Top 10 Design Mistakes That Make Your Website Feel Unwelcoming
A welcoming site removes friction and adds clarity. These mistakes do the opposite.
Auto playing audio that startles people.
Tiny clickable areas that frustrate thumbs.
Overused stock imagery that erases your story.
Weak visual hierarchy, if everything is loud, nothing is clear.
Broken links or 404s that erode trust.
Cluttered navigation that says, figure it out yourself.
Poor color contrast that excludes by design. WebAIM’s contrast checker makes testing this simple.
Slow loading pages that waste time, performance is empathy.
Vague copy that hides value.
Ignoring mobile first realities.
When I point these out in audits, teams often say, I never thought of it that way. Empathy in design is about removing barriers. If any of this hits close to home, contact me.