5 Common UI Mistakes Beginners Make
Jul 30, 2025
·
2 min read
Getting started in UI design is exciting—but it's easy to fall into a few common traps when you're just beginning. The good news? These UI mistakes are totally fixable once you know what to look for.
Let’s walk through the 5 common UI mistakes beginners make—and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Cluttered layouts
Too many elements fighting for attention is a fast way to overwhelm users. A cluttered layout can make a design feel chaotic, unfocused, and stressful to use.
How to avoid it:
Use plenty of white space to give your design breathing room
Prioritize content by using hierarchy and visual flow
Keep it simple and clear—less is more
Mistake 2: Inconsistency
Using different fonts, colors, button styles, or spacing from screen to screen creates confusion and breaks the user’s trust.
How to avoid it:
Create and follow a style guide or design system
Stick to consistent type scales, color palettes, and UI patterns
Reuse components to create visual unity across your product
Mistake 3: Poor contrast
Low contrast = low usability. If users struggle to read or interact with your design, they’ll leave—or worse, they won’t even be able to access it in the first place.
How to avoid it:
Follow WCAG contrast guidelines for accessibility
Test your text/background color combinations
Use contrast checkers to validate readability
Mistake 4: No feedback
When a user clicks a button or completes a task, they expect a reaction. If there's no feedback—confirmation, loading state, or error—they’re left wondering if anything happened at all.
How to avoid it:
Use microinteractions and status indicators
Provide clear feedback for all user actions
Confirm success, show progress, and alert errors
Mistake 5: Ignoring the device
Designing only for desktop or a single screen size is a common beginner mistake. In reality, your design will live across many devices—and each one has different needs.
How to avoid it:
Prioritize mobile-first design thinking
Use responsive layouts
Always test your designs on different screen sizes and devices
Final Thought
Every beginner makes mistakes—it’s part of the learning process. But the sooner you catch these common UI issues, the faster you’ll grow into a thoughtful, user-focused designer.
Start small, stay curious, and always design with clarity in mind.
Mistake 1: Cluttered layouts
Too many elements fighting for attention is a fast way to overwhelm users. A cluttered layout can make a design feel chaotic, unfocused, and stressful to use.
How to avoid it:
Use plenty of white space to give your design breathing room
Prioritize content by using hierarchy and visual flow
Keep it simple and clear—less is more
Mistake 2: Inconsistency
Using different fonts, colors, button styles, or spacing from screen to screen creates confusion and breaks the user’s trust.
How to avoid it:
Create and follow a style guide or design system
Stick to consistent type scales, color palettes, and UI patterns
Reuse components to create visual unity across your product
Mistake 3: Poor contrast
Low contrast = low usability. If users struggle to read or interact with your design, they’ll leave—or worse, they won’t even be able to access it in the first place.
How to avoid it:
Follow WCAG contrast guidelines for accessibility
Test your text/background color combinations
Use contrast checkers to validate readability
Mistake 4: No feedback
When a user clicks a button or completes a task, they expect a reaction. If there's no feedback—confirmation, loading state, or error—they’re left wondering if anything happened at all.
How to avoid it:
Use microinteractions and status indicators
Provide clear feedback for all user actions
Confirm success, show progress, and alert errors
Mistake 5: Ignoring the device
Designing only for desktop or a single screen size is a common beginner mistake. In reality, your design will live across many devices—and each one has different needs.
How to avoid it:
Prioritize mobile-first design thinking
Use responsive layouts
Always test your designs on different screen sizes and devices
Final Thought
Every beginner makes mistakes—it’s part of the learning process. But the sooner you catch these common UI issues, the faster you’ll grow into a thoughtful, user-focused designer.
Start small, stay curious, and always design with clarity in mind.
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
