Exactly, most of those web design tutorials focus on creating cool visuals and that's it. I don't want to design just a beautiful website because visuals aren't the main purpose. It is supposed to work/convert. I was watching a lot of those tutorials but only recently understood what's more important. As always, thank you for creating such a valuable content :)
@@MalewiczHypeand then you go to the comments and see the “wow i’ve been designing websites for the past 40 years and still i learn so much from your tutorials” 😂
If I want to hire a front end web designer i expect to see high quality designs together with good SEO practices, ultimately content is decided by the client.
When a website is too fancy I feel like I'm being bamboozled by a flamboyant salesman. Usually I want to know as quickly as possible what I'll get and for how much.
@@drakZeswhat's more trustworthy: - a big green animated button saying "Download Now!!" with popups and sounds and animations - the default file browser page (like the page that loads when you go to file:// or ftp:// URIs) I would choose the second option every time. Not because I'm old and the button is overwhelming. Its because I know for a fact that that button will take me to a scam website.
That’s why I say (and preach): modern copywriting isn’t about persuasion, but about presenting what the audience needs to read in the best possible way. It’s about being objective, concise, and relevant, not just a marketer.
As a UX/UI Engineer, I'm in love with your content. Always speaking from common sense. I feel that lots of designer lost their minds doing fancy websites that look great and cool but preform really bad, without bussines or user in mind. Not mention accesibility.
Agreed with comment above, less mature designers need to sit down with pen and paper and write those down. As you rightly mentioned, different websites, different purposes, different users, all need a special approach😀
Ugly is really a wrong word for simple, fast, and informative. I visit your websites not to admire your web design skills, I visit them to get information or service I'm looking for.
It’s not necessarily ugly sites perform better. It’s about user affordability (knowing what to do), information hierarchy, usability. There’s a time and a place for sleek design, perhaps a boutique service or product with a slower pipeline to sale, or a feature and technically rich product like a cybertruck… but even then affordability is built in the user should always know what to do next and why they’re looking at something. The path should always be illuminated, like in game design always direct where they should go and send their attention, and everything all at once cannot be the main character.
Funny you mention games, I feel like MMO sites often have the most positive correlation for site visuals ...or it might be more accurate to say "least negative correlation" instead
Fancy websites don't convert because they don't tell you what they are actually selling/promoting. How many times have you landed on a website that doesn't tell you anything and you cannot understand what the product does? Content is still king.
Those parallax effect webpage reminds of those all use day-night toggle switch that everyone makes/made. 😄 People should read more about great designers like Dieter Rams and how they took "simple+works" to a new level.
Also a Dev and I like the light/darkmode toggle. Maybe it comes down to the site's design in the first place, but sometimes they're just painfully bright for my eyes. Like for example I've got YT in darkmode as I'm typing this. I think at the very least if it's a website that you're meant to be on and interact with for long periods of time: YT, Facebook, Discord, Amazon, etc, having that function available could be helpful. Now if it's say a brochure site, something you go to, find the info you need and leave, the toggle would probably be overkill.
@@DanachewSame. I am also a dev and run a non-profit where we provide a lot of articles and in-depth information about animal care. A lot of our traffic is recurring visitors rereading articles. I can't image only having the default bright mode. My eyes would be tired.
Thank you, Michał! Finally there is someone who speaks loud my thoughts about websites - fancy ones are usually useless, and seems like they are made for other designers or nominations, not for bringing money and conversions. I hope that you will give out more your priceless knowledge regarding landing pages. Have a beautiful week, Michał.
Great video. I’m not a web designer, but I’ve always intuitively felt that these fancy websites with all the bells and whistles do more to impress other designers, rather than convince users to click the CTA button. A good analogy would be a woman wearing tons of makeup on a first date, and only making an impression on other girls rather than her date LOL.
Yes, that's often the case - to show off. Especially on design social media where it's all about showing something flashy. Luckily it's shifting back a bit
You've taken a vastly deep topic and reduced it to direct, actionable steps that nearly anyone can use to improve their site designs. Thank you! I've happily subscribed!
I learnt this the hard way. Used to spend hours creating beautiful websites with animations to wow my customers. After the website launched never heard back from them. What happened? The website hardly converted and my client felt ripped off. What I do now is make Google and user the centre of my design process. Focus on giving them the website they want. Plus I do SEO as an extra service and make my customers aware by asking the following questions. How is someone going to find your website? Advertise offline, online or have it discoverable on google search or everything. A website is an investment so you really need to factor in a strategy in get sales. In the end you need to consider the business, customer and type of product in relation to other competitors. Don’t reinvent the wheel just make it better
The attention span is something that has been considered for decades. I'm so happy you brought it up as I feel it's something people forget about. Not everyone is at home on their home internet with the fastest connection. Many are on their cellular connection, traveling, and moving between cell towers. Connection speeds and inconsistencies must be considered or risk losing that attention coupled with aggravation. It really shouldn't be a surprise that a 100mb site will take longer than a 5mb site to load.
Great video! You essential need to have the ability to think and see the website from the user's perspective which is difficult, but absolutely worth the effort. We can't "predict" why someone has clicked a specific link but if they did, it was for a motive and they're looking for something they think they'll find on your website. The key to making a successful website that has higher conversions is to do the user research properly and figure out what's TRULY important (and of value) to your users. I hope this is helpful to anyone who reads this :)
This is one of the best videos on landing pages especially since you covered the fact that some businesses have a target audience that needs to present more information such as your example at the end
I've never really thought about it, but even on Apple's site, I skip the fancy bits and just go directly to the buy button... Good points in your video.
