Fact or Fiction? Common Misconceptions in UX

Let's expose the 10 biggest UX myths!

Do you believe that the homepage is the most important page on your website? Or that A/B tests always take a very long time? Join us as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary by debunking the top 10 UX myths, with a special focus on CRO. Let's equip you with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions. So, let's dive in!

The myths 1 to 10

1. The homepage is the most important page of a website.

Actually, the homepage isn't the most crucial page for users. Landing pages, category overviews, and other subpages provide more specific information about what users are ultimately looking for. Nevertheless, a homepage should convey at first glance what the product or company is about. It serves as a springboard into the website's content and helps users find what they're looking for.

Let's stay on the homepage: 
 

2. All pages should be directly accessible from the homepage.

Websites should be discoverable by users naturally. Important content should be prioritized, while less important content should be accessible within 3 to 5 clicks. This means that the homepage doesn't need to have links to all pages, but to the most important ones. Don't forget: Navigation is also a crucial part of helping users orient themselves on the page and find what they're looking for.

3. Users are happier with more options on a landing page.

Yes, users should be given options. However, too many options can increase cognitive load, hinder decision-making, and frustrate users. Prioritize your options and offer the right features in the right quantity at the right time. A good guideline here is Miller's Law, which suggests offering users 7±2 chunks of content to avoid overwhelming them with information and guide them to the right content.

4. Content must move as much as possible

The answer here is: In moderation. Movement draws a user's attention and should only be used for specific elements that need to be noticed. Such elements can include the expansion of a mobile navigation or hover states of buttons. However, constantly moving elements, such as automatically rotating carousels or hero videos, can be distracting, as they divert the user's attention from other content on the page.

5. Image carousels can present multiple pieces of content in a striking way.

There's a clear no here. The WYSIATI effect, also known as the framing effect, causes many users to scroll past carousels on both small and large screens. Following the principle of "What you see is all there is" (WYSIATI), our brains often only consider the information that is currently present and ignore hidden content. Therefore, particularly important content should never be hidden in carousels.

6. A website must be intuitive to use from the very first encounter

There are websites (e.g., tools) whose functions must first be learned and require a certain level of complexity. The challenge for UX design is to support users appropriately based on their knowledge level. Unknown functions should be explained simply and quickly learned. If the navigation is also intuitive, that's the icing on the cake.

7. UX design is a subjective process.

That's a common misconception, but UX actually involves a lot of data analysis, such as from usability tests, analytics data from various platforms, user interviews, etc., as well as human psychology, understanding how people absorb information and what information they expect on a page. Thus, UX is a data-driven field that is guided by established design principles.

8. A/B tests must take a long time.

It depends. It's often assumed that A/B tests need weeks or even months to deliver meaningful results. However, this usually depends on the amount of traffic required on the page to make statistically valid statements. This in turn affects the timeframe and can delay or shorten an A/B test. As I said, it depends.

9. Accessible pages are not appealing.

The topic of accessibility is thankfully gaining more and more importance and traction. Accessible pages are often associated with rigid, 'boring' content and simple colour schemes. However, a large part of accessible design takes place within the code and, therefore, has no influence on the CSS (Content Style Sheet). This means that there are many beautiful and exciting websites that also allow people with disabilities to visit them.

10. User Experience (UX) Design = User Interface (UI) Design

This is unfortunately one of the most common and persistent myths in the field of design. UX and UI are often put into one pot, and for parts of the areas, that is ok. Take the construction of a house as an example: UX would be the foundation, the ground on which everything stands and ensures that nothing falls over or collapses. UI, on the other hand, would be the wall colour, the windows, and the furniture that make the house comfortable. Both contribute to the user experience, but in their own unique way.

Conclusion

UX, especially CRO for websites, is a complex discipline that is constantly evolving. In this article, I uncovered some of the most persistent UX myths and shown that a data-driven and user-centred approach is the key to success. These 10 myths are certainly not all UX myths that are out there, however, I hope this article has given you a good overview of the most important aspects of UX.

Stay curious and don't hesitate to explore new paths and uncover further myths!