Oh, we’ve all been there. Forgetting some designs because we were occupied in perfecting some other designs. Yes, even professional designers skip some details. We are all humans, after all.

Every project has tons of screens and features which means that we have a lot on our shoulders. Designers start with the most important screens, such as the home page, contact us page, and so on. With tremendous amounts of designing required, we need to prioritize. That’s when we leave some work for later on. That later on, sometimes, never comes. *Evil laugh*

Project deadlines can be overwhelming and the pressure can make people forget things they left for later.

But, that’s okay. We’ve got your back. I’ve shortlisted some screens that I often forget to design. Let’s see how many you’ve been forgetting too.

Use this article as your checklist before sending that final draft to the client!

1. You forgot to say ‘Thank You for Signing Up’

It is important to let people know that they have successfully signed up. Not only does it confirm that their email address and other details are successfully added, but also sends a positive message across, reflecting the company’s professional approach.

It’s such a turnoff for me when I have entered my email address and I am not sure if I have signed up or if I entered an inaccurate email address.

Closure is important, you know! But I forget designing the page every time maybe because the focus is on the functionality of registration.

2. Did you send a welcome email?

Once someone has successfully signed up with your website, send them a welcome email and get personal. Introduce your company in a creative and positive way and communicate the benefits of signing up, such as discounts, special offers, updates, and more.

You may want to give a coupon or discount as a token of gratitude for the user. The idea is to go above and beyond a simple ‘Thank You’ and connect with the user.

Sadly, I leave it to later and then the joy of completing the project takes over.

3. You didn’t allow them to reset their passwords

When signing up, people enter passwords in a hurry, but later forget. Most people use a single password everywhere, but some use different passwords, thus forget.

You don’t want them signing up again from a different email address or completely abandoning their account. It unnecessarily crowds the system and has high chances of losing registered users. Therefore, it is important to let them retrieve their account by emailing them a new password.

Not only does it highlight your high-end backend system, but helps both; you and your user.

Yet another screen I often forget designing. Do you?

4. That Terms and Conditions Page

We are all guilty of checking the box without reading it, aren’t we? Yet it is super important to design one and place it where it is easily visible. It’s a set of rules and regulations that users must follow to use a service.

But why do you need it if half the people don’t read it anyway? It’s a legally binding contract between the users and service provider. It informs people of what data the service provider collects and where the data is used.

This page lets you claim the content on your website and determine how users can use or share it, also called the Intellectual Property Clause.

The page is important for clarifying your policies, such as blocking abusive accounts. It also limits your liability in case of any errors.

5. Did you make a creative Avatar?

Some people don’t like uploading their picture on their profiles. Some of them don’t want their faces out there and some are too lazy to upload one.

The system automatically puts a grey avatar for them, but its fun to have a creative avatar. Own your website profiles and add a personalized touch to the profiles.

You may create a few avatars for male and female profiles, and let users choose their favourite ones from the list.

I often skip the designs because there are other significant designs on the plate. But I’ve decided to take out time for it as it really adds a cool feel to the profile.

6. Do you have an interactiveerror404 page?

If a user clicks on a broken link, HTTP will automatically display an error via a 404 page. Not only the error is frustrating but really puts off the user.

Why take the risk? Instead, design a creative and interactive error page. Try adding something funny, like a meme. Most visitors don’t know what ‘404 error’ means. All they know is that something went wrong. Hence, give them the news creatively.

Replace the tech-terminologies, like ‘404 error’, into normal languages, such as ‘sorry page not found’. Take the blame on yourself and avoid words that show the possibility of users’ mistake. For example, instead of saying ‘you are on the wrong page’, try putting a human face and say ‘seems like Paul didn’t do the job well’.

7. Different Buttons, Different Cursors, Please?

Make sure that you’ve customized the cursors according to the content. A hand cursor doesn’t indicate a clickable button, as popularly believed. Buttons should have pointers, texts should have text cursors while non-clickable spaces should have the default cursor.

The hand cursor is used for links and links are not buttons. The hand cursor shows that links come from the web and are not regular buttons.

Here is a simple guide to help you with the cursors.

8. Don’t tell me you don’t have a creative ‘loading’ sign?

Ugh. I hate that round loading sign that pops when a page is loading. I believe one loses interests as soon as it appears as it doesn’t show how many seconds or minutes more until the page will finally load.

But you could retain users by customizing it. You don’t want users to go away while you are preparing to show them something exciting.

Add some spice to it through interactive designs that convey the message while keeping users entertained. The traditional loading sign is frustrating because it is plain boring. It gives no reasons for people to stay on the screen. Users end up trying another link or get occupied with their Facebook notifications.

Have a look and know the difference it can make.

9. Identify how the screen behaves

I usually forget to identify the screen behaviour and it’s a mistake you really don’t want to make. Don’t forget to identify the scrolling behaviour because it plays a key role in fostering user experience.

For example, some clients prefer fixed headers while others want to minimize it to some key buttons. Others don’t want it at all as the users scrolls down the screen. Similarly, some clients want to keep a few options fixed in the footer while others want the footer to pop when users have reached the dead end of the screen.

Don’t let default options define your users’ experience. Discuss it with your client and customize it to their taste.

Mobile screens have limited space, so make sure the header isn’t occupying most of the screen, like this:

10. Did you allow users to delete their accounts?

I know you don’t want users to delete their accounts, but sometimes its necessary for them. Maybe they want to sign up with their official email address or need a fresh start.

And that’s why I love Tinder so much. It lets you delete your account easily, adding a sense of security and convenience.

Users don’t like being trapped. Giving the option of deleting accounts offers safety and convenience and stimulates users to sign up in the first place. They won’t mind signing up because I’ll delete it later if need be!

Come on, widen your heart and let people choose if they want to leave or stay. And don’t forget to ask the reason for their leave.

11. Let the user prioritize notifications

Users don’t mind receiving notifications from the newly downloaded app or newly subscribed news channel but trust me, it gets super annoying in a day.

You don’t want users to unsubscribe or delete the app because of the frequent and irrelevant notifications. Thus, let them choose the notifications they want to see. For example, some users may want to know of new blogs of UI/UX but don’t want to hear of AI and Blockchain.

Also, let users choose when they wish to receive notifications. I hate when I am at work and my phone cannot stop ringing, cause oh, there is an app update. I don’t mind catching up on things in the evening though.

12. Do you have images for the app stores?

You won’t believe it but I was downloading an app from the App Store the other day and it had Android screenshots! Jeez, that’s one mistake you definitely, I repeat, definitely must not make. Yes, I didn’t download the app eventually!

Make users feel that you’ve invested adequate time and efforts into the product. Your seriousness in the businesses convinces people of your efficiency and reliability.

I am guilty of being lazy and depending on screenshots only. But don’t forget to design images for the app. The insights play a key role in users’ decisions to download the app or not.

13. Don’t keep users wondering

A lot can go wrong, especially when users are entering data, such as email addresses or passwords. Let creative pop-ups tell users of what happening.

Tell them whether they’ve entered an incorrect password or the email address is already registered with another account. Tell them that the order is successfully placed or that your customer representative will get back to them within 24 hours. It’s important to interact with them every second to keep their interest intact.

I am guilty of forgetting these almost every time. But now that I have written this article, I am going to keep coming back to the list, just to be sure I am missing out on them again!

These designs will enhance the efficiency of your project and ensure that your users have a pleasance experience on the app or website, by providing an end-to-end experience.

How many of these have you missed for your projects? Have I missed some common designs that we designers forget in the hassle? Let me know in the comment section and I’ll update the list!

And don’t forget to bookmark the article for your next project