Absolutely 100% accurate. People go to a website for a purpose and that's usually not to look at your design skills or artistic portfolio showcase. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a website just to be locked in some bullshit scrolling parallax animation preventing me from getting a quick overview of what the website is about and where to find what I want to buy or know... It's infuriating. That being said, I love animations, it's just that they need to make sense and not get in the way of the user getting what they want.
absolutely! A portfolio site might get a pass with all the bells and whistle from my end because I can see what they're capable of doing if they really need to; but other than the dedicated landing page, it shouldn't have any fancy stuffs going around if I'm their targeted audience.
thank you for the video, dude! I just realized I've been doing everything right on all the projects I've been doing for the past few years. I'm a self-taught designer and a website developer, so I never really got the chance to get deep into the theoretical sides of either design or development on how and why they work, and I just follow my intuition to make the website beautiful to view without anything happening much at the same time. I always go for a minimalistic look, and all of my clients love it even though the sites are simple! I have tried working on a few projects just like the rocket ship design, but I never liked them as I always tend to look for design flaws after everything is completed from a customer's POV when visiting the site. I'd take a day or two off from working on the project and randomly visit the site on my phone to check whether if I'd like it; and with the extensive designs, I didn't! so i always reverted back to simple yet elegant designs. I'm glad I'm on the right path. haha
another thing I realized early on was the use case of the website and the sales process that decided the design flow. for example, if it was a single brand or product and the website was there to just display information with longer or complicated sales flow, a fancy design would work for them, but if was something related to quick sales or quick commerce asking people to buy instantaneously, simpler the design, better the conversion.
here's what I think about fancy websites: great to show dev's skills. simple and minimal websites (or landing pages) are way more effective and attractive. a big thanks from Brazil, dude.
Totally agree. Far too many designers worry about the look of the site rather than what the site says and leads visitors to do. The site needs to communicate quickly and clearly the benefit. I see so many GREAT looking websites that have no clear vision and you sorta wonder what the hell the site is even selling.
Malewicz, I've followed your channel for a few years now and just wanted to say thank you, you're my UX goat I swear I've learnt more from your videos than I ever did from my teachers.
I watched it when it was released, and just came back to comment! it's so true, especially if you want to target the non-tech sector for your clients, they don't need fancy animations for conversion.
Happy that you came back! I always love when those normally quiet start showing up in the comments - that's what builds this amazing community! :) As for sectors - definitely non tech needs even less, but linear is a great example how the tech sector was initially a bit "overdone" and even though designers praised them they dialed it back with a redesign.
The information i needed in the perfect time ... I was getting lost on the Framer crazy fancy animations tutorials ... You opened my eyes ... and gave me more time ! Thanks you so much 🙏🔥
When I scroll down a page, I expect to reach some information to learn more about the subject/product. Instead endless animations gets in the way. Even some of them don’t disable the reverse animation option and scrolling up causing to disappear the text. Furthermore it’s a nightname for the developer when it comes to mobile viewport. On the other hand subtle animations are always welcome. Thanks for pointing out such a vital information.
While I do not agree with everything you've said, for the most part I really enjoyed seeing someone finally telling the truth. I am preaching for year now, it is not the design, it's the content, ALWAYS! Of course designers do not like to hear this and design is good and important on websites, but it is not the core selling point. I always name Wikipedia, Ebay and Amazon as examples. In my opinion the most ugliest websites you can find, but with partly making billions of dollars each year. Why? They simply solve problems and it is never the design, that solves it. It always is the content. Thanks man! Very good video!
This is like saying "A doorknob solves a problem, but the design of the doorknob doesn't matter." It missed that the *design* of the doorknob is why the doorknob solves a problem in the first place. Designers don't just make things fancy, they should focus on functionality and usability. Wikipedia, Ebay and Amazon work so well because of how the content was designed, these things go hand in hand. There's this good book you should read, the design of everyday things by Don Norman.
@@lauren-ashleyblack8610 A doorknob solves just one problem-allowing you to open an otherwise closed door. Its appearance doesn’t impact its function. The same concept applies to websites. No one cares whether the button you click to make a purchase is green or red; it simply solves the problem of enabling the transaction. What truly matters is whether the shoe I want is the right size, and I can find that information in the content, not the design. Once again, it’s not about the design.
@@Loanshark753 I typically call all of them, regardless of shape, doorknobs or doorhandles. I do prefer door levers tho, especially if they look like the one from Alice in Wonderland.
It should be noted because Google had a white background a logo only that was stored in cache anyway is why it became the number one search engine. It wasn’t actually the best in the 90s. It became so because it loaded instantly on a dialup connection. The others were much slower and loaded with banner ads everywhere which took ages to res up.
That was not the reason why Google leaded in the beginning. They shown better search results - that was the point. Oversimplicity and clear design was not so trendy at that time.
@@aquaworm888 no it wasn’t. Also it isn’t true. There were many early search engines that did better than page rank. It’s just their sites fool sometimes a minute to load on dial up. Google was instantaneous.
@@danh5637 I even remember when our teacher in computer class showed us how different search site worked with the same request. It was like year 2000. Google showed the most results. Others just a few. Nobody cared about design. Even more the 90s trend for pages was the more features, and the curlier design - the better. Remember tiled backgrounds and MIDI melodies. Believe me, Internet speed in Eastern Europe at that time was awful and it was very expensive. But lighter design was rarely the point for average surfer who was much much more patient that todays tiktoker. Content and features - that was everyone was looking for. Usability and design trends - something from Cosmopolitan magazine.
I agree that clear communication is important and the rocket version just doesn’t tell you what it is. But making it beautiful creates desire. When I go to apple’s website I start wanting the product more. It’s just that animation and effects shouldn’t be for decoration, that should be meaningful.
