Everyone is trying to create a spectacular, impressive, distinctive and modern design, by following the freshest design trends. However, keeping up with the new trends is not the secret of success. Why not? Depending on your content and functionality, a certain element can be useful or not really. So, here is the list of certain little, “catchy” details of design that may seem strange or hard to use to your visitors and we have to avoid.

Aggressive Pop-ups

No sooner had you arrived on a site than they came from nowhere: the pop-ups. You may be reading an article or leaving the site, yet you find yourself face to face with one of these windows.

The causes: many sites would greatly appreciate seeing you sign up (for their newsletter, for example) or like their page on Facebook. However, these pop-ups often appear far too early, long before you can read a word on the page.

Side effects: Pop-ups are particularly annoying. They often cover the entire page or important content – imagine what that can look like on a smartphone screen. All you have to do is to find the button to close the window. And if it is not already the case, this simple search will take away all the pleasure of visiting the site. One thing is certain: the only button that a surfer will find every time is the one that allows you to leave the browser.

Animations and Video Backgrounds

You click on a link, eager to access the information you expect so much … And all you get is a little spinning wheel. Or a progress bar. Or some loading points… or any other element that painfully reminds you of the beautiful era of Flash sites: Loading … and this with each click. This is what the user actually see.

Visually appealing and creating a very engaging experience, often showcasing the culture of the organization, in practice, videos and animations are not offering a great user experience.

Parallax Overdose  

Creating a 3D effect, parallax is actuallya  great way to add a subtle depth to the elements. It looks wonderful, fresh, cool, but it can slow down the website and if executed by amateurs, it can be overwhelming. Meanwhile, users can lose their patience and choose the competitor while your website is under motion sickness during scrolling and heavy use of graphics. The result: again low conversion rates, sometimes even an attack on the brand image.

Too Much Hamburger

Everyone agrees hamburgers are creating a delicious design. However, excessively used it may be the reason why important information is hidden, with a negative impact on the user’s commitment. So sometimes, we need to show at least some of the most important elements: for example the login on a booking website.

Following Trends

Some of the design trends may not be proper to the type of content you are going to present to you users, so they can cause an unpleasant user experience. Excessively used, “catchy elements” can be a reason for losing users. Great designs are not built by combining different kind of trends and creating an eye-catching landing. They are offering a great user experience too.

When designing your website, you need to make sure your visitors can keep a good overview. Choose clear hierarchies and a reasonable site structure. Anything that would be distracting to the user, that could interrupt his reading, complicate the search for information or cause a long wait would risk to weary. And he will leave your site.