Professional Website Consulting since 2001
Professional Website Consulting since 2001
October 19, 2015
Are you cutting corners with your website’s design? Don’t. Lazy design decisions output a dull, under-performing & generic website. Avoid these 5 lackadaisical design decisions.
By Eric Sharp
October 19, 2015
Are you cutting corners with your website’s design? Don’t. Lazy design decisions output a dull, under-performing & generic website. Avoid these 5 lackadaisical design decisions.
by Eric Sharp
TOPICS:
Quick Summary
A generic website is not created accidentally. Uninformed design decisions, paired with avoiding brainstorming and not making the necessary time, will output a dull, underperforming, and generic website. Generic websites are also void of decisions backed by data and usability studies. The 5 most common decisions that lead to a generic website are: 1) Making the logo really big 2) Using a single font, like Arial/Verdana/Times New Roman 3) Choosing stock photography, and using it everywhere 4) Avoiding a harmonious color palette 5) Designing a generic architecture. Also, don't confuse generic with simple. "Simple" websites are scientifically better, but more because they're simpler to use by being cognizant of its details.
There’s certainly a time and place for lazy decisions.
I periodically make lazy dinner decisions after a long day. Aside from a lack of proper nutrition, there’s little collateral damage with a quick and sloppy meal at 8:30pm to avoid hangriness.
With websites, however, lazy is much more damaging.
Snap design decisions — motivated by avoiding brainstorming or not finding the necessary time — output a dull, underperforming and generic website.
Here are 5 lackadaisical design decisions you should never make with your website.
The king of all design spoofs: “Make the logo bigger!”
Laboring over the size of your logo is wasted energy. Frank West (test results no longer active) ran a test on 100+ popular websites and found the average logo to be 168×64 pixels. SEOptimer recommends 250×100. Stick with a size no wider or taller, provide some whitespace around it, and make it link to your homepage. Then…move on.
There are other elements in your header (e.g. navigation, primary call-to-action) that demand more attention.
Bigger is not better in this case. And logo size is not as important as you think.
This is like saying, “I’ll always eat a PB&J for lunch for the next 3 years.”
Will you starve? Of course not. Is it a lazy decision? Absolutely. (You’re not in First Grade anymore!)
Your website will function if you use just Arial, Verdana or Times New Roman. But, it will have lost its soul along the way.
Websites that are enjoyable to use perform better. If your competition’s website is more enjoyable to use than yours, guess who’s probably getting the sale or lead. They will.
Making website typography choices isn’t overly difficult, but it does take some planning. Work with a designer to choose a font pairing that adheres to your branding guideline and matches your company’s personality.
Your website’s soul depends on it.
If I see another stock photo of a CSR on a website’s contact page, I may just lose it…
Don’t get me wrong, stock photography is great when your content needs a visual boost. Visual content drives engagement. Sometimes, it’s just easier (and cheaper) than coordinating a grandiose photo shoot.
However, an overuse and improper use of stock photography will make your website feel cold, unnatural, outdated and of course generic.
If you must use stock photography, never use these 7 types of images:
It may seem like you’re designing a stunning website by getting crafty with your color choices, but all you’re really doing is avoiding a harmonious palette.
Not using color correctly spawns usability issues, accessibility issues, and has an impact on conversion rate.
But, Eric, we have a very colorful palette!
That’s OK. Some brands have vibrant branding. But, more is not better in how you use the color on a website. Rely on web design mood boards to establish hierarchy and contrast.
Products & Services? Check.
About? Check.
Blog? Check.
Contact? Check.
Congratulations! Your website just won the ‘Generic Website of the Year’ award. Yes, “simple” websites are scientifically better, but this doesn’t mean a generic architecture works for every business.
Your website has a unique story to tell, right? You want to inspire people to click more than one page, right? You want your architecture to allow for growth, right? Defining your top level menu/navigation speaks volumes to your visitors.
Always be concise and use common language, but don’t oversimplify this for the sake of being simple.
Charles Eames, a famous American designer, believed in details.
The details are not the details. They make the design.Charles Eames
And so should you.
Cutting design corners to launch your website by a certain deadline may seem more important in the short-term, but that decision will come with chronic and long-term headaches.
At some point, you’ll need to correct your lazy design decisions. So, why not get the details right on the first go-round? Don’t own a website that looks plucked straight from a catalog. Roll up your sleeves and put in the work.
There's gobs of information out there, so I'm honored you found this article interesting enough to make it this far. My hope is it helps you to a better performing website!
Eric Sharp is the founder of ProtoFuse and has been in the website trenches since 1999 — right before the dot-com boom redefined websites forever. Since then, he's accumulated two decades of digital marketing experience and prides himself on creating websites "Loved by people and Google". He has 2 awesome kids, loves Da Bears, and is into that whole CrossFit thing.
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