5 design mistakes you don’t realize you’re making

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Designing a website involves a lot of creativity, but even the most skilled designers can fall into traps that lead to subtle yet impactful errors. These design mistakes can compromise the functionality and overall user experience of your site, often without you realizing it until it’s too late. 

Whether it’s relying too heavily on trends, using placeholder content, or neglecting accessibility, these website design mistakes can weaken the effectiveness of your design. 

In this blog, we’ll highlight 5 common design mistakes and provide actionable tips on how to fix them so you can create websites that are not only visually stunning but also highly functional and user-friendly.

1. Using lorem ipsum in your content

If you’re a designer, you’ve probably used Lorem Ipsum– a placeholder text used to fill content areas while the actual copy isn’t available. While it’s helpful for setting up layouts, using Lorem Ipsum can cause serious problems later. 

Why? 

Because when the actual content arrives, your perfect design could break due to different text lengths, image dimensions, or other real-world variations. This often leads to a design that looks nothing like what you or your client imagined.

How to fix: 

Always try to work with actual content as early as possible in the design process. If the final content isn’t ready, request a rough draft or at least a content outline. 

This will give you an idea of the amount of text, image sizes, and structure you’ll need to accommodate. 

Also, consider edge cases- scenarios where content is either much shorter or longer than expected to ensure your design holds up in all situations. 

This proactive approach prevents your design from falling apart when real content is finally added.

2. Overusing stock photos

We’ve all seen websites that feel overly generic because they’re filled with stock photos. While stock photos can be a quick and easy solution when you don’t have custom images, they can make a site feel impersonal. 

Even worse, overusing the same stock images that people have seen elsewhere can make your website look unoriginal or outdated. 

This is one of the most common website design mistakes that can damage the uniqueness of a brand.

How to fix: 

Whenever possible, use custom photos provided by your client or created specifically for the project. 

Custom images ensure that the visuals align perfectly with the brand’s identity, giving the site a more genuine feel. 

If custom photography isn’t an option, try to find high-quality stock images that haven’t been overused or, better yet, combine them with brand-specific elements, such as filters or overlays, to make them more unique to the project.

3. Blindly following design trends

Design trends can be tempting- they’re fresh, modern, and can make your site stand out. However, blindly following every trend is a major design mistake that can backfire. 

What’s trendy today might not be tomorrow, and not all trends suit every project. 

For example, minimalism may look great for a portfolio site, but it might not work for an e-commerce platform that needs to display a lot of information clearly.

How to fix: 

Before jumping on the latest design trend, evaluate whether it fits your client’s goals and the user experience you’re trying to create. 

Trends should complement the design, not dictate it. 

Consider whether the trend adds value to the functionality and aesthetic of the site or whether it will quickly make the site look dated. 

Focus on timeless design principles, and use trends sparingly to enhance, rather than overwhelm, your design.

4. Neglecting accessibility

A beautiful website is useless if everyone can’t use it. Ignoring accessibility is one of the most significant web design mistakes you can make. 

Accessibility ensures that all users, including those with visual impairment, can navigate and interact with your site effectively. 

Ignoring accessibility can not only alienate a significant portion of your audience but also lead to legal issues in some cases.

How to fix:

Incorporating accessibility doesn’t have to be difficult. 

Start by following basic accessibility guidelines. 

Ensure your text is readable, with sufficient contrast between text and background. 

Use alt text for images, make sure the site can be navigated using a keyboard, and consider the use of captions for videos. 

There are many resources available, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to help you make your website inclusive and functional for all users.

5. Prioritizing aesthetics over user experience

It’s easy to get swept up in creating a visually stunning design, but if that design sacrifices functionality, it’s a huge web design mistake. 

Prioritizing aesthetics over user experience can lead to frustrated users who leave your site because it’s difficult to navigate, too slow, or doesn’t provide the information they’re looking for.

How to fix:

Always balance beauty with functionality. A good design should not only look great but also serve its purpose effectively. 

Focus on usability first; ensure that your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and provides users with the information they need without unnecessary steps. 

Once the user experience is solid, you can layer on the aesthetics, ensuring that the design is both attractive and practical. 

A beautiful design is only valuable if it helps users achieve their goals smoothly.

Conclusion

Avoiding these design mistakes can save you from a lot of headaches down the road. 

From using real content instead of placeholders to balancing aesthetics with functionality, these small changes can have a big impact on the final product. 

By paying attention to details like accessibility, custom visuals, and the appropriate use of trends, you can create designs that not only look great but also perform well.

Remember, the key to great design is not just how it looks but how it works- Steve Jobs

Frequently asked questions

1. What makes a design a failure? 

A design fails when it doesn’t meet user needs or business goals. 

This often happens due to poor usability, failure to incorporate real content, or neglecting accessibility, which can lead to frustration and abandonment by users.

2. What are the most problematic mistakes designers make? 

The most problematic design mistakes include using placeholder content (like Lorem Ipsum), over-reliance on stock photos, following trends blindly, neglecting accessibility, and prioritizing aesthetics over user experience.

At Octet, our designers create user-friendly designs by balancing technical aspects and aesthetics. 

For more insights, check out the Octet Design Journal for blogs on design tips and trends.