Website design trends come and go as bloggers and site owners try to tap into the latest technology or top trends that make a site look “cool.” Some trends can benefit your business, while others might harm it. Here is a rundown of things to watch out for in order to give your users the best experience possible.
Mobile Friendly
Your site needs to be mobile friendly so people can use it as intended. It is very frustrating to not be able to navigate through a site or press on the correct links because the hyperlinks are too close together. Consider using buttons rather than little blue links. It will take longer, but smartphone users will thank you. Not a skilled coder? Leave white space between links on the page.
Responsive Design
Responsive design sizes the content to the screen it is on. For a large screen, it is easy to see what is on the page. On a smaller screen such as a tablet or a smartphone, it will also look good and be readable.
Magazine Style vs Consistent Site-Wide Navigation
On the one hand, the magazine style looks attractive, with thumbnail images and headlines for a range of stories. It is eye-catching and grabs attention. On the other hand, it can be confusing. Where does the user start first? Consistent site-wide navigation gives users a frame of reference for spotting what they need and going to it rather than searching everywhere.
If you have a site that is news-based and highly visual, a magazine format might be best. If your site is more information or business orientated, having a navigation bar on the right will work best.
Large, Clear Type
A sans serif font is easier to read than a serifed one (that is, ones with little curls on the letters). Good choices include Wordís default, Calibri, or Verdana. For memes, the most popular font is Impact. Itís easy to read but doesnít take up a lot of room.
Text Variations
Use bold and italics strategically.
Color Variations
Avoid anything other than black text. Use colors sparingly.
Hyperlink Colors
A lot of designers try to do fancy things with their links, including using all sorts of different colors and not underlining. This may look pretty, but the truth of the matter is, internet users are trained to click on underlined links that are in hyperlink blue. Also pay attention to the color of a visited link. The default has always been purple. Some sites default it back to blue, but this can be confusing if people want to see what links they have already visited.
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
CSS ensures there isn’t a lot of coding on each page. You set your styles once and the style sheet will render your pages so they will be identical across the whole of your site. The beauty of this is if you decided to change font or size of text, for example, you would only have to do it in one place — not on every page of your site.
Use these design tips to create a well-designed site users will love. Or better still, reach out to us and lets discuss how we can update and improve your website.