If users are landing on your website or app but struggling to navigate, dropping off quickly, or failing to complete key actions, it’s usually a sign that your UX needs a redesign. Issues like confusing navigation, slow load times, outdated interfaces, and declining conversions often indicate that the experience no longer aligns with user expectations or business goals.
From our experience at Onething Design, we’ve seen that these signals tend to surface well before performance metrics take a serious hit. In this guide, we break down 12 clear signs your website or app needs a UX redesign and explain how addressing them can improve usability and conversions.
How Can You Tell If Your Website or App Needs a UX Redesign?
You can tell a website or app needs a UX redesign when user behavior consistently signals friction. This includes scenarios when users hesitate, get confused, abandon tasks, or fail to engage as intended. These signals show up not just in analytics, but also in how real users interact with the product across devices, journeys, and touchpoints.
Always remember that a UX redesign is not triggered by visual age alone. It becomes necessary when the experience no longer supports user needs, business objectives, or how people actually use digital products today. The signs typically appear as patterns – across usability, performance, accessibility, and conversion outcomes – rather than as isolated issues.
12 Signs That Indicate Your Website or App Needs a UX Redesign
A website or app typically needs a UX redesign when multiple experience-related signals point to friction between user intent and system behavior. These signals are observable through analytics, user feedback, and real-world usage patterns. When left unaddressed, they often lead to reduced engagement, lower conversions, and declining product performance.
As per the revelations made by Know Your User - UX Statistics and Insights by Miklos Philips, 94% of the respondents affirmed that the first impressions they make of any brand are design-related. In fact, 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. So, it’s clear that improving the user experience is a must for building trust, retaining users, and sustaining long-term growth.
Image Source: KPMGLet’s take a look at the most reliable and widely recognized indicators signalling that your current user experience is no longer effective.
1. Your Bounce Rate is Increasing Despite Good Traffic
If your website or app attracts relevant, high-intent traffic but users leave almost immediately, it indicates a disconnect between expectations and experience. This often happens when content hierarchy is unclear, messaging lacks relevance, or users cannot quickly understand what to do next. A rising bounce rate in this context is a strong UX signal here.
2. Users Struggle to Complete Key Actions (Forms, Checkout, Sign-ups)
When users repeatedly abandon forms, drop off during checkout, or fail to complete sign-ups, it usually points to usability friction. Common causes include unclear instructions, too many steps, poor error handling, or cognitive overload. These struggles indicate that the experience is working against user intent instead of supporting it.
3. Your Website or App Loads Slowly – Especially on Mobile
Slow load times, particularly on mobile devices, significantly degrade user experience and directly impact engagement and conversions. If pages or screens take too long to load, users are more likely to abandon tasks before interacting meaningfully. Persistent performance issues suggest that the experience is not optimized for modern usage conditions.
4. Your Design Looks Outdated Compared to Competitors
An outdated visual design can reduce trust, credibility, and perceived quality, even if the product functions correctly. When competitors offer cleaner, more intuitive, and modern interfaces, users begin to expect similar standards. A dated interface often signals deeper UX issues related to hierarchy, clarity, and interaction patterns.
5. Users Frequently Ask for Help or Support
If users regularly contact support for basic actions, such as navigating features, understanding workflows, or completing tasks, it indicates that the interface is not self-explanatory. A well-designed user experience minimizes the need for external assistance by guiding users naturally through the product.
6. Navigation Feels Confusing or Overloaded
When users struggle to find information, move between sections, or understand where they are within a product, navigation is likely too complex or poorly structured. Overloaded menus, inconsistent labels, or unclear pathways increase cognitive effort and lead to frustration. This is a common sign that information architecture needs rethinking.
7. Your App Has Low Retention After First Use
If users download or access your app but fail to return after the first session, it suggests that the initial experience does not deliver immediate value. Poor onboarding, unclear benefits, or early friction can prevent users from forming habits. Low retention is one of the clearest indicators that an app’s UX requires improvement.
8. Conversion Rates are Stagnant or Declining
When conversion rates plateau or drop despite steady traffic and demand, UX is often a contributing factor. Unclear calls to action, distracting layouts, or broken user flows can prevent users from progressing. In such cases, the experience is not effectively guiding users toward desired outcomes.
