Top 3 Mistakes of Rookie Web Designers
Everyone makes mistakes, and web designers are no exception. However, there some web design goofs that are frequently made by designers who are just starting out - so consistently that most web designers will admit to committing some or all of these at some point early in our careers.
We aren't talking about the real amateur problems, like cheesy animated GIFs, loud backgrounds, and horrible font choices. Here we're looking at mistakes that you might see from professionals who get paid good money for their work. And it often looks good. But even a site that looks great to the untrained eye can conceal problems beneath the surface (and invisible to the client).
1) Insufficient Browser Compatibility Testing
Everyone in the world doesn't use the same combination of web browser and operating system as you do. Rookie web designers might check their design in one or two browsers, but few do any extensive testing on the full range of browsers and even fewer test on multiple operating systems.
Those who haven't experienced the differences in platforms may be surprised to learn that Internet Explorer for Windows behaves very differently from IE Mac (fortunately the latter is nearly dead).
Professional web designers learn to support as many browsers as possible, even if the extra effort often goes unnoticed by clients. A web site may get only a handful of visitors using Camino, but if one of that small group is looking to make a million-dollar purchase, you want be sure your site looks great to them.
2) Lack of Plain Text
Have you ever seen a search result like this? "Copyright 2005" isn't a very good description of any site, so what's going on here? Usually you'll see this when a page has virtually no plain text content (including ALT attributes and META descriptions).
New designers often succumb to the temptation to lock their text within image files, where they're able to use a wide range of fonts and render them with pixel-perfect precision. Unfortunately, while the end result may look great on screen, it takes longer to load, can't be easily resized, and it's unreadable to machines (including screen readers for the blind).
The internet may have changed a lot since it's early days, but at it's heart it has always been about text, and it still is. As good as computers have become at displaying multimedia content, they're still not very good at understanding it.
Plain text is still the most reliable way of representing information in a way that's understandable to both people and machines, and it's the web designer's challenge to present that text in an appealing way, without resorting to images and other methods which are less accessible.
Multimedia has it's place, of course, but plain text should not be neglected.
3) No Call to Action
Almost every web site is created for a reason. Online stores, obviously, exist to sell products, but many small business sites don't actually incorporate ecommerce features. These "brochure sites" don't just exist to provide information; they are created in the hopes of eliciting a specific reaction from the visitor. It may be a phone call for more information, or generating a lead by filling out an online form. Often, new designers focus so much on things like graphics and page layout that they forget to tell the site's visitors what they want them to do.
It's important that a web designer understand the goals of the web site, and structure the site in a way that encourages visitors to take that action.
Sites built to generate sales calls should feature the company phone number prominently on every page, not just buried on a contact page. If the goal is to have visitors fill out a form, then the link to that form should be the most "clickable" element on the page.
Visitors are more likely to do what you want if you give them some direction, and web site owners are much happier when their web site generates real leads and sales - not just page views.
Still Looking Good
Again, a web site can have all of the problems above, yet still look fantastic. That's why these mistakes can go unnoticed by clients and newer professionals. They may not be apparent until the site has been live for some time, and clients begin to complain about poor search engine performance, or lack of conversions, or an important customer who can't view the site properly.
Fortunately, they can all be fixed (some more easily than others) and as designers gain experience we learn to avoid these pitfalls - and discover new ones :)
Designers: What other mistakes did you make when you were just starting out? Or what mistakes do you see newbies making again and again?
*This post was written as part of the Three Blog Project.
Mirko wrote:
I've made every one of these mistakes, but I think young designers mostly make mistakes in their relationships with customers, which is even worst.
Kevin Henney wrote:
That's an excellent point, Mirko. I was focusing on the technical aspects, but certainly client relationships are one of the biggest challenges most new designers face.
Komodo Dragon wrote:
I also think relationship building is key. Especially if you are running a blog. You want to actively participate in the comments with your readers, etc.
Angie wrote:
I am guilty of not doing enough cross browser testing. I figured this out when I was looking at one of my sites I have been hosting for 10 years on my sister's computer last night and realized my menu was not working correctly. In my case, it looks like a case of my coding not working with newer versions of the IE browser. *sigh*
I'm a huge fan of designing a site to be as fully test based as possible. This came years ago as a personal reaction to the graphics heavy sites that were dominating the net.
