Businesses should focus on incorporating great design features into their website, but it’s just as important to avoid the bad ones. While marketing people might try to highlight the positives of the ones listed below, they’re the only ones that see any value in them.
1. Popups
Considered as a nuisance that’s been around since the early days of the internet, the dreaded popup is still here today. Annoying enough on a desktop, popups are even more frustrating on mobile devices. Instead of a small box you can quickly close, they often open a whole new page.
Lately, a common tactic is to show popups when you try to leave a webpage. You’ll get a message like ” before you go, be sure to grab a copy of our FREE online such and such.” Honestly, the only time I ever pay attention to these is when I’m shopping online.
Some clothing stores offer first-time customers a discount if they sign up for their newsletter. If I’m interested in buying clothes, I’ll sign up for the discount. But that’s the only exception. Otherwise, I just click the [X] button to close the popup immediately.
The lesson of the popup story? Unless you’re giving customers a first purchase discount, avoid using popups altogether.
2. Videos That Autoplay
Using videos to showcase your products is a fantastic way to engage your visitors. It’s much more impactful than just using text and images. However, it’s important not to overdo it. When people visit a site, they like having the freedom to explore and browse at their own pace. Auto-playing videos takes away this control and forces the viewer to watch whether they want to or not.
Feel free to include videos on your website, but let users choose when to play them.
3. Audio That Overrides Your Smartphone Settings
Just like the annoyance of an auto-playing video, it’s equally frustrating when browsing a site on your phone in silent mode, only to have a loud ad start blasting. People put their phones on silent for a reason, and a site that ignores this risks turning users away.