9. Your Product has Evolved, but the UX hasn’t
As products grow, add new features, or pivot strategically, the user experience must evolve alongside them. When new functionalities are layered onto an old UX structure, the experience becomes fragmented and harder to use. This misalignment often results in confusion and inconsistent interactions.
10. Accessibility and Inclusivity are Missing
If your website or app is difficult to use for people with disabilities or does not follow accessibility standards, it excludes a significant portion of users. Poor contrast, missing keyboard navigation, unclear labels, or non-inclusive design patterns indicate that the experience does not accommodate diverse user needs.
11. Analytics Data Doesn’t Match User Behavior
When analytics suggest users should be progressing through a journey, but real-world behavior shows hesitation or drop-offs, there is likely an experience gap. This mismatch often means users are confused, misinterpreting elements, or encountering friction that data alone cannot explain.
12. Your UX No Longer Supports Business Goals
If your current UX does not align with your evolving business objectives, say – driving growth, increasing engagement, or improving efficiency – it becomes a limiting factor. A user experience that once worked may no longer support new priorities, markets, or customer expectations.
Website Redesign vs App Redesign – Do the Warning Signs Differ?
The warning signs that indicate the need for a UX redesign are similar across websites and apps, but they surface in different ways. Websites are typically judged on clarity, speed, discoverability, and conversion efficiency. When users struggle to find information, abandon pages quickly, or fail to complete actions, it often points to issues with navigation, content hierarchy, or performance, thereby signaling that a website UX redesign may be required.
In contrast, app redesign warning signs are more closely tied to engagement, usability over time, and retention. Apps are used repeatedly, and in varied contexts, so friction appears through poor onboarding, low return usage, feature abandonment, or inconsistent interactions across devices. When an app fails to deliver value beyond the first use or feels difficult to operate, a UX redesign becomes essential to improve long-term engagement and habit formation.
| Parameter |
Website Redesign Warning Signs |
App Redesign Warning Signs |
| Primary Usage Pattern |
One-time or task-based visits |
Repeated, long-term usage |
| Key UX Metric Impacted |
Bounce rate, session duration |
Retention, DAU/MAU |
| Navigation Issues |
Users can’t find content or pages |
Users struggle with flows or gestures |
| Performance Concerns |
Slow page loads, especially on mobile |
Lag, crashes, delayed responses |
| Conversion Signals |
Low form submissions or checkouts |
Drop-offs after onboarding |
| User Expectations |
Fast access to information |
Seamless, intuitive interactions |
| Common UX Redesign Trigger |
Poor discoverability and clarity |
Low engagement and repeat usage |
| Redesign Focus Areas |
Information architecture, content hierarchy |
Onboarding, workflows, micro-interactions |
When is the Right Time to Invest in a UX Redesign?
The right time to invest in a UX redesign is when user experience issues begin to consistently impact engagement, conversions, or retention. Early signals such as rising drop-offs, task abandonment, increasing support queries, or negative user feedback indicate that the experience is no longer working as intended. Addressing these signals early through a UX redesign helps prevent long-term revenue loss and user attrition.
A UX redesign also becomes necessary during periods of product or business change. Launching new features, entering new markets, scaling to a larger user base, or shifting business goals often place new demands on the existing experience. If the current UX cannot support these changes clearly and intuitively, redesigning it ensures the product remains usable, relevant, and aligned with user expectations.
In many cases, the optimal time for a UX redesign is before problems become visible to end users. Proactively redesigning based on behavioral data, usability testing, and evolving user needs allows businesses to stay competitive, reduce UX debt, and deliver consistent experiences across devices and platforms.
Also Read: Conducting a UX Audit - A Step-by-Step Guide
What Does a Modern UX Redesign Process Look Like?
A modern UX redesign process is structured, research-led, and outcome-focused. Rather than starting with visuals, it begins by understanding what is not working, why users behave the way they do, and how the experience can better support both user needs and business goals. At Onething Design, UX redesign is treated as a strategic transformation, where each stage builds on validated insights to reduce risk and maximize impact.
Here is a clear, stage-wise breakdown of what an effective UX redesign process looks like today.
