10 Web Design Tips for a Better User Experience

A good website doesn't have to be clever. It has to be clear, quick and easy to use, on the phone in someone's hand as much as on a desk. These ten tips are the ones we come back to on almost every project. None of them needs a big budget. Most of them need good judgement and a bit of discipline.

1. Make it fast

Speed is the first thing a visitor feels, long before they read a word. Google measures it with three signals known as Core Web Vitals: how quickly the main content appears, how soon the page reacts when you tap or click (Interaction to Next Paint), and whether things jump around while the page loads. You can check your own site for free with PageSpeed Insights.

The biggest wins are usually boring ones:

• Right-size your images. A photo that is far bigger than the space it fills is the most common reason a page is slow.
• Load only what the page needs. Every plugin, tracker and chat widget costs time. Keep the ones that earn their place.
• Choose decent hosting. A cheap, overloaded server undoes a lot of careful design.
• Let the browser remember. Caching and a content delivery network help returning visitors and people far from your server.

2. Design for the phone first

For most websites, a large share of visitors arrive on a phone. Start with the small screen, then let the design grow for bigger ones, not the other way round. That forces you to decide what really matters.

• Make buttons and links big enough to hit with a thumb, with space around them.
• Never hide something important behind a hover. Phones have no hover.
• Keep text readable without zooming.
• Use the right keyboard for each form field (email, number, phone).
• Test on a real phone, not just a narrowed browser window.

3. Say what you do in five seconds

A visitor should know, almost immediately, who you are, what you offer, who it is for and what to do next. A bold headline is great, but pair it with one plain sentence that says what you actually do. We hold ourselves to this: our own headline is a big idea, and the very next line says we are a digital agency in Brussels.

4. Keep navigation boring

Navigation is not the place to be creative. People rely on patterns they already know, so use them.

• Keep the main menu short, with plain labels such as Services, About and Contact.
• Make the logo link home, and show clearly which page the visitor is on.
• On bigger sites, add search and breadcrumbs so people can always see where they are and go back up a level.
• Put the practical things (address, contact, legal pages) in the footer, where people look for them.

5. Give every page one main action

Every page exists to help someone do something. Decide what that is and make it obvious. Use specific, action-led wording such as "Get a quote" or "Book a call" instead of "Submit" or "Learn more", and keep other actions visually quieter than the main one. Repeat the main action at natural stopping points, such as the end of a section or an article.

Colour matters less than people think. There is no magic button colour. What counts is contrast: the button must stand out clearly from everything around it.

6. Make text easy to read

Most of a website is text, so reading comfort is design. Use a body size that is comfortable on a phone, keep lines to a reasonable length, leave room between paragraphs and write headings that tell people what a section is about. Contrast is not a matter of taste: the accessibility guidelines (WCAG) ask for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and pale grey text on white fails it.

7. Use real images, sized properly

Authentic photos of your real people, place and work build far more trust than generic stock pictures. Whatever you use, prepare it properly:

• Compress it and use modern formats such as WebP or AVIF.
• Set the width and height so the page doesn't jump while images load.
• Load images below the first screen lazily, but never the main image at the top.
• Write alt text that describes the image. It helps screen reader users and search engines.

8. Make forms short and kind

A form is a conversation. The more you ask, the fewer people finish. Ask only for what you truly need, and use real labels above each field, not just placeholder text that disappears when someone starts typing. Show clear, friendly error messages next to the problem, never wipe what someone has typed, and confirm clearly when the message has been sent. If you need to ask something sensitive, say why.

9. Build for everyone

Accessibility means your site works for people who use a keyboard instead of a mouse, a screen reader, larger text or reduced motion, and for anyone in bad light or on a bad connection. The basics are not hard: a logical heading structure, visible focus states, enough contrast, alt text, captions for video, and never relying on colour alone to carry meaning.

It is also increasingly a legal matter. In the European Union, accessibility rules such as the European Accessibility Act now apply to many online services and shops, depending on your size and sector. It is worth checking what applies to you. Either way, an accessible site is usually a better site for everybody.

10. Add motion with a purpose

Small animations can make a site feel alive: a button that reacts, a menu that opens smoothly, a form that confirms. Used well, motion guides attention and explains what just happened. Used badly, it slows the page and gets in the way. Keep it short, never let it block content, and respect people who have switched on "reduce motion" in their device settings.

Then watch someone use it

No checklist replaces seeing a real person try your site. Ask a few people who don't know your business to complete a simple task, stay quiet and watch where they hesitate. Every pause points to something worth fixing.

A quick checklist

• Does the page load quickly on a phone?
• Can a stranger tell what you do within a few seconds?
• Is there one clear main action on every page?
• Is the text easy to read, with enough contrast?
• Are the forms short and the error messages helpful?
• Can the site be used with a keyboard?
• Do your images load fast and have alt text?

Want a second pair of eyes on your site? Say hello and we'll tell you honestly what we would change first.