UI Clutterification, do you know it?

#ui #ux #webdev #design

You go fast! You push new features! You have 1000+1 features now! Then one day you look at your product after taking a day off and coming back clear-minded, and after 2 seconds looking at it, you think:

“How tf did this screen become so… f#ck3d up?”

Yep... Welcome to the joys of UI Clutterification a slow, but steady build-up of buttons, menus, and panels that bury the essentials, which will happen to your product at some point

What is UI Clutterification?

In the simplest terms possible, Clutterification is when you try to add EVERY SINGLE THING you know your users need, plus the ones you think they need, in areas you assume they will need those features to be, while ensuring that all features are visible in the (mostly unintentionally) worst way possible

It is a gradual accumulation of interface elements, added without a clear hierarchy. Each addition may seem harmless, even necessary, but over time the product devolves into your average Microsoft or SAP UI experience. Users struggle to find what they need, and teams lose clarity on what truly matters

It's a (usually unavoidable) part of software development, so no shame friend 🤗

Why it happens?

In a nutshell, this happens because it is natural, you try to add more stuff thinking "users need this", and it grows faster when:

Speed-First Mindset

Startups and agile teams often prioritize shipping features quickly. In the rush, design takes a backseat constantly...
Feature Guesswork

You do something, all programmers are incredible at... guessing and assuming, since we are ALWAYS right, because, well... "I can code! I'm a genius!" (don't act like you haven't thought that). Without consistent user research, teams guess where new controls belong. "Users will know to look here”, until they don’t
“More Is Best” Fallacy

When users start dropping out, you decide not to "waste" time talking with them, so the solution is to add more "useful" features and display information that no one has asked for. It’s tempting to expose every capability in the UI, assuming visibility equals adoption. In reality, this causes more confusion

How to recognize it?

If your product looks like your typical MS Office app, then you have reached apex clutter, but let's break it down a bit:

Menus Packed with Options

Scrolling forever to find the one action you need
Unclear Calls-to-Action

Multiple buttons compete for attention, leaving users uncertain what to click first
Recurring “Where Is X?” Support Tickets

When your support queue is full of “how do I…?” questions, it’s a sure sign key features are hidden in plain sight

The sure way solution to declutter

Great, now you figured that your app is cluttered, what to do next? Well, the only thing that will for sure help you declutter your app is to TALK TO YOUR USERS!

Setup a call with some of your key users, new users, and also people who haven't tried your product yet, and ask them to share their screen so you can see firsthand, how they interact with your product

I know it sounds insane, but it is not, some users will be thrilled to be interviewed and share their experience with you!

High-Level Remedies

If talking with users sounds too overwhelming, try these:

Rate features by using frequency and priority

Find what elements are “core” (used daily), “occasional,” or “rare”
Reorganize how element hierarchy is presented
- Move “core” items front and center
- Relocate “occasional” tools into a secondary panel
- Archive or remove “rare” features, or hide them under advanced settings
Group related features
- Apply consistent patterns (e.g., all reporting tools in one dropdown)
- Use visual separators or tabs to signal different functional areas
Progressive disclosure
- Show only the most common actions by default
- Hide advanced or infrequently used controls behind an “Advanced” panel or contextual menu
Ongoing user testing
- Schedule brief usability sessions regurlaly
- Watch real users navigate the product—note where they hesitate or ask for help.

I'm repeating myself with point 5, because there's no world in which you can declutter your product without asking your users...

Did you declutter?

Cool, but know this, you can declutter here and there but as your product evolves, new people join your team, others leave, investors want this and that, users needs change, you will have clutter again, and that's ok

As I said, it's natural

Handling your own Clutterification

Wherever I have worked before, we didn't figure out that our UI was cluttered, but there were signs whenever users weren't able to figure out the product, but we, the devs, didn't see it since we are in way too deep

This will sounds cliche, but it's the ONLY WAY to figure out how to keep your product focused on what your users need, talking to your users, that's the only way to understand what users are struggling with, and hands down the issue tends to be that your UI became difficult to decipher and feels too complex to use

Closing thoughts

There's something I haven't mention here yet... All companies I worked with struggling with churn due to UI complexity did not have an in-house designer...

Why? Well... Because "I know design"

That was the average response I got. So hire an actual designer, it will payback for you. Why else you think that big companies pay LOTS of money? Because "they can afford it"? If you believe that, your business deserves to go bankrupt

Until the next time! 🙂