The Dribbble Effect
Design is how it works, not just how it looks.
Every founder wants their website to look like Apple or Stripe. They want slick animations, minimal text, and abstract 3D graphics. This is what we call "Dribbble Design"—it looks amazing in a portfolio, but it fails in the real world.
Why? Because "premium" design often prioritizes aesthetics over clarity.
The User's Brain on Design
When a user lands on your site, they are not admiring your font choice. They are asking: "Can this solve my pain?"
If your design hides the answer behind a fade-in animation or abstract metaphors, you are creating friction.
Common Design Traps:
- Ghost Buttons: Using transparent buttons for your main CTA because they look "cleaner." Result: Nobody sees them.
- Scroll Jacking: Taking control of the user's scroll to show cool transitions. Result: User gets annoyed and leaves.
- Low Contrast Text: Grey text on a white background looks elegant. It is also impossible to read.
Ugly Often Wins
Look at Amazon. Look at Craigslist. Look at high-converting landing pages. They aren't "pretty." They are functional.
They use high-contrast buttons (often ugly orange or green). They use big, clear headlines. They use standard layouts.
This doesn't mean your site should be ugly. It means your design should serve the conversion, not the designer's ego.
Form Follows Function
The best design is invisible. It guides the eye to the value prop and then to the button. It doesn't distract.
If users say "Wow, nice website," you failed. If they say "Wow, this is exactly what I need," you won.