Kevin Henney wrote:
It can be tough to keep older sites up to date as new browsers are released. 10 years is an eternity in internet time :)
Komodo Dragon wrote:
Still though the key is to keep it simple. The more complex the code, the more likely problems may occur.
Jason wrote:
Thanks for the great info. I had somewhat neglected one of these areas.
Web Designer wrote:
That call to action is really important. Well, all the things you listed are pretty important but if you're site isn't converting then your client won't be making any money and you'll either be fired or not receive any future business. It's so important as a designer to understand the role of the website. As web designers our goal is to communicate the clients message clearly so prospects will respond how the client wants them to, not just make sites that look pretty. Anywho, good post.
Justin wrote:
Great post! I'm fairly new to all this and in the very beginning I kept on forgetting to check different browsers to ensure that everything was pulling in correctly. From time to time I change things and still forget to check. Thanks!
John Bennett wrote:
I'm new to the whole multi-platform testing arena. How would you recommend testing a site in different platforms: is there a tool to do this or do you just have to use each of them yourself? Nice Site by the way.
Kevin Henney wrote:
There are tools that allow you to see how your website will look in other browsers and operating systems. My favorite these days is Browsercam, it's a pay service, but they do have a free 1-day trial if you want to try it out.
Study Guide wrote:
Great article Kevin! You write: "they can all be fixed (some more easily than others) and as designers gain experience we learn to avoid these pitfalls - and discover new ones "
Great way to end the post; we have to learn from our mistakes and try not to commit them again.
tshirts wrote:
I have actually just learned several things from you that I consider to be really important to me and my development as a designer. I happen to be a rookie and I have seen now where I have been making some big mistakes and also where I have had some major triumphs, so this has been an enlightening post for me. I don’t know about everyone else. I will confess to making the #1 Rookie mistake: insufficient browser compatibility. I have not tested on every OS and I have not tested on every browser. But I certainly will from now on. I can actually say that I have triumphed on the #2: Lack of plain text field. I don’t have that problem which makes me very proud of myself. I work very hard to make sure that I have the plain text necessary to make my web site a success. I’m very encouraged by the things you have said because I know that I can use all of your comments to make myself a better designer. Got anymore tips?
make money online wrote:
well, a common mistake usually is that you make about 3 blogs, and you dont have time to post at everyone. its better have only 1blog, where you have all your posts in categories, etc.
Nigerian Scam Baiter wrote:
There are even differences on IE6 and IE7 for windows, I got an email about it asking for help on a theme I designed.
Search Engine Marketing wrote:
We've all made every one of these mistakes. Understanding the goals of a website is very important, I agree, it's too easy to get sidetracked in a million different ways. Making three websites before one is even established is a biggie.
Stay At Home Dad, Geek Style wrote:
Nearly 50% of my clients are people who are learning a bit about SEO, and realized that their website composed completely through image files doesn't stand a chance. Those are the best gigs: simple, quick, and profitable.
DevDad
Adam wrote:
2) Lack of Plain Text. I think way to many people fall for this. If you don't have any text google can't index you properly with keywords and such. Also the title of the blog shouldn't be an image either....It should be in the < title> < /title> tags
Aseem Kishore wrote:
I agree, I'm not a big fan on lots of images, flash, animations, etc. It's better to have just text, the bots read that stuff up and love it.
Affiliate Mommy wrote:
I just ran across a pretty cool affiliate program, It has to do with news, I can't think of the name right at the moment, however, I own a few news blog sites, so instead of google type blogs on the side or up where the nav menu should be or something, I can put these news videos (actual news like abc or whatever) into a post, the problem is there are also 'new articles' available.
All images, all readily written.. Can u imagine the future 'news blogs'.. all with NO content ;)
Digital Advertising wrote:
In addition to #2, we have had to do some online marketing for sites that were created for our clients entirely in Flash, which is usually a bad idea.
In some cases there isn't any indexable text content, the site wastes a ton of bandwidth, and they aren't very user-friendly.
Ems wrote:
Thank you for these tips. I came over from cre8buzz in search of a copy and drop template.
I personally use Browsershots.org and they are free. I've had great results with them.
ScottUA wrote:
Good post guys!
Thanks for giving a quick breakdown of common pitfalls that new webmasters may face.
I especially like comment #3 about the call to action. I've seen a LOT of sites which have GREAT content, but don't do anything to tell it's visitors what to do. As a result, they wonder why they're not making much money.