@@MalewiczHype then what do you think Apple does wrong? I mean you are saying that if another company would follow Apple’s approach for designing their website, it wouldn’t work out for them, no?
Apple moves the text as well, that is overwhelming and annoys most people. Subtle animation works when done right. In case of Apple people already want their product before they even enter the website.
@@MalewiczHype I think people come to the website product page to be inspired. I just checked the iPhone 15 Pro, and the only text that moves is the titles. But god they move beautifully, that Apple Intelligence animation feels like I am in the future. And the gaming part made me want to download a game hahaha. Well, maybe that’s already too self-imposed. Do you think without the animation people would buy the product more often? Why? I am not a UX designer so I am curious!
What a great video, what a grat timming!! (for me). I'm struggling right now with the redesign of a poor designed website and a Steakholder that wants to have the last word in it. Your video is the perfect piece of UX Design information that I need him to watch. I Hope he does it. Thanks Michal.
So i do totally agree with you. But the one comment I would make is about brand impact. How often do you convert straight away? I might dither and come back again and again. The more colourful example definitely gets a bookmark in my head in a way that the lesser example gets forgotten. So its not just about a converting funnel but also the branding. In addition to that when I'm going over loads of websites i might have lots of thoughts and my cognitive load is split. But if i see something really cool and different, suddenly that page gets my whole attention. Just food for thought.
Amazing advice! Thank you for sharing. Also, if you're selling a product/service in a highly competitive B to C environment, make your pricing as easily visible and accessible as possible. "Talk to our experts for a quote" WILL lose you 50+% of potential customers. On the other hand, if you're a clinic/doctor, of course people are interested in your core competencies, but their main reason for visiting your website is to find out whether you're open or not - so make this the first thing they stumble across when visiting your website! Similar case for restaurants, etc.
Finally saying it out loud!! Conversing websites can be beautiful but over-engineered and over-animated websites most of the time aren't conversing. Their purpose isn't to serve clients whose need it is to get people sign up to / buy something. It's rather for clients that use it as a way to show their personality and a show-off (which is also important to find new clients). I love making fancy websites but i also love the simplicity of rather standard websites. These can be sometimes two different fields. However I also don't like "conversing" patterns that manipulate you or force you to sign up because you saw 6 CTA sections on the homepage. Keep it simple and aesthetical and don't use dark patterns
Yes, absolutely. Especially photographers falls in to aesthetics trap. Minimalism is amazing but not effective. Peoples need to solve problems and get answers, not another questions... btw, good headshot of founder is so crucial, confidence approachability and quality of an image tells more than about us page.
1:19 This is a very good example of how to make me not continue watching this video. Clips with annoying and loud ass music that takes away from what you're trying to communicate.
That's awesome how you go straight to the point and giving us so much knowledge. I knew already some of the stuff in this video but you explain it so well that i can say easily that this is by far the best video i've seen on the topic (and trust me, i've seen a lot of them). Just well done sir
Awesome! This is going to be a series, next episode in October as I have two more case studies to share in September on various products I'm working on.
Would you say it's OK for a graphic designer's website to lean more toward the "fancy" side of things? I'm building a personal portfolio site that has more bells and whistles than I would typically do on a client's website. But, I'm thinking of it kind of like when a stereo installation shop does a crazy custom car with 50 speakers and LCD screens everywhere - they aren't likely going to sell that to their typical client, but it shows off their abilities.
Generally I agree, but context is everything, it really depends by your target, the kind of service you're selling.. as you said, testing is the best thing.
Thank you so much! I have always felt bad because I didn't learn how to make a fancy animated website, but after watching your video I feel like there's no need to waste my time on them. Btw does this also apply to portfolios? I mean would it be a deficit to have your portfolio highly animated?
I checked the website of a best-selling writer a while ago for ideas for my site. Went back a few days ago - it's beautiful! And REALLY hard to navigate! My own site is really simple. Book covers, tag lines, blurb & links, in carousels to make it as easy as possible to navigate.
It’s great to see Linear being used as a great example. I once applied into a company as a UI/UX Designer and the first thing they gave me is a design assessment. They want me to redesign Linear. I was like “Why redesign an already good website?”. I turned down my application. It’s such a nightmare when people hiring you doesn’t even know how design works.
They do not know how design works. This is the reason they wanted to hire you - a designer. Why turning down the application then? It's like refusing to be a doctor because your patients are not doctors.
@@GreenDimka1 i don't design for free, do doctors treat their patients for free? no. unless it's a short design assessment, then I can consider that. but redesigning a whole website, no thanks.
Beautiful website is just straight up for hype and marketing between the designer and his clients but basic designed looking websites is for the comfortability of the clients customers no matter the level of there tech savviness, with functional experience
It really depends, for majority and I mean 99% it makes no sense, but showcase websites still exist. Sometimes people want to take a look at something beautiful, yet friendly, which's going to leave a memory for them :)
Yes, I mentioned there is a 1% kind of websites that would benefit from just being fancy or flashy. But those are NOT sales oriented websites in the first place.
Maybe this has already been asked, but would a “pretty website” work more for a lifestyle brand? Like a fashion brand (or Apple) or luxury furniture? It’s more about the “story” of the product versus direct information. Anyway, thank you for the engaging video. This taught me a lot. Seems like most websites would do best to lay off the fancy bells and whistles unless they really really need it.
Simply amazing! This is the first video of yours that I have watched. Watched until the end, subscribed halfway while watching, enjoyed each moment! Talking about distraction, a friendly feedback: You may not want to use that hat for other videos. Thank you for the valuable insights.
