Last updated on November 27th, 2024 at 12:01 pm
A web design book I adored is “Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web and Mobile Usability” by Steve Krug.
The entire book is about how to adopt the “Don’t make me think” approach to web design. In other words, how to design a website so simple your users don’t need to think when they use it.
It’s a kind of website with a big focus on usability, as all websites should. According to Krug, a highly usable website has the following characteristics: useful, learnable, memorable, effective, efficient, desirable, and delightful.
This is wise and a perfect definition of simple web design.
To make the concept more tangible for a web development purpose, here’s how I like to think about it:
A website with simple web design has a clean, uncluttered, consistent appearance, with a focus on essential elements, straightforward navigation, user-focused content, and can be accessible from all devices.
Now let’s explore what kind of things that “Don’t make me think” or simple web design can save you.
#1: Save budget
When you focus on the essential components of your website, complex layouts or functions may be unnecessary. Thus, you can design and build a website yourself without outsourcing. Simplicity encourages you to be honest and stick to what matters most to you and your users.
#2: Save bandwidth usage
Simple designs usually require lower bandwidth since there is less data to transmit between the server and the user’s device. This is even more helpful for users with limited internet access or in regions with slower network speeds.
#3: Save your device’s battery life
Mobile devices and laptops consume less energy when loading and displaying simpler web pages. Websites with complex designs, heavy graphics/videos, and numerous scripts eat up device batteries quickly and frustrate users. Everybody hates endless ads on the screen.
#4: Save time (in all aspects!)
Simple websites are typically easier and less time-consuming to design, develop, update, and maintain. Fewer components to manage equal less workload for you and less site load time for your users. Who doesn’t want that?
#5: Save storage space
When you use fewer elements and build a website with less complicated structures, the site takes up less space and needs fewer resources to maintain it.
#6: Save your users
Simple designs are generally more accessible to a wider range of users, including those with disabilities or using assistive technologies. A minimalist approach can enhance usability, making it easier for all users to navigate, understand the content, become customers, and be more likely to come back.
#7: Save energy consumption
Simple websites usually use fewer elements, such as images, scripts, and plugins. When combined with optimization practices, such as image compression, it results in smaller file sizes and requires fewer server and network resources to load the web page. This means the energy consumption associated with hosting and serving the website is reduced.
With lower energy consumption and streamlined resource usage, websites with simple designs help reduce carbon footprint. This aligns with the broader goal of creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly internet.
Now that you’ve learned about the benefits of simple web design, let me ask you: If you own a website or run one for a client, does the website have a simple design? When you think of a simple website, which one comes to mind? Let me know!