Is Your Web Design Annoying?

Is Your Website Annoying Your NZ Visitors? (And Why It Matters)

Ever wondered if there’s anything about your web design that users might find annoying? In the words of the great Steve Jobs – knowing what *not* to do is just as important as knowing what *to* do! When it comes to website design in particular, you need to know what aspects of your site might irritate users. It’s crucial to address these issues unless, of course, you don’t want visitors to return or stick around long enough to actually buy anything.

The Danger of Distracting Web Design Elements

Let’s look at an example to better understand the issue. A while back, a friend asked me to check a website he’d made. He’s a professional website developer, and his client had insisted on a really flashy header. The header itself looked impressive – impossible to miss, complete with attractive graphics and sound effects. However, as I navigated through the site, the header started to get annoying because it restarted *every time* I clicked on something.

Needless to say, it’s elements like these, perhaps combined with a lack of foresight, that can make a website very unpleasant to use. They make it difficult for users to focus on anything or appreciate what your site offers. My friend certainly wasn’t alone in accidentally designing annoying websites; many website developers get quite taken with their own design ideas and tend to overdo things at some point.

Flashy headers *can* be okay, but not when they become a major source of distraction and annoyance for your website visitors. A web design should effectively communicate the message your website wants to convey, and that’s simply not possible if your site turns out to be unpleasant and irritating to use.

Common Culprits: What Makes a Web Design Annoying?

Unfortunately, it can be surprisingly easy for a website design to become a major annoyance for visitors. The funny thing is, though, some web developers seem to have a real knack for it! Let’s look at a few more common examples:

Overly Large Font Sizes

Using huge font sizes is generally a bad idea. Don’t do it unless you have a very specific reason, like catering explicitly to visually impaired users as part of accessibility considerations. People online typically interpret very large fonts as shouting, and people don’t like being shouted at, do they?

Unwanted Background Music

Are you in the business of selling music? No? Well then, don’t annoy your website visitors by basically forcing them to listen to looping background music as they navigate your webpage. Most users find this intrusive and prefer to control their own audio experience.

Intrusive Pop-Up Windows

If you are deliberately trying to annoy your website visitors, then you certainly won’t fail with pop-up windows – especially multiple, irrelevant ones! While strategically used pop-ups for specific offers can sometimes work, excessive or poorly timed ones are a major source of user frustration.

Don’t Let Annoyances Drive Your Visitors Away

These are just a few things that could potentially make your website annoying to users. You can probably think of many more examples that some web developers seem oblivious to. The last thing website developers want is to pour time and effort into designing websites only to find out later that users find them really annoying.

So, what do you reckon? Are you sure your web design isn’t annoying your visitors in any significant way? Taking an objective look at your site through your users’ eyes is crucial.