First few seconds of watching, but title made me comment right at the begining: I really remember I discovered: Lawyers, Doctors etc. and justify text, Corpo sites and lack of readability, Speed of website vs Content and paid promo.... all of this is like it is because it works. Before I'll post comment I'll listen the rest of video. Okay - have something more: - I believe it's end of fake testimonials, so it's better to get & featured 3 of them than write fake ones (also outside the website) - Content is the King we said in past, but yes - straight, simply language everybody (even AI) could understand in as low time possible. - animations vs. good content - I already quote: "content is the king". it doesn't mean no animations, no fireworks. Just focus on content and if animation / interaction fit for it - do it. - (...) Best, Paul
Massive thanks for the whole bunch of priceless advice! I've gained many ideas to apply to our product page. Super useful tips! One question: what do you think of animated CTA buttons? Do they convert well?
If by animated you mean some highlight on hover then yes it can work but if it's too much it can also scare people away. I plan to talk a lot more about converting websites this year - already recording a video about the testimonials sections and how to do those right :)
@@MalewiczHype I thought more like an animated gradient on the button background (without hover). Not sure if it’s a good idea. A/B test can tell that 😃. Thank you for the content and please come up with more stuff, it’s highly appreciated!
Just look at the world's best marketers, they all have ugly landing pages, making millions a month, when you hit the right messaging, everything else is just noise
AGREE! I just want to know some information or just know what you're selling/providing, just make something practical and usable UX-wise and we're good👍
This means that fancy design should be more for apps rather than for landings, did i get this correct? And your theory as a developer should focus on the flow of focus via clear and excellent copy rather than the strict aesthetic. This seems to me very logical. Love the idea of serving up AB in prod and getting real data.
@@Dannyk3979 I don’t perceive the internet as a giant shopping mall. Usually I’m looking for information. I don’t really care what it looks like. I mostly care about speed! 😀
@@KikkerFish I don’t perceive it as a shopping mall either, I care about information, but I care more about beauty, and I think everyone deserves to view something tempting to look at. We have different perspectives.
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Exactly, most of those web design tutorials focus on creating cool visuals and that's it. I don't want to design just a beautiful website because visuals aren't the main purpose. It is supposed to work/convert. I was watching a lot of those tutorials but only recently understood what's more important. As always, thank you for creating such a valuable content :)
It's easier to "sell" people on a flashy animated visual than actually thinking about how to make the website convert :)
@@MalewiczHypeand then you go to the comments and see the “wow i’ve been designing websites for the past 40 years and still i learn so much from your tutorials” 😂
I've only been doing that since 1998, still long way to go until it's 40 years of experience ;)
If I want to hire a front end web designer i expect to see high quality designs together with good SEO practices, ultimately content is decided by the client.
You should look for courses on UI/UX design, Usability, or even product management
When a website is too fancy I feel like I'm being bamboozled by a flamboyant salesman. Usually I want to know as quickly as possible what I'll get and for how much.
Fair enough!
Also, too many old people browsing these website and it is too overwhelming for them.
Very insightful comment; thank you!
@@drakZeswhat's more trustworthy:
- a big green animated button saying "Download Now!!" with popups and sounds and animations
- the default file browser page (like the page that loads when you go to file:// or ftp:// URIs)
I would choose the second option every time. Not because I'm old and the button is overwhelming. Its because I know for a fact that that button will take me to a scam website.
@@drakZes Bro, it's overwhelming for me 😂 Just imagine what the old people are feeling.
That’s why I say (and preach): modern copywriting isn’t about persuasion, but about presenting what the audience needs to read in the best possible way. It’s about being objective, concise, and relevant, not just a marketer.
Yes, it's about clarity first and foremost.
As a UX/UI Engineer, I'm in love with your content. Always speaking from common sense. I feel that lots of designer lost their minds doing fancy websites that look great and cool but preform really bad, without bussines or user in mind. Not mention accesibility.
Thank you! I want to show what's not talked about. Fancy has its place, but it's not a major place :)
Only legends can understand how much knowledge you have given in this video thank you so much
That's my goal for this year - to get people designing better :)
Agreed with comment above, less mature designers need to sit down with pen and paper and write those down.
As you rightly mentioned, different websites, different purposes, different users, all need a special approach😀
A huge chunk of the book Making Websites Win was covered, yes. 😂
Exactly
Ugly is really a wrong word for simple, fast, and informative. I visit your websites not to admire your web design skills, I visit them to get information or service I'm looking for.
It’s not necessarily ugly sites perform better. It’s about user affordability (knowing what to do), information hierarchy, usability. There’s a time and a place for sleek design, perhaps a boutique service or product with a slower pipeline to sale, or a feature and technically rich product like a cybertruck… but even then affordability is built in the user should always know what to do next and why they’re looking at something. The path should always be illuminated, like in game design always direct where they should go and send their attention, and everything all at once cannot be the main character.
Funny you mention games, I feel like MMO sites often have the most positive correlation for site visuals
...or it might be more accurate to say "least negative correlation" instead
@@OatmealTheCrazy I love me some MMO and MMORPGS :D Funny you mention this I was just looking at the Tarisland site.
Some websites are for sales others are for branding. They will look different. Great video.
this is not just a video.. this is a goldmine of experience and information..
Fancy websites don't convert because they don't tell you what they are actually selling/promoting. How many times have you landed on a website that doesn't tell you anything and you cannot understand what the product does? Content is still king.
Most important button: Pricing
Those parallax effect webpage reminds of those all use day-night toggle switch that everyone makes/made. 😄 People should read more about great designers like Dieter Rams and how they took "simple+works" to a new level.
