Earlier this week, I stumbled across a UX faux pas. You can see it in the GIF below. Not sure what you’re looking at? Imagine the following: You’re browsing a website and decide to click on an element that interacts with your cursor. You know it’s interactive because the animation tells you this is the case. You’re waiting for something to happen, a change, visual feedback, a reward…but instead, you get nothing. You get crickets.
Unfortunately, this is a common issue. And what makes it worse is that I found this on an agency’s website, an agency that specializes in UX design 🙁
I can hear you already, “Nathan, you’re being too sensitive. What’s the problem with a little animation?”
The question should be, what’s wrong with this false interaction?
What’s wrong is that it dents the user’s confidence. It makes them question what’s happening.
‘Am I clicking this properly?’
‘Is something broken?’
‘Will the rest of the product/service be like this?‘
The problem with false or decorative interactions
The problem with false or decorative interactions is that they create confusion. Simply put, they make users doubt. If this pattern is repeated throughout the website or app, confusion can quickly lead to frustration and a loss of trust. And we all know how that ends: ‘Goodbye!’
In the world of digital products, trust is hard-earned. Getting new users is tough! As designers and product owners, it’s our job to make every interaction intuitive, consistent, and meaningful. When we fail to do this, we risk damaging the user’s experience, their trust in our product, or our brand.
The three C’s of good UX design
Consistency is one of the easiest ways to build trust in a product. A 𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘 of consistency is one of the quickest ways to lose that trust. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most common mistakes I see when conducting UX reviews for SaaS businesses.
If a user interacts with Element A and receives feedback in the form of Action B, this interaction should be consistent throughout the product. It’s that simple. Essentially, it comes down to the following three C’s.
Clarity: It should be clear which elements are interactive and which aren’t.
Consistency: Maintain a consistent design language throughout your product to avoid confusing users.
Communication: Tooltips, copy, micro-interactions, and other feedback strategies can all help maintain a consistent experience.
Animation, universal indicators, and accessibility
Love them or hate them, animations are everywhere. They guide users to take action when needed and improve the overall user experience — at least, that’s the theory. However, it’s important to note that not all users perceive visual cues in the same way.
Animation can be problematic for users who rely on screen readers and keyboard navigation. What good is an animation or visual indicator if it goes unseen? What purpose does an animation serve if it has the potential to create confusion?
If you want to animate graphical elements, go nuts! But adding them to anything that can be seen as “actionable” doesn’t make sense.
Adhere to the three C’s: Clarity, Consistency, and Communication, and we’ll all be better off.
Summary
As product people, we do our best to create useful and intuitive products, but we’re only human. We mess up. We fall prey to trends. However, as product people, we must design software that instills confidence. A consistent experience will minimize the risk of losing users before their journey begins.
So remember to audit your website and app regularly. Test your UX design choices and get a fresh perspective whenever possible. We’re usually the worst candidates to spot our mistakes. If that means getting an outside, unbiased UX review of your product, then so be it. But remember, If in doubt, leave it out!
This post was originally published on Linkedin.
