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The 10 Most Common Mistakes in User Interfaces: How to Avoid Them

In this blog post, I will discuss the 10 most common user interface mistakes. These bugs can make your users confused, frustrated and ultimately leave your product. It’s hard to solve such mistakes while they are happening in production but later on you may discover huge amount of errors that can be fixed by implementing some fixes quickly.

1. Pointless inconsistency in your UI elements

Consistency is one of the most important aspects of user interface design. The first thing that users see when they open your app or website is the logo and brand colors, so it’s very important that you keep them consistent across the entire user interface. If you have different color palettes for different parts of the app, users will be confused as to where they are supposed to focus their attention.

2. Using the default drop-shadow

The default drop-shadow effect on buttons can make them look cheap and tacky, especially if they’re used in a lot of apps. It’s possible to create custom drop-shadows with CSS, which can help add more polish to your designs while also making them more consistent with other elements in your app.

3. Little distinction between primary and secondary buttons

There should be clear distinctions between primary and secondary navigation elements — this ensures that users know where they’re going without having to look at every screen before entering a new section

4. Lack of text hierarchy

Text is an important part of a UI design and it should be considered in terms of hierarchy, meaning that all elements should be placed in order from top to bottom (or bottom to top) based on their importance. In case you have more than one layer of elements then each layer should be assigned a specific order, like title, sub-title, description, etc.

5. Bad iconography

Icons are a great way to communicate quickly with users and make them understand what it is you want them to do when interacting with your product or service. However, bad iconography can cause confusion for users as they can be difficult to distinguish from other elements on the screen and can result in people getting frustrated when they try and use your product but cannot find their way around because there are too many icons on the screen at once.

6. Unaligned elements

It is important to align UI elements on the screen. This will make the layout look more organized and structured. If there are too many elements on one screen, it makes the screen cluttered.

One way to avoid this is to use similar colors for all your UI elements. Another way is to allow users to resize any element so that it remains well-aligned with other elements on the screen.

7. Low Contrast

The human eye has an ability to process 10-15% more information than what is actually presented to it. As a result, if you have low contrast for your labels and buttons then your users will not be able to see them well. The user will have to rely on their memory, which can lead to frustration and error.

8. Confusing Forms

If the form of your application looks confusing then the user might give up and try another form or solution instead of yours. If they are confused by the design of your form then they won’t know where to begin filling in their details and that could lead to a lot of lost time for them as well as for you as a product owner or entrepreneur.

9. Poor Touch Target on Mobile and Tablet

Your users don’t just use desktop computers when using your application; they use mobile devices as well! Therefore, if you don’t pay attention to how your UI works on mobile devices then your users will not be able to use it properly either! It’s important that you test out all possible touch targets so that there are no issues with usability later on down the road when more people start using your app via their phones and tablets than their desktops

10. Using irrelevant or low-quality images

Bad user interfaces are not only difficult for users to understand but also affect their brand image negatively. Using low-quality photos/illustrations in your app design can make your app look amateurish and unprofessional. Instead, you should use high-resolution images that are relevant with your brand identity and product content.

The best solution is to use images that represent what you are trying to communicate visually in your app design so that they build a strong connection between what they see and what they think by using relevant images.

You’re probably guilty of doing at least a couple of these mistakes. The good news is that you can easily avoid them with a little effort. Just do your best to pay attention to the details and don’t make assumptions about what your users know. If something could confuse a total novice, then it might not be a good idea. In the end, fewer unnecessary distractions in your UI design will lead to stronger click-through rates, more sales and ultimately, more happy customers!