Totally! There's fluff and "flashy" that gets clicks, and then people wonder why stuff doesn't work
As a Dev, hate those "day night" switch's, simples is better
Also a Dev and I like the light/darkmode toggle. Maybe it comes down to the site's design in the first place, but sometimes they're just painfully bright for my eyes. Like for example I've got YT in darkmode as I'm typing this. I think at the very least if it's a website that you're meant to be on and interact with for long periods of time: YT, Facebook, Discord, Amazon, etc, having that function available could be helpful. Now if it's say a brochure site, something you go to, find the info you need and leave, the toggle would probably be overkill.
@@DanachewSame. I am also a dev and run a non-profit where we provide a lot of articles and in-depth information about animal care. A lot of our traffic is recurring visitors rereading articles. I can't image only having the default bright mode. My eyes would be tired.
Thank you, Michał! Finally there is someone who speaks loud my thoughts about websites - fancy ones are usually useless, and seems like they are made for other designers or nominations, not for bringing money and conversions. I hope that you will give out more your priceless knowledge regarding landing pages. Have a beautiful week, Michał.
There is room for fancy - if you're making an art gallery website, or a site for a movie / videogame. But those cases are rare :)
Great video. I’m not a web designer, but I’ve always intuitively felt that these fancy websites with all the bells and whistles do more to impress other designers, rather than convince users to click the CTA button. A good analogy would be a woman wearing tons of makeup on a first date, and only making an impression on other girls rather than her date LOL.
Yes, that's often the case - to show off. Especially on design social media where it's all about showing something flashy. Luckily it's shifting back a bit
You've taken a vastly deep topic and reduced it to direct, actionable steps that nearly anyone can use to improve their site designs. Thank you! I've happily subscribed!
I learnt this the hard way. Used to spend hours creating beautiful websites with animations to wow my customers. After the website launched never heard back from them. What happened? The website hardly converted and my client felt ripped off. What I do now is make Google and user the centre of my design process. Focus on giving them the website they want. Plus I do SEO as an extra service and make my customers aware by asking the following questions. How is someone going to find your website? Advertise offline, online or have it discoverable on google search or everything. A website is an investment so you really need to factor in a strategy in get sales. In the end you need to consider the business, customer and type of product in relation to other competitors. Don’t reinvent the wheel just make it better
That is great to hear!
The attention span is something that has been considered for decades. I'm so happy you brought it up as I feel it's something people forget about. Not everyone is at home on their home internet with the fastest connection. Many are on their cellular connection, traveling, and moving between cell towers. Connection speeds and inconsistencies must be considered or risk losing that attention coupled with aggravation. It really shouldn't be a surprise that a 100mb site will take longer than a 5mb site to load.
Great video!
You essential need to have the ability to think and see the website from the user's perspective which is difficult, but absolutely worth the effort.
We can't "predict" why someone has clicked a specific link but if they did, it was for a motive and they're looking for something they think they'll find on your website.
The key to making a successful website that has higher conversions is to do the user research properly and figure out what's TRULY important (and of value) to your users.
I hope this is helpful to anyone who reads this :)
Great breakdown!
As a person who rearly gives the comments, just want to say: Thank you for simple explanations without any overload information.
This is one of the best videos on landing pages especially since you covered the fact that some businesses have a target audience that needs to present more information such as your example at the end
I've never really thought about it, but even on Apple's site, I skip the fancy bits and just go directly to the buy button... Good points in your video.
Absolutely 100% accurate. People go to a website for a purpose and that's usually not to look at your design skills or artistic portfolio showcase. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to a website just to be locked in some bullshit scrolling parallax animation preventing me from getting a quick overview of what the website is about and where to find what I want to buy or know... It's infuriating. That being said, I love animations, it's just that they need to make sense and not get in the way of the user getting what they want.
absolutely! A portfolio site might get a pass with all the bells and whistle from my end because I can see what they're capable of doing if they really need to; but other than the dedicated landing page, it shouldn't have any fancy stuffs going around if I'm their targeted audience.
thank you for the video, dude! I just realized I've been doing everything right on all the projects I've been doing for the past few years.
I'm a self-taught designer and a website developer, so I never really got the chance to get deep into the theoretical sides of either design or development on how and why they work, and I just follow my intuition to make the website beautiful to view without anything happening much at the same time. I always go for a minimalistic look, and all of my clients love it even though the sites are simple!
I have tried working on a few projects just like the rocket ship design, but I never liked them as I always tend to look for design flaws after everything is completed from a customer's POV when visiting the site. I'd take a day or two off from working on the project and randomly visit the site on my phone to check whether if I'd like it; and with the extensive designs, I didn't! so i always reverted back to simple yet elegant designs.
I'm glad I'm on the right path. haha
another thing I realized early on was the use case of the website and the sales process that decided the design flow.
for example, if it was a single brand or product and the website was there to just display information with longer or complicated sales flow, a fancy design would work for them, but if was something related to quick sales or quick commerce asking people to buy instantaneously, simpler the design, better the conversion.
here's what I think about fancy websites: great to show dev's skills. simple and minimal websites (or landing pages) are way more effective and attractive.
a big thanks from Brazil, dude.
Building a website right now. Your channel is a gem! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Totally agree. Far too many designers worry about the look of the site rather than what the site says and leads visitors to do. The site needs to communicate quickly and clearly the benefit. I see so many GREAT looking websites that have no clear vision and you sorta wonder what the hell the site is even selling.
Malewicz, I've followed your channel for a few years now and just wanted to say thank you, you're my UX goat I swear I've learnt more from your videos than I ever did from my teachers.
Thanks! Comments like that keep me going :)
I don't know what you use to make your videos, but I think you have the best camera in the world. Congrats for your work.
