Discover the Key Signs of Website Design Fails and How to Avoid Them!
Your website should be a bridge, not a barrier. When design fails creep in, they can block that bridge—making your site confusing, frustrating, or even off-putting. Learning to spot these issues empowers you to hire smarter, give better feedback, and maintain a website that serves your brand with integrity. Let’s unpack the most common design fails and how to avoid them.
Unclear Call-to-Actions
Call-to-actions (CTAs) are your invitations to your visitors: “Join me,” “Learn more,” “Start here,” etc. When they’re unclear, buried, or missing, visitors may never take the next step.
What this design fail looks like:
- Buttons that blend into the background
- Vague action words (“Click Here,” “Submit”) with no context
- Multiple CTAs fighting for attention
- CTAs placed below the fold where few see them
Why it fails:
- Visitors don’t know what to do next
- Potential leads drop off
- Your conversion goals suffer
How to prevent it:
- Use action-driven language (“Book a Call,” “Get My Guide”)
- Make CTAs visually distinct (color, size, white space)
- Limit to one primary CTA per page
- Place CTAs in multiple spots—above the scroll and within content
Poor Readability
Even the strongest message can be lost if visitors struggle to read your content. Poor readability is a silent fail that drives users away slowly—but surely.
What poor readability looks like:
- Fonts that are too small
- Low contrast between text and background
- Tight line spacing or cramped paragraphs
- Long text blocks with no headings or breaks
Why it fails:
- It tires the eyes
- Readers abandon the page
- It undermines your brand professionalism
How to fix it:
- Choose legible fonts (serif or sans-serif) and keep body text comfortable (16–18px or equivalent)
- Ensure high contrast (dark text on light background or vice versa)
- Use generous line height (1.4–1.6)
- Break content with headings, subheadings, bullet points, images
Ignoring User Experience (UX)
A design fail that impacts everything is neglecting the user experience. When a site is not intuitive, it feels clunky, confusing, or unfinished.
Common UX fails:
- Links or clickable elements that aren’t obvious
- Forms with too many steps or unclear fields
- Navigation that’s inconsistent or buried
- Elements that overlap, break, or shift unexpectedly
- No feedback (loading spinners, hover states, confirmations)
Why it fails:
- Visitors feel lost or trapped
- Important content becomes hidden
- Frustration leads to bounce
How to improve UX:
- Conduct usability testing (even with friends or small groups)
- Use clear cues (buttons, hover effects, visual affordances)
- Make navigation consistent and obvious
- Streamline forms and reduce friction
- Provide feedback (e.g. loading indicators, confirmation messages)
