In the digital era, it’s clear that not all websites are created equal. The difference between good vs bad web design determines how captivating online visuals are perceived, and this happens almost instantly. Specifically, a hallmark of good website design is its well-organized structure, whereas bad design often presents a cluttered and confusing layout.
Knowing the differences can be subjective, but the following principles can make web design more manageable. Let’s scroll down to get the complete insight!
Key Takeaways:
Knowing the 6 key principles of good and bad websites will help you evaluate any design.
A good website is attractive and well-organized in building a visual hierarchy. This website typically uses a well-structured grid system, a harmonious color palette, appropriate typography, high-quality imagery, and a responsive design style to guide users’ natural eye movement through the website.
A bad web design, on the other hand, is outdated and old-fashioned, which fails to meet current web design standards. It often features cluttered layouts and unnecessary elements, which make the page look spammy and untrustworthy.
Moreover, illegible fonts, poorly chosen images, and conflicting color schemes can detract from the design and make it harder for users to connect with the information.
Also Read: Top 20 Picks of Techno Fonts to Energize Your Designs
Good web design tends to focus on high usability and functionality to complete their intended tasks efficiently. It employs interactive elements to ultimately enhance communication and customer support in real time. What’s more interesting is the persuasive call to action (CTA) on a good website encourages users to take desired actions.
Essentially, a bad website fails to meet user expectations. It presents weak security features, an ambiguous CTA, and poor SEO practices that cause reputational damage and website visibility reduction.
What are the differences between good vs bad web design in the navigation section? Good web design prioritizes intuitive navigation, with everything placed logically on all devices. It provides a recognizable and easy-to-use menu, links, and buttons with minimal effort.
The link and order menu items by priority are also available, making the most important pages the easiest to access. Plus, good web design often boosts clear labeling to ease the viewers to stroll around the website seamlessly.
Poor navigation is one of the most common issues on bad websites. It often presents a hard-to-find or confusing menu structure, so users struggle to understand the site’s structure. Unfortunately, broken links or 404 errors can also sometimes be frustrating, potentially causing viewers to leave the site.
Good web design contributes to faster loading speeds through code efficiency, image optimization, and server-side configurations. According to WebFX, a good website should ideally load within 2 seconds or less. Slow loading times, on the other hand, lead to higher bounce rates and potentially lower conversion rates.
Users dislike slow loading, and this is how bad web design goes. Excessive HTTP requests, poorly written code, inadequate file types, and a lack of caching lead to an unreliable server; thus, pages can load much more slowly. Further, Hobo explains, a poor website that takes longer than 2–3 seconds can result in frustration and abandonment.
What does good vs bad web design in the user experience section mean? With efficient interaction, positive emotions, and preference-based users’ needs, a good website is a top-notch option to get a pleasant and efficient experience.
Meanwhile, the lack of clear pathways and poor UI elements in bad web design lead to a poor user experience and a negative impact on brand reputation.
Also Read: 25+ Best Fonts for Clothing Brands to Appeal to Your Target
Here are the current examples for both good and bad web design, so you can see the difference in real life.
1. AARK Collective: This website features a split-screen layout, color harmony, and recognizable buttons.
2. Cure Nails: It boosts contemporary style with an easy-to-use navigation and responsive design.
3. Mbau Island: The thoughtful use of a stunning, full-screen video format immediately captivates visitors. Coupled with its swift and highly clickable interface, the website exemplifies excellent user-centered design.
Also Read: 300 Top Futuristic Name Ideas for Your Next Big Project
1. Blinkee: This one comes with a poor font-covered image and color scheme problem, making the audience confused about what they’re going to do.
2. Pacific Northwest X-Ray Inc: The design appears monotonous due to the lack of an interactive element and the poor contrast between color and font.
3. ARNGREN: This website suffers from exaggerated graphics, an irregular layout, and a poorly designed call-to-action.
Aside from making a visually appealing design, a good website follows proper principles of functionality and user-centered focus to create a positive and engaging impression. Conversely, a bad website fails to meet user experience by displaying obvious design mistakes from composition to its hierarchy.If you’re planning to build your website, make a stunning font collection with the Slide Shoot font shop. You’ll get the right to unlimited personal projects with versatile license options and simple installation of each font. Grab yours and elevate your design!