I watched it when it was released, and just came back to comment! it's so true, especially if you want to target the non-tech sector for your clients, they don't need fancy animations for conversion.
Happy that you came back! I always love when those normally quiet start showing up in the comments - that's what builds this amazing community! :) As for sectors - definitely non tech needs even less, but linear is a great example how the tech sector was initially a bit "overdone" and even though designers praised them they dialed it back with a redesign.
The information i needed in the perfect time ...
I was getting lost on the Framer crazy fancy animations tutorials ...
You opened my eyes ... and gave me more time ! Thanks you so much 🙏🔥
Glad I could help!
I've always disliked multiple moving elements and don't add them in my designs. Nice to know this approach is actually better!
When I scroll down a page, I expect to reach some information to learn more about the subject/product. Instead endless animations gets in the way. Even some of them don’t disable the reverse animation option and scrolling up causing to disappear the text. Furthermore it’s a nightname for the developer when it comes to mobile viewport. On the other hand subtle animations are always welcome. Thanks for pointing out such a vital information.
While I do not agree with everything you've said, for the most part I really enjoyed seeing someone finally telling the truth. I am preaching for year now, it is not the design, it's the content, ALWAYS! Of course designers do not like to hear this and design is good and important on websites, but it is not the core selling point. I always name Wikipedia, Ebay and Amazon as examples. In my opinion the most ugliest websites you can find, but with partly making billions of dollars each year. Why? They simply solve problems and it is never the design, that solves it. It always is the content. Thanks man! Very good video!
This is like saying "A doorknob solves a problem, but the design of the doorknob doesn't matter." It missed that the *design* of the doorknob is why the doorknob solves a problem in the first place.
Designers don't just make things fancy, they should focus on functionality and usability. Wikipedia, Ebay and Amazon work so well because of how the content was designed, these things go hand in hand.
There's this good book you should read, the design of everyday things by Don Norman.
@@lauren-ashleyblack8610 A doorknob solves just one problem-allowing you to open an otherwise closed door. Its appearance doesn’t impact its function. The same concept applies to websites. No one cares whether the button you click to make a purchase is green or red; it simply solves the problem of enabling the transaction. What truly matters is whether the shoe I want is the right size, and I can find that information in the content, not the design. Once again, it’s not about the design.
@@emmgeede You should read the book, functionality is part of the design.
The doorknob solves a problem because that’s how it was designed🙂
A doorknob is an unoptimal design and a doorlever is a superior one.
@@Loanshark753 I typically call all of them, regardless of shape, doorknobs or doorhandles.
I do prefer door levers tho, especially if they look like the one from Alice in Wonderland.
Wtf, I completely unnoticed the "buy now" button on the beautiful website until you shown me where 😮 9:11
probably the best vid out there on this subject.
More to come this year, already working on more web stuff
It should be noted because Google had a white background a logo only that was stored in cache anyway is why it became the number one search engine. It wasn’t actually the best in the 90s. It became so because it loaded instantly on a dialup connection. The others were much slower and loaded with banner ads everywhere which took ages to res up.
preach
That was not the reason why Google leaded in the beginning. They shown better search results - that was the point. Oversimplicity and clear design was not so trendy at that time.
@@aquaworm888 no it wasn’t. Also it isn’t true. There were many early search engines that did better than page rank. It’s just their sites fool sometimes a minute to load on dial up. Google was instantaneous.
@@danh5637 I even remember when our teacher in computer class showed us how different search site worked with the same request. It was like year 2000. Google showed the most results. Others just a few. Nobody cared about design. Even more the 90s trend for pages was the more features, and the curlier design - the better. Remember tiled backgrounds and MIDI melodies. Believe me, Internet speed in Eastern Europe at that time was awful and it was very expensive. But lighter design was rarely the point for average surfer who was much much more patient that todays tiktoker. Content and features - that was everyone was looking for. Usability and design trends - something from Cosmopolitan magazine.
I agree that clear communication is important and the rocket version just doesn’t tell you what it is.
But making it beautiful creates desire. When I go to apple’s website I start wanting the product more. It’s just that animation and effects shouldn’t be for decoration, that should be meaningful.
Yes. That's exactly my point in the video.
@@MalewiczHype then what do you think Apple does wrong? I mean you are saying that if another company would follow Apple’s approach for designing their website, it wouldn’t work out for them, no?
Apple moves the text as well, that is overwhelming and annoys most people. Subtle animation works when done right. In case of Apple people already want their product before they even enter the website.
@@MalewiczHype I think people come to the website product page to be inspired.
I just checked the iPhone 15 Pro, and the only text that moves is the titles. But god they move beautifully, that Apple Intelligence animation feels like I am in the future. And the gaming part made me want to download a game hahaha. Well, maybe that’s already too self-imposed.
Do you think without the animation people would buy the product more often? Why?
I am not a UX designer so I am curious!
What a great video, what a grat timming!! (for me). I'm struggling right now with the redesign of a poor designed website and a Steakholder that wants to have the last word in it. Your video is the perfect piece of UX Design information that I need him to watch. I Hope he does it. Thanks Michal.
Thanks! In the end the website (99% of the time) should serve a function, not just please one person aesthetically.
Nice stuff. Just about to design a new website for my tandem paragliding business here in Zermatt. Was a nice refresher ❤
At last someone speaking out loud common sense! I've always called this "dirty-ugly" and I love applying this approach. Thank you! Strong video.
Thanks! It's not really "ugly" per se, it's just not as "cool" as what people share on social media
This just helped me restructure a website I'm designing for our family cleaning service and supply business, thank you!
Fantastic! More to come in this series, working on Part 3 already :)
There's a Podcast or Video I heard long time ago about design that "People's nowadays Confused between Website and Magazines".
