Website Design Debt Explained in Simple Terms

Website Design Debt Explained in Simple Terms

Most projects have a design debt. Like technical debt, website design debt is a natural decay that arises as the project matures-you add new features, old features grow stale, and the codebase starts to get unstable.

Mostly, startup projects thrive on shipping which is not a bad practice. After all, this is a grand strategy to learn and grow. Therefore, a startup site or app naturally gets larger, but the code language evolves. This often leads to design debt—the nature of the iterative development approaches.

The frequent updates of features and experimentation require restructuring of the existing code to be better, efficient, and more readable without changing the outward behaviour of the site or app. But first, what is the relationship between the product cycle and design debt?

Product Cycle and Website Design Debt

When there is a new product cycle, a new product design arises. The new design often introduces new features and more buttons on a page. Moreover, it would be necessary to optimise the design to meet the needs of potential customers and increase the conversion rate.

And there is nothing wrong with adding new features to a project as they trigger business growth. However, problems start when the design stretches beyond its original limit without checking on the user experience. Features begin to add on top of other features, and landing page on another landing page.

get google ranking ad

And over time, an unchecked page will no longer be scalable. Then it gets messy for the users, ruining their experience with the app or website. To return everything in order, you`ll have to perform code refactoring. But before that, how does design debt start?

ALSO READ  How Consumer Loyalty Programs Work In Singapore

How does Website design debt creep up?

Design debt piles up without a warning until it is late. The more new element you add on a design, the more disjointed the design becomes. The debt then starts to compound itself over time. The changes are often minimal, and it takes time to notice their effect until red flags go up.

website design debt

The design then starts to get confusing. It can narrow down to contradicting colours or the topography of the app or site. In turn, contradiction makes it difficult for the user to use your design. But some projects quickly pile up design debts than others. Which are they?

Who Frequently Experience Design Debt, Small or large companies?

No matter how dedicated a company is, whether a startup or a more established business, their project will have design debt. However, startups are more likely to experience design debt? They make frequent feature updates and may not notice their design deteriorating.

All mistakes stem from having multiple teams that lack proper coordination and cohesion to keep track of the bigger picture. A company ends up piling design debt.

And the problem continues to compound until the business assigns specific professionals to watch over the design. Startups mostly appoint one or two experts to watch over the design holistically. But what is the root problem?

What causes design debt?

Basically, a design debt is a result of a website or an app getting more extensive and its language evolves. It may start to reflect different design thinking that they are the older features. The key triggers to design debt include:

Running a project with an under-skilled workforce. For instance, your team can focus on building a recent and possibly excellent feature without paying attention to how it fits into the Singapore business website design holistically.

ALSO READ  Shopping Tourism: Why Retailers Should Care (+ Tactics to Leverage this Trend)

Or your team can aim at putting a new experimental feature in front of many people as possible. Instead of figuring out where in the design fit the experiment feature, they place it directly on a place that gets the most traffic.

Moreover, you might be aiming at improving the user experience by working on your design debt, but you are too scared of the results. This commonly happens when a company is so worried about a temporary traffic drop after launching a new redesign.

It is true; many sources of design debt appear to have the same root. They all stem from a lack of insight that the long term goal is to ensure a comfortable user experience. Of course, there are plenty of other reasons that cause design debt. But overlooking the importance of a long term good user experience is the primary cause of design debt.

However, Are some Companies Prone to Design Debt than Others?

Some companies acquire design debt more frequent than others. Platforms like Yahoo, MySpace or MSN, Social networks, News site, classifieds and all-in-one-go-to platforms will more likely experience design debt for two reasons.

First, they need to run a lot of experiments to keep pushing features that will keep their users coming back. Second, these companies typically need to have multiple functions to attract the type of traffic they are aiming to attract.

Moreover, the industries of online retail and online gaming are not left out too. For online retailers, they are always aiming at selling as much as possible. They`ll always add many features on their website. On the other hand, game developers might be tries to add small features to expand their gameplay. In both cases, the design expansion intends well. However, these small changes create clutters which might limit user experience.

ALSO READ  A Helpful Advice for Educators on Thriving in Today's Digital Environment

What about AB test?

AB test is insightful too for anyone aiming to optimise his design for good user experience. Andrew Chen said, “Show me a site that has an impressive visual appeal, and I’ll attest that they do not carry out regular A/B test.

What Andrew means is that companies who are no longer experimenting and instead learned enough to stand their ground reduces design debt and improves user experience on their sites or apps. This shows the reason why established companies don’t need to experiment.

In conclusion, there is no perfect, debt-free design out there. No project has infinite sources. Regardless of whether a huge corporation or startups build a design, the project will have some flaws. Contact us today for professional website design services in Singapore. 

