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Design

From Hostile to Delightful

Is your website as friendly as you think it is?

By Ambreen Dar

2 min read

Vitaly Friedman writes about the State of Usability in 2023 🎊.

We found this article to be spot on with some of our own personal experiences. He talks about how we often kick off designs with assumptions and how they're mostly wrong.

He asserts—and our experience would confirm—that users are experts at finding loopholes, shortcuts, and bending the rules. Often to their own detriment.

Think about it, how many of you have passwords written down somewhere because it's easier to reference?‍

A screenshot of a list of delightful UX items in web design

Block everything

In 2023, we must accept that there is a growing distrust of websites. Because of this distrust, the default reaction is to block everything.

  • Pop-ups/modals 🚫
  • Push notifications 🚫
  • Chat windows 🚫
  • Location services 🚫

These blocked requests only lead to an increase in user hostility and distrust detracting from our goal of delight.

Calm, predictable, reliable

Users expect a "calm experience" on the web. This implies dependable and predictable design. While we all want to bust out our inner Picasso, it's critical to begin all UX design with empathy. That means starting with what the user is trying to achieve.

A simple example of this in practice is how we let everyone access our content online without it being gated. Why? Because, they're trying to find an answer to their question. That's their goal, and our focus is on making it easier for them to achieve.

Once they have what they want, we can ask them if they're interested in getting more information delivered to their inbox, for free. What we want.

If your website or client project isn't hitting your conversion goals, take a look at experiments that use these insights to remove the hostile elements first.

Ambreen Dar

About Ambreen Dar

Ambreen designs for thrillseekers. She left the classroom behind to chase adventures in publishing, then dove into digital marketing's deep end. New tricks abound, but Ambreen's four furry fans still think she's top dog. Alongside Rebekah and Sam, Ambreen makes BRIL.LA's magic - and wouldn't have it any other way.