LJP wrote:
In Internet Explorer, the spacing is different for the unordered list (menu) - I-can't-seem-to-find-a-solution!!
Argh!
TOM wrote:
Thanks for the great info. I had somewhat neglected one of these areas.
What other mistakes did you make when you were just starting out? Or what mistakes do you see newbies making again and again?
All images, all readily written.. Can u imagine the future 'news blogs'.. all with NO content ;)
mlankton wrote:
Good points. I use a pc with Firefox and IE at work, and at home I'm on a mac. I test at home with Camino, Firefox, Omniweb, Safari and Opera. My site works fine in all, with ocaissional glitches in mac Firefox. What I don't understand is that Camino and Firefox are both Mozilla, but mac Firefox is a little wonky.
everyday weekender wrote:
where ya been?.. been awhile
chuck norris dude wrote:
Is this blog still among living? It would shame to put a stop to it, there were useful posts for me here ( and for others as I can see).
Ed Kohler wrote:
Great tips. I'd love to read more posts like this from you. Personally, I'm someone who approaches design from a SEO perspective, so if Google can't see it, it doesn't really matter how appealing it is to people.
uploader wrote:
3) No Call to Action
Yesterday I have received the link to one site from myfriend, minutes 5 have lead on a site, but and i dont understood for what is intended?
tip: say to your visitor with h1 tag "I DO SMTH IT'S GOOD BECAUSE *** " =)
chuck norris guy wrote:
Yep, call to action is a big issue to many websites. If you know what you are doing, it doesn't mean everyone else know. You just got to tell them.
Also, customer relationship is a big issue for a web designer. His talent is elsewhere, not in a communication skills.
trademark registration wrote:
I think the "no call to action" mistake is among the most egregious. Another one that I would add to your list, though, is consistency between all the the different webpages within a single site (consistent colors, format, etc.).
Dog Grooming Clippers wrote:
Argh!! I hate it when people don't cross-browser test.
John wrote:
The main mistake of designers is shortage of experience.
Pet portrait artists wrote:
I think I know some people who are guilty of item number 3 in your list. That is why during our last meeting, we made sure that even links already are made into something that has this property.
High Stakes Living wrote:
Great article, I've made many of those mistakes especially regarding browser compatibility. One of the worst mistakes and one that will drive me away from a site for good is the use of white font on a black background. It's horrible on the eyes.
Jalaj wrote:
Browser compatibility is indeed something that if you miss testing extensively, your client may turn back complaining about your work.
hp pavilion elite wrote:
@ Jalaj
Definitely, anyone who had experience with that will never forget it. You learn what are the priorities in business.
Murad wrote:
This was such a great article! I took out pen and paper because there were points I wanted to refer to easily as I am analyzing sites. Thanks for the great content!
clothes dryer boost exhaust fan wrote:
Wonderful post. I'll bookmark this page for some more good advices like this one.
Komodo Dragon wrote:
I would also add that adding music to the webpage background is a bad mistake too.
Amanda Overmyer wrote:
This is a sore subject with me. There are so many people out there calling their self web designers and they don't know the basics of web design and the do's and dont's of web design. Self starting music is my biggest pet peeve. I mean, I have a freakin' iPod and I'll listen to my own music! Chances are that I'll hate your music and it'll turn me off and I'll leave!
Sach wrote:
I made the same mistakes before. This is very useful article for the beginers!
plastic sugery wrote:
Sometimes is really tough to keep older sites up to date with all new browser changes.
grace wrote:
You've noticed the main mistakes, however the most important one is that beginners consider themselves professionals and don't want to learn
Technology Slice wrote:
A lack of call to action is one I see very often.
Scott Fish wrote:
Although these seem like simple mistakes it amazes me how many people fail to take them into consideration.
Quentin wrote:
The mnumber of times I've visited a site to see the title bar display 'untitled-1.htm' is so many I've lost count. How do you expect to rank for anything when you can't even get the title right!
Saying that..I've done it before my mistake on number of occasion...
vids wrote:
Oh my God! Safari using more peoples than Opera? 6 months ago Opera was the competitor to IE =)
vids wrote:
thats stat from my counter
Mozilla 39.91%
MSIE 30.25%
Netscape 16.18%
Opera 6.95%
Unknow 6.47%
KDE 0.23%
Lynx 0.00%
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