Stage 1: UX Audit and Heuristic Evaluation
The process begins with a comprehensive UX audit to identify usability issues, friction points, and experience gaps across the website or app. This includes evaluating the product against established usability heuristics, accessibility standards, and industry best practices. The goal at this stage is to identify what is broken, confusing, or inefficient through expert review and performance data before making any design decisions.
Also Read: A Beginner's Guide to Heuristic Evaluation in UX
Stage 2: User Research and Behavioral Analysis
Once issues are identified, user research helps explain why they exist. This stage involves analyzing user behavior through methods such as interviews, usability testing, surveys, session recordings, and analytics review. Behavioral insights reveal user motivations, pain points, and expectations, ensuring that redesign decisions are grounded in real user needs rather than assumptions.
Stage 3: Information Architecture and Journey Mapping
With validated insights in place, the focus shifts to structuring the experience. Information architecture defines how content, features, and navigation are organized, while journey mapping visualizes how users move through key tasks and touchpoints. This stage ensures that users can easily find information, understand what to do next, and complete actions without friction.
Stage 4: UI Design, Prototyping, and Usability Testing
The final stage translates strategy into execution. UI design establishes a clear visual hierarchy and interaction patterns aligned with the brand, while prototypes allow teams to simulate real interactions before development. Usability testing is conducted to validate design decisions, identify remaining friction, and refine the experience.
How to Choose the Right UX Design Agency for Your Redesign
A strong UX partner goes beyond visual execution to understand user behavior, business goals, and technical constraints. The right design agency will help you identify root experience problems, validate solutions through research, and deliver a redesign that improves usability.
To make an informed choice, it’s important to evaluate agencies across three dimensions: their strategic capabilities, their approach to collaboration and validation, and their ability to align UX outcomes with measurable business impact.
What to Look for in a Global UI UX Design Agency
A reliable global UI UX design agency should demonstrate deep expertise in research-led design, not just UI aesthetics. Look for an agency with a strong portfolio that shows problem-solving across industries, platforms, and user types. Case studies should clearly explain the challenge, the UX approach, and the outcomes achieved, such as improved conversions, engagement, or retention.
Additionally, a global agency should have experience working with diverse user bases and markets. This includes understanding accessibility standards, cross-cultural usability considerations, and scalable design systems. A structured UX process, clear documentation, and the ability to collaborate across time zones are strong indicators of maturity and reliability.
Also Read: How to Choose a UX Design Agency in 2026 (+Checklist)
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a UX Partner
Before finalizing a UX partner, ask questions that reveal how they think and work. Important questions that you need to ask include:
- How do you conduct user research and validate design decisions?
- How do you measure UX success after a redesign?
- What stakeholders will be involved at each stage of the process?
It’s also important to understand how the agency collaborates with internal teams such as product, engineering, and marketing. A strong UX partner should be comfortable working with constraints, iterating based on feedback, and aligning design outcomes with business KPIs.
Red Flags to Avoid in UX Redesign Proposals
- Overemphasis on Visuals without Research
Agencies that focus mainly on UI aesthetics without mentioning user research, usability testing, or success metrics often take a surface-level approach to UX.
- Promises of Fast Results with no Clear Process
Proposals that guarantee quick turnarounds but lack details on methodology, validation, or decision-making frameworks are a strong warning sign.
- Vague Timelines and Unclear Deliverables
A lack of clarity around project phases, timelines, and ownership of outputs can lead to misalignment and scope creep.
- No Plan for Accessibility or Performance
Ignoring accessibility standards, inclusive design, or performance optimization indicates an incomplete understanding of modern UX requirements.
- UX Treated as a One-Time Exercise
Agencies that position UX redesign as a one-off design task—without iteration, testing, or post-launch support—often leave deeper experience issues unresolved.
Start Fixing What’s Breaking Your User Experience
Recognizing the signs that your website or app needs a UX redesign is the first step toward creating better digital experiences. When users drop off, it’s a signal that the experience needs to evolve. Addressing these signals thoughtfully can help improve usability and strengthen trust.
At Onething Design, we’ve seen how a well-timed, research-led UX redesign can unlock clarity and momentum for growing products and businesses. Whether you’re considering a full redesign, exploring improvements to an existing experience, or simply want to sense-check an idea, we’re always happy to help.
If you’d like to redesign your website or app, discuss a UX challenge, or just have a casual conversation about design, feel free to get in touch. We’d love to chat.