Now I know why 😅
There is room for "fancy" in design, it's just not really fitting for every use case.
@@MalewiczHype Exactly 💯
I'm creating my UX portfolio on a website redesign and this video came at the perfect time. Great stuff! Keep 'em coming. Peace
Thanks for clearing User Perspective Really Needed that.!!!
This was extremely helpful and confirms my instincts while building my own site. Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge
I'm planning to be a funnel builder and I LOVE YOU AND YOUR VIDEOS! I learned a LOT from this video alone, tysm!
Good career to go into!
So i do totally agree with you. But the one comment I would make is about brand impact. How often do you convert straight away? I might dither and come back again and again. The more colourful example definitely gets a bookmark in my head in a way that the lesser example gets forgotten. So its not just about a converting funnel but also the branding. In addition to that when I'm going over loads of websites i might have lots of thoughts and my cognitive load is split. But if i see something really cool and different, suddenly that page gets my whole attention. Just food for thought.
Of course there's brand impact to consider and I will talk about it. The perfect converting site has both and we'll get to that in a future ep :-)
Believe me, that's one of the most beautiful looking lead pages I've seen 😭
Amazing advice! Thank you for sharing.
Also, if you're selling a product/service in a highly competitive B to C environment, make your pricing as easily visible and accessible as possible. "Talk to our experts for a quote" WILL lose you 50+% of potential customers.
On the other hand, if you're a clinic/doctor, of course people are interested in your core competencies, but their main reason for visiting your website is to find out whether you're open or not - so make this the first thing they stumble across when visiting your website!
Similar case for restaurants, etc.
Finally saying it out loud!! Conversing websites can be beautiful but over-engineered and over-animated websites most of the time aren't conversing. Their purpose isn't to serve clients whose need it is to get people sign up to / buy something. It's rather for clients that use it as a way to show their personality and a show-off (which is also important to find new clients).
I love making fancy websites but i also love the simplicity of rather standard websites. These can be sometimes two different fields.
However I also don't like "conversing" patterns that manipulate you or force you to sign up because you saw 6 CTA sections on the homepage. Keep it simple and aesthetical and don't use dark patterns
Yes, absolutely. Especially photographers falls in to aesthetics trap. Minimalism is amazing but not effective. Peoples need to solve problems and get answers, not another questions... btw, good headshot of founder is so crucial, confidence approachability and quality of an image tells more than about us page.
If you want to make the website a lil fun, keep animation to button clicks and menu toggling, and make it quick
1:19 This is a very good example of how to make me not continue watching this video. Clips with annoying and loud ass music that takes away from what you're trying to communicate.
you’ll be missed
This video has the same vibe as all of those overdesigned websites
I watched this and totally changed my decision. Thank You!
From what to what?
@@MalewiczHype A fully animated website to quite a simple one with less animation.
That's awesome how you go straight to the point and giving us so much knowledge.
I knew already some of the stuff in this video but you explain it so well that i can say easily that this is by far the best video i've seen on the topic (and trust me, i've seen a lot of them). Just well done sir
Awesome! This is going to be a series, next episode in October as I have two more case studies to share in September on various products I'm working on.
Why do your videos come at just the perfect time for me.
Well... I pay data brokers to give me specific information on what you need ahead of time, then I make the video. ;-)
@@MalewiczHype 🤣🤣💙
Eye-opening, thank you so much! I'm saving this to a playlist right away so I can keep coming back to it.
This is part 2 of many (part 3 is coming soon too as we just reached 1K likes) :)
Would you say it's OK for a graphic designer's website to lean more toward the "fancy" side of things? I'm building a personal portfolio site that has more bells and whistles than I would typically do on a client's website. But, I'm thinking of it kind of like when a stereo installation shop does a crazy custom car with 50 speakers and LCD screens everywhere - they aren't likely going to sell that to their typical client, but it shows off their abilities.
Good tool to check attention, focus and clarity is Attention Insight.
Generally I agree, but context is everything, it really depends by your target, the kind of service you're selling.. as you said, testing is the best thing.
Thank you so much! I have always felt bad because I didn't learn how to make a fancy animated website, but after watching your video I feel like there's no need to waste my time on them.
Btw does this also apply to portfolios? I mean would it be a deficit to have your portfolio highly animated?
I checked the website of a best-selling writer a while ago for ideas for my site.
Went back a few days ago - it's beautiful! And REALLY hard to navigate!
My own site is really simple. Book covers, tag lines, blurb & links, in carousels to make it as easy as possible to navigate.
It’s great to see Linear being used as a great example. I once applied into a company as a UI/UX Designer and the first thing they gave me is a design assessment. They want me to redesign Linear. I was like “Why redesign an already good website?”. I turned down my application. It’s such a nightmare when people hiring you doesn’t even know how design works.
They do not know how design works. This is the reason they wanted to hire you - a designer. Why turning down the application then?
It's like refusing to be a doctor because your patients are not doctors.
@@GreenDimka1 i don't design for free, do doctors treat their patients for free? no. unless it's a short design assessment, then I can consider that. but redesigning a whole website, no thanks.
@@nieldan03 ptobably they wanted to see how you make decisions and what ideas you can propose, not do actual design
Beautiful website is just straight up for hype and marketing between the designer and his clients but basic designed looking websites is for the comfortability of the clients customers no matter the level of there tech savviness, with functional experience
Awesome video! Well explained and with nice hands-on examples! Keep it up!
It really depends, for majority and I mean 99% it makes no sense, but showcase websites still exist. Sometimes people want to take a look at something beautiful, yet friendly, which's going to leave a memory for them :)
Yes, I mentioned there is a 1% kind of websites that would benefit from just being fancy or flashy. But those are NOT sales oriented websites in the first place.
