Web design has trends that come and go while some stay longer. Some go after new technology is invented while some stay longer than we expect. There are some that are overtaken by time and still hang around. These are the trends we would like to say goodbye to. Web design trends are evolving faster than before and while we can all agree that page counters, pop-up windows and scrolling marquees are dead and buried, we already have modern trends that have become useless. We will look at the trends you’d like to see die off in web design and why they need to exit this industry.
Sliders and Carousels
There is a bunch of reasons why sliders or carousels are bad. If it is not the bloodless design move, it has to be the conversion and usability. From a user’s perspective, auto-forwarding sliders have to be among the worst element you can incorporate into your website. Look at it this way, if a user does not like what they see, they will probably scroll away and not just sit there waiting to see if the next slide is as boring as the first. What if they were in love with a slide and you just take it away? You invested in a website for them and it only makes sense that you give them time to digest what they like and the control to go to the next item. You should make sure your website is conversion-oriented because everything on the site needs to be encouraging the user to do what you want them to and anything that hinders this should be thrown out of the strategy.
Flat Design
A while back, flat design was the in thing and it was invited to sit at the table of hot trends in web design. People said it was sophisticate, beautiful, and simple, but according to what we see today, we are not sure it was all these. Flat design allowed for minimizing through stripping things down and focusing of important things such as usability instead of simulating familiar experiences users are accustomed to. Additionally, websites with flat designs look cool and are pretty fast.
Though this is the case, flat design is not short of usability challenges. Those who have been following can remember Windows 8 Metro UI which was more than flat. The design did not pay attention to the context and signals that users need to interact with the web intuitively. Google then came and introduced Material Design which puts some motion back to the screen. This framework that comes with guidelines and tools that are needed. Though Material Design is effective and intuitive, it limits some essential things such as expressions and creativity.
Distracting Or Complex Animations
Animation is a hot trend today. It is a powerful tool that designers can use in reinforcing concepts and enhancing the website’s usability. It is common for new trends to be abused. At one point, we were all kids and were susceptible to new toys. We all fell for the shiniest coolest toys and in some cases, we overused and abused them. We have grown up and this susceptibility is still with us. New trends are grabbed right off the table while they are hot and some people tend to use them inappropriately. Animation, can and is a great tool but once it is over used, it becomes a distraction and joins the list of your website’s undoing.
Excessive use of motion on a website is among the trends you’d like to see die off in web design. Designers should make sure they limit the use of animation because overusing will do the exact opposite of what it is meant for. It is a good idea to validate all the motion that shows up on a website and make sure that any animation used is working positively towards the good of the website. If you can’t moderate the motion, eliminate it all together.
Scroll Jacking
Can you think about being in a situation where you have no control? Well, is the situation pleasing? We are humans and we like being in control especially when we are dealing with machines. Scroll jacking is like a supervisor who is always on your shoulder. This can be annoying and patronizing. If you have done research on a product and been forced to go through explanation slides that tell you why you need the products, then you have been a scroll jacking victim. This can be frustrating and annoying. This is a serious challenge to the usability of a website and can work negatively for a website.
A website and digital products need to be intuitive. It should be open to the exploration by users freely without having to be forced to view a certain slide or content. Scroll jacking interferes with the freedom users need to view what people want and assumes that one size fits all.
Sidebars
Purposeless side bars have refused to completely fade away. They have been hanging on a string since 2014 and we can all agree that they need to let go. Some of the working designs are doing well because they have eliminated these annoying sidebars. The main question is why is the sidebar important? Most people claim that it helps in navigation but what is the primary navigation for? The side bar content does one thing very well and this is to distract users from what you want them to do on a particular web page.
Conclusion
Some of these trends were really big deals when they first appeared. However, time has passed and technology has changed. Some of them are now senseless and distracting to say the least. As this year progresses, we look forward to using the current trends and others that come. Their use will purely be based on results which is why those that don’t deliver are sent to their grave. There are many other trends you’d like to see die off in web design but these somehow found themselves in this list.
