Unsure where to start? Use this collection of links to our articles and videos to learn how users interact with the web and how to design effective web user experiences.
Flat interfaces often use weak signifiers. In an eyetracking experiment comparing different kinds of clickability clues, UIs with weak signifiers required more user effort than strong ones.
Though aesthetically appealing, flat designs often force users to guess which elements are interactive, leading to increased user errors and frustration.
18-to-25-year olds gave slightly higher ratings of flat designs than older adults did. That increased aesthetic appeal may not be worth the cost of flat design.
Clickable UI elements with absent or weak visual signifiers condition users over time to click and hover uncertainly across pages — reducing efficiency and increasing reliance on contextual cues and immediate click feedback. Young adult users may be better at perceiving subtle clickability clues, but they don’t enjoy click uncertainty any more than other age groups.
Flat design is a web-design style that became popular around 2012. It is still widely used today, and its overuse can cause serious usability problems.
Our analysis of 112 minimalist websites revealed the defining features of minimalism: flat design, limited color schemes, few UI elements, use of negative space, and dramatic typography.
Many popular web-design trends originate in minimalism, a movement that aims to reduce information overload by presenting content in its simplest form.
Whether you adopt a flat-design style or not, interactive components must retain sufficient cues to suggest clickability. Signaling clickability with cues such as borders, color, size, consistency, placement, and adherence to web standards can give interactive components the proper look.
