5 Common CSS Mistakes Committed by Web App Designers and Developers

CSS is probably the simplest language in shaping the look and feel of any web app. With syntax as common as plain English language, it helps app developers & designers with a very low learning curve. Even then, mistakes in respect of the CSS file are so common across web apps.  

Actually, despite the relative ease of handling CSS, there are a lot of elements and properties that developers need to take care of while writing CSS code. To help you avoid such mistakes, we are here to guide you about the common CSS design mistakes having a detrimental effect on any app design or development.

Missing the Required CSS Reset

For a web app, developers, meeting the browser requirements are of the highest priority. The behavior across different browsers cannot be inconsistent as such inconsistency can harm the user experience and brand image. Since most browsers offer default styling for HTML elements, to make your conscious design decisions and styles effective, you need to use a proper CSS reset.

A CSS reset involves resetting all the styles of the respective HTML counterparts to ensure an entirely predictable output. By doing this, you have total control of all the style elements. While there are several ready to use CSS reset codebases available on the web, you can always use your own.

Signs of Overspecificity

If the CSS file is miswritten, further design obstacles and design glitches down the line will follow. When CSS is not written well, for even fixing a simple bug, you need to go through a lot of steps. Well, overspecificity in CSS can often make simple tasks complicated.

You should only maintain specificity in CSS where it is relevant and needed. Where rarely you need to be too specific, you can just avoid it. Overspecificity leads to difficulties in the readability and maintenance of your CSS.  

Content Styling without Default Font 

Some designers make the mistake of styling their content layout and presentation layers without giving attention to the font and colors in the very beginning. Well, often, this can lead to an incoherent and inconsistent design.

In contrast, when you decide about the font size and height and weight of the typefaces in detail and the very early stage, the design quickly falls in the right place of your content layout. This is why giving utmost priority to determining typeface before the CSS design should be a priority. Even deciding about paragraph length and width before the CSS design actually can be highly effective for the overall design output.

Not Considering the CSS of a Framework First 

When you are engaged in a front end web app project, you should always keep in mind that many libraries and frameworks are victims of overdoses of CSS script, and this is a common problem for many popular libraries and frameworks. Experienced developers often need to clear this unnecessary load to deliver the required output. They need to do this because the overload of CSS often becomes problematic in large front end web app projects.

The same can be said about some frameworks that developers only need sparingly or for some elements. For instance, sometimes, developers don’t need a whole framework, but only the grid of a framework. In such cases, they should not put too much effort into using the whole framework for their project.

There are even worse cases than this when it is about force-feeding a framework to an app project. For example, sometimes, designers try to fit their custom and unique design into the grid of a framework just because they like style elements.

This is why evaluating the CSS file of the framework is so crucial for the success of your front end project. You need to come out of the common and misconceived notion that just by incorporating a CSS created by someone else is going to address the design requirements of your web app.

At the same time, it must be said that in case you are sure about a framework to be a perfect fit for your project in hand, you can just use the framework without hesitation while picking a portion of the CSS that addresses your design issues. Frequent evaluation and inspection of the CSS of the frameworks will help you get a solid idea about the right CSS solution, and thereafter, you can develop your CSS.

Inline Styles

Separating the styles from the structure is a key rule of CSS, and inline styles just violate this principle. On the other hand, inline styles also create overspecificity, which is another error many web apps suffer from.   

The moment CSS was embraced in the external stylesheets, the mixing of styles with the structural elements and use of structural elements to produce style came to an end as a practice, and this happened much to the advantages of the web app projects. Naturally, inline style is a strict violation of the ground principles that gave birth to the adoption of CSS.

Conclusion

There are several other CSS mistakes that we equally need to take care of. But these are the most common and most elementary mistakes that can cause serious challenges for the web app projects. By staying clear of these mistakes, you can utilize CSS to your advantage.