About the Author

Tom Koh

Tom is the CEO and Principal Consultant of MediaOne, a leading digital marketing agency. He has consulted for MNCs like Canon, Maybank, Capitaland, SingTel, ST Engineering, WWF, Cambridge University, as well as Government organisations like Enterprise Singapore, Ministry of Law, National Galleries, NTUC, e2i, SingHealth. His articles are published and referenced in CNA, Straits Times, MoneyFM, Financial Times, Yahoo! Finance, Hubspot, Zendesk, CIO Advisor.

Share:

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Enterprise SEO: Everything You Need to Know

Are you looking to enhance your online presence and boost organic traffic to your website? If you’re operating on a …

10 Tested SEO-optimised Content Development Techniques

Content development refers to creating or improving material that conveys information to a particular audience. In addition to textual material …

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023

7 Emerging Skills Every SEO Must Master in 2023 One thing almost all SEOs can agree on is that SEO …

How to Use Keyword Intent to Maximize Conversion Rate

After keyword research, you’re armed with a list of potential keywords to target.  Let’s say one of the keywords is …

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Leveraging Social Media for Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

You’ve probably heard of social media, and how important it is to businesses and marketers. Chances are, you use one …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

Is SEO Better Or SEM Better?

I think we can all agree that Google SEO is pretty cool! A lot of people get to enjoy high …

How To Remove A Web Page Without Affecting Overall SEO

Before removing an old page from your website, do you ever stop to think about the potential effect it might …

Toxic Links Threats and Disavows: Complete SEO guide

Your website is only as strong as the backlinks you have. We’re not talking numbers here but quality.  If you …

Social Media

How to Find Influencers to Promote Your Small Business in Singapore (Low Cost)

In today’s digital age, social media influencers have become powerful tools for businesses looking to increase their brand awareness and …

Instagramming Your Way to Success: Tips for Effective Social Media Marketing in the Travel Industry

Social Media has revolutionised how businesses connect with their audience. In the travel industry, where experiences and visuals play a …

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

App Marketing on a Budget: Cost-Effective Strategies for Maximum Impact

In today’s digital landscape, app marketing plays a crucial role in driving the success of your mobile application. However, many …

Leveraging Influencers: A Powerful Tool for App Promotion

The digital landscape is continuously evolving, attention is divided among countless apps and platforms, and app promotion has become more …

Technology

The Rise of Influencer Marketing: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Your Travel Planning Agency

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. People from all walks of life use social media …

8 Strategies for Bug Hunting: Debugging, Testing, and Code Review

Bugs are among the most unpleasant aspects of the software development process, whether you’ve worked on a little side project …

How Does A Virtual Private Network Work

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a small business owner who’s looking to expand your reach, or an …

Digital Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself from Scams and Fraud

We are always online in this day and age of technology, which makes personal data more exposed than ever. Digital …

The Legal Consequences of Cybersecurity Breaches in Singapore

Technology has advanced greatly in the digital age. It paves the way for a higher risk of cybersecurity breaches. There …

Branding

What Are Virtual Fitting Rooms and How Do They Work? (2023)

Shopping for clothes online can be tricky. It’s difficult to know how something will look and fit without trying it …

Planograms: What They Are and How They’re Used in Visual Merchandising

As a retailer, you know the importance of creating an appealing and organised display of your merchandise. The way you …

PSG Grants: The Complete Guide

How do you kickstart your technology journey with limited resources? The Productivity Solution Grant (PSG) is a great place to …

The Importance of Authenticity in Your Brand Voice Strategy

Most companies are aware of the value of branding. The reputation of a firm may make or break it, after …

Featured Snippet Optimization: Complete Guide In 2022

You’ve probably seen the boxes that pop up at the top of the SERP featuring a summary of an answer …

Business

15 Ways to Remain Empathic While Still Making Deals

Empathy is an essential quality in any negotiation. It allows you to understand the other party’s perspective, build trust and …

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales

10 Prospect Qualification Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Sales Prospecting is one of the most important aspects of sales. It’s …

How Pros Write Business Proposals To Win New Clients

As a business owner or entrepreneur, one of the most critical skills you need to have is the ability to …

Baidu SEO: Optimising Your Website for Chinese Audiences

In today’s interconnected world, expanding your online presence to capture international markets has become essential. When targeting the Chinese market, …

Time Management Tips for Busy Entrepreneurs (Free Tools)

Are you one of the entrepreneurs juggling multiple tasks, constantly racing against the clock? Do you often find yourself overwhelmed …

Most viewed Articles

10 Ways to Improve Your E-Commerce SEO

If you want to grow your e-commerce business, you’ve probably thought about SEO (search engine optimization) already. After all, a successful e-commerce SEO strategy can

Other Similar Articles