Maybe this has already been asked, but would a “pretty website” work more for a lifestyle brand? Like a fashion brand (or Apple) or luxury furniture? It’s more about the “story” of the product versus direct information. Anyway, thank you for the engaging video. This taught me a lot. Seems like most websites would do best to lay off the fancy bells and whistles unless they really really need it.
This is what I was looking since I started in this Industry. Thanks buddy
Welcome! :)
Parallax sites remind of when I made every landing page an animated GIF with hidden links in it (image map? can't remember) it was ** 2002 **.
Simply amazing! This is the first video of yours that I have watched. Watched until the end, subscribed halfway while watching, enjoyed each moment!
Talking about distraction, a friendly feedback: You may not want to use that hat for other videos.
Thank you for the valuable insights.
What's wrong with the hat? ;)
@@MalewiczHype You look waaay better without it. 🙈😅
"It may work for Apple.." No. It's annoying on the Apple website too.
Haha yes I was thinking that!!
really important video most of the web designers only care about the look to the point that actually hurt the conversion
Thanks! This is a part of a series, more parts coming :)
First few seconds of watching, but title made me comment right at the begining: I really remember I discovered: Lawyers, Doctors etc. and justify text, Corpo sites and lack of readability, Speed of website vs Content and paid promo.... all of this is like it is because it works.
Before I'll post comment I'll listen the rest of video.
Okay - have something more:
- I believe it's end of fake testimonials, so it's better to get & featured 3 of them than write fake ones (also outside the website)
- Content is the King we said in past, but yes - straight, simply language everybody (even AI) could understand in as low time possible.
- animations vs. good content - I already quote: "content is the king". it doesn't mean no animations, no fireworks. Just focus on content and if animation / interaction fit for it - do it.
- (...)
Best,
Paul
Do you have a legit performance comparison between beautiful website and ugly website for the same company?
Finally, someone is talking about it. There is a reason we have concepts like "Keep it simple, stupid" but most poeple don't understand it.
There is room for "some" fancy, but it has to start with the right messaging first.
Very well said...and awesome feedback and guidance !!
Massive thanks for the whole bunch of priceless advice! I've gained many ideas to apply to our product page. Super useful tips! One question: what do you think of animated CTA buttons? Do they convert well?
If by animated you mean some highlight on hover then yes it can work but if it's too much it can also scare people away.
I plan to talk a lot more about converting websites this year - already recording a video about the testimonials sections and how to do those right :)
@@MalewiczHype I thought more like an animated gradient on the button background (without hover). Not sure if it’s a good idea. A/B test can tell that 😃. Thank you for the content and please come up with more stuff, it’s highly appreciated!
Just look at the world's best marketers, they all have ugly landing pages, making millions a month, when you hit the right messaging, everything else is just noise
There was even no need to wish me a good day. This video already made it good.
Happy to hear that!
Thank you for all the tips, it really helped
If you're new here I also made part 1 of this two weeks back and working on part 3 right now. :)
Bestiary is in the eye of the beholder. I view high conversion as beautiful
i have a feeling all web design agencies will start sending your video to their clients
Absolutely loving your latest content
Thanks Ryan! I got bored with just UI stuff, more breakdowns/case studies now
As always, thanks for sharing valuable tips, ❤ it, have a great day 🙏
Appreciate you! :)
Excellent content and visual examples. Congrats!
Thanks, more to come in this series/playlist.
thanks pal that was really insightful!!! slam dunk my friend ! boom
you can follow a simple rule. Focus on why the website should exist. Other decisions then becomes easier.
Makes me feel better about my lack of design skills. My webapps might be boring or ugly but at least they work.
LoL web apps are supposed to be boring and fast, thinking everything needs to be a CTA spam is what these UX bros do
Amazing video Michal!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Which parts should I focus on more in later videos?
Ok but you didn’t mention one important thing FUNNELS convert, websites don’t. So design a funnel it’s a whole new story. Btw excellent video
We'll get to funnels, starting this off from the ground up :)
Very great guide! THX a lot!
This video is gold, just wow! Thank you!
Happy to hear! It's part 2 of a larger (free) web design course fundamentals. Part 3 coming in October.
AGREE! I just want to know some information or just know what you're selling/providing, just make something practical and usable UX-wise and we're good👍
Great advice and video thank you. Subscribed 🤙👍
Welcome! This series has one more video in the works already (and more after) but have two different topics to cover first :)
I like only 0.1% of the videos I watch on any platform and You got one today.👍🏻
Edit: you got a sub too.
hi 🫡
You and Sajid have taught me so much
This means that fancy design should be more for apps rather than for landings, did i get this correct?
And your theory as a developer should focus on the flow of focus via clear and excellent copy rather than the strict aesthetic. This seems to me very logical. Love the idea of serving up AB in prod and getting real data.
IMO animations are cool when they're subtle and for apps
Great Job ! Love this!
You're right about too fancy websites, but I actually close ugly websites immediately 🤷🏻♂
The goal then is to merge both but add fancy AFTER you figure out what it has to say/do
What about Wikipedia?
@@KikkerFish I use reader view on Wikipedia, but anyway it doesn’t fall under websites for conversion to buy a product, it’s just for “research”
@@Dannyk3979 I don’t perceive the internet as a giant shopping mall. Usually I’m looking for information. I don’t really care what it looks like. I mostly care about speed! 😀
@@KikkerFish I don’t perceive it as a shopping mall either, I care about information, but I care more about beauty, and I think everyone deserves to view something tempting to look at. We have different perspectives.
Excellent video, as usual.