Web design is not simply a mixture of colours and code. It is a conversation between a screen and a soul. A dance of pixels and purpose. Yet, too many new designers stumble at the start. Their passion is genuine, but their execution falters. Whether you are dreaming of becoming the next digital Picasso or building your first web design in Melbourne, this list of missteps will keep you on the right path.
First things first—
Ignoring the User’s Experience
Many beginners treat the user like an afterthought. They design for themselves, not the audience. Buttons hide in corners. Menus confuse. The result? Visitors vanish. A good web design whispers to the user, not screams at them. It guides like a lighthouse, not a maze.
So, start your web design in Melbourne with empathy. Ask—how will someone navigate this? Will they smile or sigh? Always walk in the visitor’s shoes before building the digital road.
Overloading with Features
A flashy carousel. Pop-ups galore. Chatbots. Videos on loop. All crammed into one page is nothing but utter chaos. New designers often confuse more with better. But design, at its best, breathes through restraint. Too many features choke the experience. They slow the load time. They distract. Strip it back.
Thus, if something doesn’t serve the purpose, it’s important to axe it from your web design in Melbourne. Simplicity is not weakness—it is elegance.
Poor Colour Choices
Ah, colour—the silent speaker. A site drenched in clashing shades becomes a visual war zone. Some designers dive into the rainbow without rhyme or reason.
Colour must be intentional. It must harmonise, not haunt. So, use contrast wisely on your web design in Melbourne. Let colours guide the eye. Choose a palette and stick to it. Use tools like Adobe Colour or Coolors to find hues that play nicely together.
Typography That Hurts
Fonts speak louder than words. New designers often pick the loudest voice in the room. They mix five font families. They stretch text. They squash it. Sometimes, they choose typefaces that feel like they’re yelling—Or worse, whispering in Comic Sans. Bad typography breaks trust. It hurts readability.
So, choose two fonts—maybe three. One for headings, one for body text, and one for flair (sparingly). Keep the sizes readable. Use white space like punctuation. Let your text breathe.
Forgetting Mobile Users
In a world where thumbs rule and screens shrink, neglecting mobile users is design heresy. Many beginners build for desktops and hope for the best. But hope is not a strategy. A site that dazzles on a monitor may crumble on a phone. Buttons become too tiny, layouts collapse, and text disappears.
That is why it’s necessary to always design a mobile version first. Then, expand outward. You can use tools to test responsiveness. If users cannot tap, swipe, or scroll with ease, they will bounce away faster than you can say “breakpoint.”
No Clear Visual Hierarchy
Imagine a book without headings or a city without signs. That’s what a site without visual hierarchy feels like. Everything screams, or worse, everything whispers. New designers often fail to guide the eye.
Remember, design must lead. It must point. So, use size, colour, weight, and space to rank importance. What should the user see first? What next? Make it obvious. Make it instinctual.
Slow Load Times
Your site could look like a digital masterpiece, but if it loads like molasses, it’s dead on arrival. New designers love to upload gigantic images. They embed unoptimised videos. They load a jungle of unnecessary scripts. Users grow impatient.
Google penalises the sluggish. Speed matters. Always compress your images. Use modern formats like WebP. Lazy load where you can. Eliminate anything that drags performance. A fast site is a kind site.
Broken Links and Missing Content
Few things shatter credibility faster. Broken links and missing content fall under this category. New designers sometimes overlook this. They forget to test and assume things work because they should. But websites are like gardens. They need pruning and care to grow well.
So, always double-check links. Test every page. Make sure images load. Fix broken paths. A site with broken pieces feels abandoned.
No Clear Call to Action
Every website should say, “Do this next.” But many beginners forget this vital nudge. They design beautiful pages with nowhere to go. No buttons. No links. No calls. Just dead ends. But visitors need direction. Whether it’s “Sign Up,” “Buy Now,” “Learn More,” or “Contact Us,” the call to action should shine like a beacon. Place it prominently. Make it compelling. And never hide it under a sea of fluff.
Not Testing Across Browsers and Devices
It works on Chrome, but explodes on Safari. It looks amazing on Windows, but jumbled on iPhones. That’s the curse of not testing. New designers sometimes live in a browser bubble. But the web is wild and diverse. Your design must adapt. Always test your site across multiple browsers—Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. You should also check it on mobile, tablet, and desktop. Use emulators if needed or borrow a friend’s device. A site should shine everywhere, not just somewhere.
Final Thoughts
Web design is not about showing off. It is about showing up for the user. These ten mistakes don’t come from a lack of talent. They come from impatience, rushing, and skipping steps. But now, you know. You see the traps. And more importantly, you know how to leap over them.
So, whether you’re sketching your first wireframe or polishing your third portfolio site, remember: design is a service. Be bold, but never be careless. If you need help, you can sign up for Make My Website web design services.