When it comes to web design, trends are always changing – but despite this, some website owners struggle to let go of the past. This is often because they find a web design trend that works well for them for a while, so they assume it will always be effective.
However, this is far from the case. In fact, out-dated web design trends can negatively affect your website, pushing away potential customers and reducing monthly hits. This can have a serious impact on your business, so it is important to be aware of obsolete web design trends.
Here are five web design trends that you should stop using.
Non-Standard Scrolling
In the last few years, non-standard scrolling (such as side scrolling, or swipe scrolling) became more popular with web designers, but the trend never really caught on with users. Sure, most people are used to using a swiping movement on their phones and tablets, but generally people seem to prefer traditional scrolling when it comes to desktop devices – and we think this makes sense. After all, standard scrolling is easy, simple and efficient, while non-standard scrolling often comes across as gimmicky and unnecessary. If you want to add standard scrolling to your website, check out Bigfoot Digital web design.
Business Focused Pop Ups That Appear Immediately
Business focused pop ups are pop ups that benefit your business, rather than the user (such as email newsletter subscription pop ups, or survey pop ups). These pop ups can be useful if the user is engaging with your site and using multiple pages, as they are clearly interested in your business – but they shouldn’t appear as soon as people click on your website.
After all, the user doesn’t even know if they like your business yet, so the instant advertising can seem annoying. Instead start with user focused pop ups such as a help chat box. This will make your website seem useful and helpful, rather than pushy.
Anything That Plays Automatically
You should also avoid using anything that plays automatically (such as music, or a video about your business). Not every user will want to hear your pitch, so forcing them to listen won’t do you any favours. Remember that if a user wants to listen to what you are saying, they will happily click play themselves, so consider removing anything that plays automatically from your website for a more user-friendly experience.
Flash
Most people understand that Flash is an out-dated web design trend, but not everyone does – which is why it can still be found on a significant number of business websites. This often causes problems for users who don’t have Flash plugins installed, and it seems that these issues are about to get much worse; Adobe recently stated that they are cutting support for Flash in 2020.
Stock Photos
Cheesy stock photos were once a popular option, but now many internet users think that they look cheesy and fake – and they’re not exactly wrong! If you are using stock photos on your website, remind yourself that people hate inauthenticity. They would much rather see genuine images of your office and your team, so consider setting up a shoot so you can get original, genuine pictures that users will find more appealing.
