You may at some point have visited a website and immediately hit the “X” button. Recently, we’ve been wondering why this might be and there are several studies that have examined why some website features connect with visitors and why others do not. Overall, there is the argument that minimalistic design is the way forward for a business looking to connect with new visitors through their web design efforts so how exactly can you create a site that people actually want to visit?

 

What, Why and Where?

First of all, you should focus on the three Ws. Your visitor has to have a clear indication of what it is that you are selling, why they should care about it and where they can then go if they wish to engage further. This is the three Ws concept at its simplest and if a visitor to your site cannot easily identify each W then there is every chance that they will hit the dreaded X button and go elsewhere. You need all three to be visible so consider each carefully when considering your website design features to get off to the perfect start.

 

Choosing Effective Web Design Features

As we are focussing on minimalistic design, it would make sense to avoid clutter so what exactly causes the most clutter on a website? The primary culprit is text so the best advice we can give is to keep your information and descriptions as limited as possible and hide your navigational web design features in expandable tabs or menus.

This will go a long way into ensuring that your website is not cluttered and remember that other features such as tables or adverts can also make the site appear too busy. Stick to large high-quality photos if you’re looking to show what your product can do as well as fill up those webpages.

 

Take a Data-Based Approach

The organisation and the decision-making process is also a huge factor when it comes to building a website that people want to visit.

Having your website designed based on someone’s opinion will not work 1005 of the time so if you’re the one calling the shots, it’s imperative that you focus on the data and feedback from web design experts (such as ourselves) instead of what you or your boss personally likes.

Taking a data-based approach will allow you to implement the most effective web design features possible as the cultural aspect of web design should not be underestimated.

 

Don’t use Carousels

Those sliding things that change every 5 seconds? Avoid them. Any expert in conversion rates will tell you that these are a poor way to decorate your website and they are typically the product of too many stakeholders trying to get involved with the design process and this is often the outcome. This relates back to our point about clutter and you would be better off avoiding the carousel if you’re looking to attract new customers.