Minimal web design has become a very popular trend in website development recently, but just because you’re going minimal doesn’t mean you can throw out all good web design practices and ignore best practices for UX.
Ideally, minimalist web design focuses on eliminating everything that’s not essential to the user experience while emphasizing the content itself as much as possible.
Here are 10 minimal web design tips to help you improve your site and make it more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
1) Great design begins with thoughtful planning
Before you can create a minimal website, you need to start with an idea of what a minimal website actually is.
The best way is to look at some great minimalist websites or browse articles about design trends and principles for inspiration.
You’ll also want to establish an objective before getting started: do you want your site to be fast? Easy-to-use? Friendly for mobile devices?
2) Choosing a simple color palette
Choosing colors for your site is one of those things that can be tricky.
Selecting a simple color palette and sticking to it is one way to ensure that your site’s design isn’t visually overwhelming, which could hurt usability. (And if your site isn’t easy to use, you might as well not bother.)
Keep things simple with just two or three colors — never more than five.
3) Simplicity is key
Unnecessary information will add headache for both you and your visitors.
Simple websites are more accessible for users to navigate and understand. Ensure that your website has a clear objective to keep it from becoming too cluttered.
If you’re feeling stuck, it might be helpful to hire a professional web designer or developer who can help make your vision a reality.
Remember: less is more!
4) Choosing one font family for the whole website
As a website owner, it’s your job to ensure that your site looks consistent. One way to do that is by choosing one font family for use throughout your entire website.
That might sound strict and even risky, but thanks to newer CSS properties like @font-face , it’s easier than ever.
By downloading a few new fonts to work with and setting up a CSS @font-face rule for each, you can be on your way toward crafting an entirely font-based design.
5) Understanding your users’ goals will help your site stick around
How do your users want to interact with your site?
Do they need basic information, like hours of operation or a pricing chart?
Or are they on your site because they want to browse through product reviews and compare prices?
What’s their goal when interacting with your site?
Understanding users’ goals will help you create a better-designed user experience that keeps them coming back.
6) Simple navigation improves usability and lowers bounce rates
It’s basic human nature—when we visit a site, we want to achieve our goal quickly.
Whether it’s information or a sale, if a user can’t get to what they want in three clicks or less, they will likely hit the back button and try your competitor.
Make it easy for your site’s visitors to get around by making sure your navigation bar is clear and concise.
Keep links to a minimum—two or three links tops. And make sure that each link on your site leads users where they want (and expect) it.
7) Every page needs a purpose. Don’t fill space unless you have to.
Purpose, in website design as in life, is key.
Don’t fill up empty space on your site unless you have to. Make every page on your site purposeful, with a goal and clear direction—and that means no filler pages or even just pretty pictures.
Even if you are a designer, make sure everything has its place and is there for a good reason; keep it minimal to attract visitors who want a meaningful browsing experience.
8) slow loading time? Lose those unnecessary components.
A lot of web designers like to tinker with their sites.
While I believe there’s some value in playing around with our own sites, sometimes we need to take a step back and decide if we really need a specific component on our page.
https://developers.google.com/speed is a good place to analyze and optimize your website with PageSpeed tools.
Unnecessary components on your site, including too many images and third-party tracking, can slow down your site’s loading time.
Before improving your conversion rate, make sure you aren’t accidentally slowing it down with unnecessary components.
9) Website readability should be at the forefront.
This is a deceptively simple tip, but it can mean everything regarding users’ experience on your site.
Your website can be the most visually appealing site on the internet, but people won’t want to stick around long enough to appreciate it if it’s difficult to read.
Website readability isn’t just about making sure your paragraphs are long enough and your sentences aren’t too short.
It’s also about learning how to draw in readers with engaging, error-free content that keeps them reading all the way through to the end!
And if you want your site to be minimal (that is, if you don’t want lots of colors and elements), then readability should be at the forefront of every component you add.
This includes font style, size, spacing, and more.
As always, KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid!
10) Consistency is key. It conveys confidence to visitors.
Consistency conveys professionalism.
It tells visitors that they can trust your site because it looks well-crafted and organized.
Consistency is critical, but it also goes a long way toward establishing your brand. Visitors can almost always tell when a site isn’t maintained and updated regularly.
If you’re interested in creating a professional, modern-looking site, then stay on top of keeping your content fresh and ensuring that images are optimized for high-resolution displays.
If something doesn’t work on your website, don’t just leave it there—fix it!
Final thoughts
In our fast-paced digital world, it’s easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of flashy imagery and color schemes.
But there’s still room for minimal web design.
By stripping your website down to its bare essentials, you can effectively grab your users’ attention and focus on what matters most: your business and its selling point.
Need help?
If you’re looking for some professional help with your design or development, be sure to get in touch with me today.
Write to [email protected] right away!