Flat eCommerce Design: Consider These Factors

Web design has slowly caught up to what the world of print design considers "good design." Although it's not easy to spot whether something new is a trend or a fad, you'll soon realize why fads inherently fade away.

Following eCommerce design principles results in a timeless web design that works for your online business and increases conversions. With a flat eCommerce design, the content speaks for itself.

What Is A Flat eCommerce Design?

A flat eCommerce design is one component of a minimal user interface (UI) design. It's a type of style that website designers and developers use to create a simple, easy-to-use interface.

Flat designs incorporate two-dimensional (flat) images by avoiding stylistic components such as gradients or shadows. However, buttons do not appear clickable with this style.

Minimal UI Design

We have seen the industry pull away from the skeuomorphic era as design is moving toward a minimal UI. Flat eCommerce designs are becoming more minimalist for many reasons.

For one thing, a minimalist approach works really well. Organizing content in a smart and logical manner while removing any unnecessary decoration improves readability and the user's ability to scan the page, resulting in increased conversions.

We also understand that users want an intuitive experience where content isn't distracting and UI elements make sense.

Performance

The performance of an eCommerce website is crucial when it comes to a responsive design. Optimizing for mobile is key to a great site performance. Your website must work well on mobile devices, tablets, desktops, laptops and even smart TVs.

The fad of skeuomorphism worked for a while because the majority of users were on desktops with high speed Internet. Now that it is a near 50/50 split with mobile and desktop, customized design and better performance becomes necessary.

Online businesses can improve design and performance with this trend of flat design. It is the future of interaction design between customers and your website.

Criticism

Some criticism of flat design includes claims that it's too simple and minimalist. However, when you consider the medium interaction that designers are designing for, interaction and usability are just as important as aesthetics.

The simplicity of flat design is not a reflection of the effort it takes to deliver such a product. For example, it is easier to write 250 words explaining your business, rather than in just four words. The same effort is required to execute flat design well.

Conclusion

Throughout the history of web design, we have suffered with sites that are overly designed and sites that are not really designed at all. With the flat eCommerce design movement, web designers are able to more on creating great user experiences.

Web designers no longer have to focus on trying to "wow" users with overly designed sites. The amazing content displayed in a flat eCommerce design should be the "wow" factor.

Less is truly more in design. Implementing flat design is truly one great strategy to increase conversions and performance.

Do you need help with your eCommerce website design? Contact us through the form below with any questions or concerns, and our team will be happy to help.