UI/UX Best Practices in Website Design

UI/UX Best Practices in Website Design

  • 06 Feb, 2025

Nowadays, user experience is more important than anything for a website, whether it's for providing software service or some other purpose. Designers need to implement UI UX Best Practices in Website Design to make sure that their website stands out. Since website users' attention spans keep decreasing, a website should be attractive and easy to use.

UI UX is a way following which websites are optimized, keeping the audience in mind. They consist of some set of principles that help build a good relationship between the products and website visitors. These practices usually involve typography, text size, website layout, consistency, etc.

Without proper implementation of these principles, you won't be able to hold back website visitors, or they might end up facing accessibility issues. Read on to learn more about user experience and interface to optimize your websites for visitors.

Brief Introduction to UI UX

User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) ensure the website is both user-friendly and aesthetically inviting. This should negate any possible issue that could arise between the visitors and the product or content.

User experience typically focuses on what the website visitors will be looking for. It makes sure that the website is well-optimized for users in terms of accessibility and usability. It ensures that users can find what they are looking for easily and that roaming around different pages is easy for them.

On the other hand, user interface (UI) is, in a way, encompassed within UX. It basically focuses on website building, layout, typography, etc. Together, they also make sure that the sellers' goals are met by making their products stand out.

10 Best UX UI Practices in Website Design

Figure 2: 10 Best UX UI Design Practices

Studies have shown that many people leave a website after facing different navigation issues. Most of these people never come back to the website. As technology evolves, people are getting more focused on building user-optimized and sleek-looking websites. To ensure your website doesn't get lost among the competitors, follow the following 10 UI UX best practices in website design.

1. The Simpler, the Better

One of the major mistakes that website designers tend to make is putting too many details. Many websites are cluttered with multiple buttons flashing in different places, using 5 or 6 colors, busy fonts, etc. This makes the visitor confused and prompts them to leave the website. Make the website as simple and less detailed as possible. You should make sure that:

  • There are not too many options to choose from. Don't present the contents or products in an unkempt manner.
  • Make the main points stand out. People shouldn't have to scroll too long to find important things.
  • Use designs, images, and fonts that are easier on the eyes.

A good example of simple design is Apple company’s website. The tabs, the design, and the call-to-action buttons are all very clear and easy to use.

2. Easy Navigation

Navigation can be the breaking point when it comes to websites. It is a key factor that many designers tend to take lightly. Navigation involves the proper use of icons, buttons, tabs, links, etc. A good navigation means users can easily tell where they are and what each page offers. Here are a few navigation mistakes that you should avoid:

  • In some websites, once you've entered into a page, there's no marking. Use breadcrumbs, shadows, or selected page names on top to solve this issue.
  • People rarely start out from the home page, so ensure the website can be surfed from different pages with proper navigation.
  • Make the titles coherent with the actions they perform. Titles should be succinct and precise.
  • Ensure people can easily go back to whatever page they were on.

On Samsung company’s website, you can see the proper use of tabs, payment options, search options, menus, etc.

3. Consistency is the Key

There shouldn't be any guesswork intended for the users. All the icons, buttons, and options should be in their usual places. This makes it easier for the users to surf through your website and channel all their focus where it should. Things you can follow to maintain your website consistency:

  • Use the same layout for similar types of pages on the website.
  • Common buttons like “Read More” and “Learn More” should be easily visible.
  • Conventionally, contact information is below websites.

4. Have a Purpose

Don't stray from the main objective of the website. Use your design to lead users to the main message of the website and the service provider. Here’s how you can use certain elements in this regard:

  • Use color schemes of the brand or service that the website is representing.
  • Use brand font or a font that represents the product best.
  • Use icons, images, and buttons to lead to the type of service.

5. Accessible for All

When we say “optimize for users,” we mean all potential users, including people with disabilities. To make a website accessible for people with disabilities, consider these steps:

  • Use alt tags on images and provide screen reader options for visually impaired users.
  • Avoid certain colors and use black-and-white fonts and backgrounds for readability.
  • Use subtitles in all your videos.

6. Optimize for Mobile Use

According to Exploding Topics more than 55% of website users are mobile users. To ensure your website caters to mobile users, follow these tips:

  • Avoid using complex website layouts and wireframes for faster load times.
  • Check the speed, usability, and image sizes using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Pingdom, and GTmetrix.

7. Be Updated

Technology evolves fast, and along with it, trends, tools, and design tactics. Always stay up-to-date with design principles and trends. Ensure your website looks modern and relevant.

Figure 3: Learn different design principles and apply precise planning to your websites.

8. Meet Users' Expectations

As mentioned before, confusing users in any way will result in them leaving the website vexed, never to return. Many people make silly mistakes like saying “Order Here” in a button, but then it turns out to be non-clickable. Another thing that happens is a button or header not leading to the page users expected it to.

Always ensure that you use proper headers, button names, different colored buttons, proper size of buttons and text, etc. Otherwise, you won't be able to hold back users.

You can see on Nike’s website that all the important buttons can be easily found. This is an ideal web design to follow.

9. Prioritize Users' Requirements

Different websites serve different purposes, and based on that, user needs vary. Take feedback, stay open to suggestions, and learn from competitors to optimize the design for users.

  • Take feedback from users. You can find out more issues in this way to solve.
  • Be open to suggestions and implement those in re-designing your website. Consider taking interviews with regular users.
  • Keep an eye on competitors' websites. Especially the ones that are doing good.
  • Use your design skills to generate more audience.

10. Balance Between Conventionality and Novelty

While it's important to keep up with trends, certain design elements like headers on top, contact information at the bottom, and floating messaging icons are expected. Strike a balance between modern and traditional design elements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the most essential factor in UX UI design?

The most important factor of UX UI is the user. Every principle and practice revolves around making a website user-friendly.

What does the ‘3-second rule’ mean in UX UI design?

The 3-second rule is about grabbing viewers' attention in 3 seconds. It points out how easily people can lose users if the design isn’t right.

What does the fat finger rule mean in UX?

It’s quite an important rule in UX. To grab users' attention, designers use bigger buttons. This ensures that viewers feel compelled to press the call-to-action buttons.

The Bottom Line

UX and UI principles are very important for getting more web traffic. Using UI UX best practices in website design can also ensure a better SEO rating. Overall, the design should be easy on the eye, purposeful, and well-communicative.

Learning about different UX UI tactics helps a website stand out. In short, the design should be unique, aesthetic, easy to use, and as inclusive as possible.