Recent studies have shown that up to 30% of people abandon a website page if they feel as though it’s too cluttered or overwhelming. In the mobile-first age that we live in, visual complexity is proving to be one of the strongest predictors of high bounce rates. Too many choices lead to poorly structured layouts and create entirely avoidable friction.
The Issue isn’t Too Much Information
Users don’t often leave a site because it offers too much. They leave because they are forced to process too much information at once. Showing fewer options, while grouping decisions logically, is the best way to work around this. Take Spotify, for example, they offer millions of songs, yet the website never overwhelms the user. The only thing you have to do is choose the next logical thing, such as the artist, and then the album, followed by the song. Rich visual imagery replaces explanatory text, too.
In iGaming, casinos adopt a similar approach. Sites like https://casino.betfair.com/p/slots offer hundreds of slots, and from first glance, the only thing you can see is an image that shows the name of the game. If you click on the little information symbol in the bottom corner, you can bring up more information, and if you hover over the image, an option comes up to click “play”. Even though there’s an overwhelming sense of information to communicate, it’s staggered so it’s presented at the right point, and reflects where the user is in their journey.
Starbucks is another example of how a clear visual hierarchy can be presented in a menu format. This page https://www.starbucks.com/menu showcases different beverages, but there isn’t a price in sight, simply put, because you can’t order online, so this information isn’t required. When you click on an image, however, additional information, including ingredients, calorific information, and a description, can be brought up, showing how having one dominant focal point is the best way to reduce visual clutter while communicating offerings clearly. Examples like this show that the issue lies in offering too much information at once.
Visual Simplicity is the Best Way to Reduce Bounce Rates
As we move into 2026, it’s clear that visual simplicity is the best way to reduce bounce rates in 2026, especially when used in combination with graphic design. You can find out more about that here: https://yesimadesigner.com/2026-design-trends-that-actually-matters/.
This can be applied to almost every vertical as well, with the examples above. Having clear focal points above the fold helps to create a strong contrast between primary and secondary content, and in combination with this, it creates familiar interaction patterns that help to reduce processing times overall. Progressively revealing more information over time is also a good way to communicate all the information required, without overwhelming the user.
Even though minimalism was a huge trend in 2025, we are seeing things change slightly. People want the full experience, but by breaking it down into smaller segments, it becomes easier to structure decisions, while providing a more comprehensive experience that still meets every need the end user may have, without compromising site offerings.
