A usable website ensures easy navigation, accessibility, and a smooth user experience (UX). If users struggle to find information, face slow load times, or encounter broken elements, they leave—leading to high bounce rates and lost conversions.
This guide covers common web usability problems, their causes, and step-by-step solutions to keep your site running smoothly!
Cause: Poor menu structure, unclear labels, or hidden content.
Solution:
Use a Clear Navigation Menu – Limit top-level items to 5-7 categories.
Add a Search Bar – Ensure it provides relevant results.
Use Breadcrumbs – Helps users track their location.
Follow a Logical Information Hierarchy – Place important content above the fold.
Test with Card Sorting – Use https://optimalworkshop.com/ to organize content.
Tip: Use familiar labels (Home, About, Contact, Shop) instead of confusing terms.
Cause: Small touch targets, too close together.
Solution:
Ensure Tap Targets Are at Least 44x44px (Apple’s guideline).
Add Enough Spacing Between Links & Buttons.
Enable Sticky Navigation on Mobile – Keeps the menu accessible.
Tool: Google Mobile-Friendly Test (https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly)
Tip: Use hamburger menus on mobile for better navigation!
Cause: Large images, too many plugins, or unoptimized code.
Solution:
Optimize Images – Use WebP instead of PNG/JPG.
Minify CSS, JavaScript & HTML – Use https://www.toptal.com/developers/cssminifier
Enable Lazy Loading – Loads images only when needed.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) – Cloudflare, Akamai.
Reduce Redirects & HTTP Requests – Use https://gtmetrix.com/ to analyze.
Tip: Keep page size under 2MB for fast load times!
Cause: Heavy animations, excessive JavaScript, or rendering issues.
Solution:
Limit Heavy Animations & Parallax Effects.
Reduce JavaScript Blocking – Load scripts asynchronously (defer or async).
Optimize Fonts – Avoid loading too many font styles.
Tool: Lighthouse Performance Audit (F12 Lighthouse Performance).
Tip: Test on low-end devices to see how your site performs!
Cause: Forms are too long, complex, or confusing.
Solution:
Keep Forms Short & Simple – Ask for only necessary info.
Use Inline Validation – Show errors as users type.
Auto-Fill & Auto-Format Fields – Helps users fill out forms faster.
Allow Guest Checkout – Avoid forcing users to create accounts.
Tool: Hotjar Form Analytics (https://www.hotjar.com/)
Tip: Use multi-step forms for long inputs to reduce user fatigue!
Cause: Vague or missing error messages.
Solution:
Use Clear, Actionable Error Messages – Instead of “Invalid input,” say “Your password must be at least 8 characters.”
Highlight Errors in Red – Makes them more visible.
Provide Suggestions to Fix Errors.
Tip: Place error messages near the problematic field (not at the top of the form).
Cause: Poor responsive design, missing viewport settings.
Solution:
Use Responsive Layouts (Flexbox/Grid CSS) – Avoid fixed widths.
Set Proper Viewport Meta Tag:
html
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
Use Mobile-Friendly Font Sizes – 16px minimum for body text.
Test Across Devices & Browsers – Use https://www.browserstack.com/.
Tip: Avoid horizontal scrolling—users expect vertical-only scrolling on mobile!
Cause: Buttons & links aren’t optimized for touch screens.
Solution:
Ensure Buttons Are at Least 44x44px (Apple’s guideline).
Add Extra Padding Between Clickable Elements.
Increase Line Spacing for Readability.
Tool: Google Mobile-Friendly Test (https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly)
Tip: Test with finger taps instead of a mouse—if it’s hard to tap, it’s too small!
Cause: No screen reader support, poor contrast, missing alt text.
Solution:
Add Descriptive Alt Text to Images.
Ensure High Contrast Between Text & Background – Test with https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/.
Allow Keyboard Navigation – Test using Tab key.
Enable ARIA Roles for Screen Readers (https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/).
Tip: Use dark mode & high-contrast themes for better readability!
Cause: No alternative text for multimedia.
Solution:
Add Captions for Videos – Use YouTube’s auto-captioning.
Provide Text Transcripts for Audio Content.
Ensure Play/Pause Controls Are Accessible.
Tool: WAVE Accessibility Checker (https://wave.webaim.org/).
Tip: Auto-generated captions aren’t perfect—edit them manually!
Cause: No paragraph breaks, excessive text.
Solution:
Use Bullet Points & Headings – Break up large text blocks.
Keep Paragraphs Under 3-4 Sentences.
Use Simple, Clear Language – Aim for Grade 8 reading level.
Tip: Use https://hemingwayapp.com/ to simplify text readability!
Cause: Generic text like “Click Here.”
Solution:
Use Descriptive Link Text – Instead of "Click Here," say "Download the UX Guide".
Ensure Links Are Underlined – Users expect clickable text to be blue & underlined.
Check Color Contrast – Ensure links stand out.
Tip: Test with screen readers to ensure links make sense out of context!
Navigation should be intuitive – Clear menus, breadcrumbs, and search.
Optimize for speed & performance – Compress images, reduce scripts.
Ensure mobile responsiveness – Test on real devices.
Forms should be simple & error-friendly – Use inline validation.
Improve accessibility – Alt text, contrast, keyboard navigation.