Web Design Minute: Less Can Be More

When it comes time to add content to a site, people often want to fill up every single bit of the page. Think about it. We have all this real estate on the monitors we own these days. Why not fill it up?

Because less can be more.

The web is full of way too much clutter and text. The purpose of a site should be to quickly get the needed information to the user without them having to second-guess anything.

Take for example, the following texts that could be used to purchase airline tickets:

 Click here to book your next great trip with us.

or

Purchase tickets.

Both links would take you to the same destination. The second one gets you there a lot quicker. Why? 10 words vs. 2 words. Simple math. It takes more time for someone to scan the first link than the second link. It might be only fractions of a second, but it's still more.

Another aspect to ponder is mobile development. With smaller screen sizes, less clutter and more concise content help users quickly find what they need while on the go.

Often we get the idea that pages have to be filled to look right or be functional. That simply isn't the case. By going off of a "less can be more" type of design, we can reduce web clutter and push out more meaningful content to users. A site may even get more business by having less content to wade through.