50 MORE Web Design Mistakes (And Why)

Summary

This video outlines 50 common web design mistakes to avoid, building on a previous list. Tips include avoiding improper text alignment, ensuring responsive design with content containers, avoiding overly long headings, using proper SEO techniques, and optimizing for accessibility. Key points emphasize enhancing user experience, such as using hover effects, making clickable areas intuitive, and ensuring legible text sizes. The video highlights the importance of designing for your audience, using consistent styles, and maintaining functional navigation to create an effective, user-friendly website.

Takeaways

• 📏 Don't center-align titles if the paragraph text is left-aligned for consistency.
• 🖥️ Use content containers or wrappers to avoid wide monitors making websites unusable.
• 📱 Avoid adding line breaks to headings just for aesthetic reasons, as it breaks the flow on mobile.
• 🔙 Make sure users can navigate back to the parent page from subpages to improve browsing experience.
• 📸 Avoid using stock photos; they lack authenticity and originality.
• 🔗 All external links should open in a new tab to keep users on your website.
• 🖌️ Customize the HTML theme color to make your website feel up-to-date.
• 📲 Ensure phone numbers and emails are clickable for better user experience.
• 🚫 Avoid unnecessary horizontal scrolling; make all content easily accessible.
• 🔠 Make sure no text on your website is smaller than 12 pixels for accessibility.

Q & A

Why is it a mistake to center-align titles with left-aligned paragraph text?

Center-aligning titles with left-aligned paragraph text creates visual inconsistency and can disrupt the reading flow. The design feels unbalanced and can be harder for users to follow.

What are content containers or wrappers, and why are they important in web design?

Content containers or wrappers ensure that the content remains properly structured on all screen sizes, especially on wide monitors. Without them, the layout can break, making the website difficult to use.

Why should you avoid adding line breaks to headings to make them look prettier?

Adding line breaks to headings can break the natural flow of text, especially on mobile devices, causing readability issues. Headings should adapt naturally to different screen sizes.

What’s the purpose of a 'scroll to top' button, and why should it not hover over content in the footer?

The 'scroll to top' button helps users quickly navigate back to the top of the page. It shouldn’t hover over footer content because it can block important information and create a frustrating user experience.

Why is it recommended to avoid using stock photos in web design?

Stock photos can make a website feel generic and inauthentic. Custom images add originality and help to better represent the brand's unique identity.

What is the significance of setting an HTML theme color in web design?

Setting an HTML theme color improves the user experience, particularly on mobile browsers, where it can change the color of the browser's UI to match the website, enhancing visual cohesion.

Why should headings have consistent and incremental sizing?

Consistent, incremental heading sizes help users visually understand the hierarchy of content, improving readability and navigation across the page.

Why is it a bad practice to have more than two to three bold colors on a website?

Too many bold colors can overwhelm the user, causing visual clutter. Sticking to one bold color with neutral shades like black, white, and gray creates a more harmonious and easy-to-navigate design.

Why should testimonials or quotes be in italics?

Displaying testimonials or quotes in italics helps visually distinguish them from regular text, making them easier to identify and read. This styling convention enhances readability and flow.

What is the reasoning behind including products on the homepage of e-commerce websites?

Featuring products on the homepage increases user engagement and conversions by immediately showing visitors what is for sale, making it easier for them to explore and purchase products.