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Flat Design Decreases User Efficiency

Summary: Though aesthetically appealing, flat designs often force users to guess which elements are interactive, leading to increased user errors and frustration.

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Long-Term Exposure to Flat Design: How the Trend Slowly Decreases User Efficiency

Clickable UI elements with absent or weak visual signifiers condition users over time to click and hover uncertainly across pages — reducing efficiency and increasing reliance on contextual cues and immediate click feedback. Young adult users may be better at perceiving subtle clickability clues, but they don’t enjoy click uncertainty any more than other age groups.

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Kate Moran is a Senior User Experience Specialist with Nielsen Norman Group. She conducts research and leads training seminars to help digital product teams expand and improve their UX practice. Her research findings and recommendations are informed by her background in information theory and design, as well as her development experience.

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