Flat Design Decreases User Efficiency

Summary: Though aesthetically appealing, flat designs often force users to guess which elements are interactive, leading to increased user errors and frustration.

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Flat Design Decreases User Efficiency

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Long-Term Exposure to Flat Design: How the Trend Slowly Decreases User Efficiency

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.

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Kate Moran is a former NN/G employee who worked on research, teaching, leadership, and design thought leadership. Her expertise spanned both qualitative and quantitative research methods. At NN/G Kate discovered and published ground-breaking findings on artificial intelligence (AI), interaction design, digital content, and information-seeking user behaviors.

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