

Errors are an inevitable part of your website, as there will be occasions when the user makes a mistake or the system fails. The message that results needs to be clear, giving specific directions on what to do next to overcome the problem. While explaining the issue, it should be jargon-free and friendly to prevent further frustration to the user. A common UX failure is to have a single error message for all validation problems, making it unclear how to resolve a specific obstacle.

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