What are the common errors frequently made by inexperienced web designers?

Inexperienced web designers, like anyone starting out in a new field, often make mistakes as they navigate through the ins and outs of their craft. Here are some common errors that they might commit:

Ignoring User Experience (UX) Principles: A common error is forgetting or ignoring key UX principles. This can include things like information architecture, consistency, user journey maps, visual hierarchy, and making your site accessible for all users, including those with disabilities.

Overcomplication: Too many animations, colors, fonts, or images can hurt the site's overall aesthetics and usability. Simple, clean designs have been shown to work best.

Neglecting Mobile Optimization: As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, a large and ever-growing portion of internet activity comes from mobile devices. A website that isn't optimized for these devices will provide a poor user experience.

Using Free Templates Without Customization: Using a template isn't necessarily a problem, but if it isn't customized, the website might look generic and fail to stand out or accurately reflect a brand's identity.

Not Optimizing Images: Unoptimized images can cause slow loading times, which is detrimental to user experience and SEO.

Ignoring SEO Best Practices: Designing a website isn't just about making it look nice. It should also be designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind to increase its visibility.

Undefined Call to Action (CTA): Every website should have a clear purpose that should result in some form of interaction (buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, download an e-book, etc.). An experienced designer will ensure the CTA is clear and prominent.

Failure to Test: Websites need to be thoroughly tested across a range of browsers and devices to ensure they perform consistently.

lack of Contact Information: This can be frustrating for visitors and make the website seems less trustworthy. The contact information should be easy to find and up to date.

Not Considering Load Time: Web pages that take a long time to load can frustrate users and impact SEO rankings. Efficient coding, optimized media files, and good hosting can help improve load times.

Ignoring Website Updates and Maintenance: Websites shouldn't just be "set and forget." They need regular updates and maintenance to stay secure, remain compatible with new browser standards, and keep content fresh.

Poor Navigation: It should be easy for users to find what they are looking for. Good navigation is intuitive and easy to understand.


Few more common errors frequently made by inexperienced web designers:

Lack of Whitespace: Whitespace, or negative space, is essential for a clean, user-friendly design. It helps to highlight important elements and improve readability. Novice designers often tend to cram too much information, graphics, or elements into a small space, making the site overwhelming and challenging to navigate.

Inconsistent Design: For a website to look professional, it needs a consistent design across all pages. This includes fonts, colors, writing styles, button styles, and the overall design aesthetic.

Ignoring Typography Rules: Inappropriate font use, over-use of different fonts, poor color contrast, and failure to set a proper line height and letter spacing can significantly diminish readability and the overall user experience.

Startup Slideshow Misuse: Some designers are tempted to include a slideshow or carousel of images on the homepage. When not done properly or used excessively, this can be distracting or annoying for users, leading them to leave the site.

Forgetting About Fitt's Law: This law, pertinent in the field of human-computer interaction, states that the time required to move to a target area (like a button or link) is a function of the distance to the target divided by the size of the target. Unawareness of such principles could hinder designing interactive elements effectively.

Affordance Ignorance: Design elements should intuitively indicate how they can be interacted with. For instance, if something looks like a button, it should behave like one. Overlooking such aspects may result in an unclear interface.

Overlooking Content Strategy: Content is a significant part of a website. Poor grammar, lacking clarity, or using jargon can make the website seem unprofessional and difficult to understand. Additionally, not updating content regularly can make the site appear outdated.

Not Utilizing Grids: Grids help maintain alignment and consistency in design. Not using them can result in a disorderly layout, making the content harder to comprehend.

Overlooking Cookie Law: Depending on the region, specific laws govern the use of cookies on a website. Designers should understand these laws to ensure compliance and avoid any potential legal consequences.

No Error 404 page: A custom 404 page should be in place to direct users back to the relevant sections of the site whenever they hit a dead end. Neglecting this can increase the bounce rate.

Designing a good website does involve a learning curve, and these are some of the most common issues. Not everyone will have all these issues, and with time and experience, most of these common mistakes can be avoided.

A beginner in the field of design often makes every possible mistake. This happens because they tend to take on all tasks by themselves. Instead of gaining experience and learning from more experienced colleagues after completing some courses or training, they choose to venture into the unknown. It is crucial for novice designers to work in a team, within a studio or agency, where they can gain valuable experience, observe potential mistakes, analyze them, and then apply this knowledge when working independently.

It is important to remember that a designer's error can result in significant financial, emotional, and time-related costs for the client. Ultimately, such mistakes could lead to legal implications and negative impacts on the designer's career.

As a professional designer, it's essential to recognize the value of collaboration and learning from others in the industry. By doing so, one can avoid unnecessary mistakes and ensure the best possible outcomes for both clients and one's own career.

The incorrect approach to creativity.
A beginner designer often starts at one of the extremes - either doubting themselves and giving in to the client's wishes so as not to upset them, or being overconfident and dismissing the client's opinions with a "I know better" attitude. In reality, it's important to find a balance between these extremes.

Separation from reality.

This is closely tied to glamorizing the design profession. A novice designer may think that their main contribution is ideas, sketches, and pure creativity. However, in reality, ideas should be grounded in practical experience, otherwise projects may end up unbuildable. This not only concerns the feasibility of ideas, but also their implementation cost and technology. An experienced designer thinks about implementation at the concept stage, while a beginner may just be "dreaming".

Working with everyone without focus.

A novice designer might be willing to work with anyone, simply because they want to work and earn money. While this is understandable, it can be a waste of time and an incorrect investment in their future. It's important to choose a direction early on and learn to decline clients who don't fit into that focus.