Website Review: Amazon’s Cluttered UI

Why does Amazon’s User Interface Continue to Frustrate Users?

From a cluttered interface to seemingly infinite products and services, we’ll explore why Amazon can make it difficult for customers to shop with intention.

1. Where Do Your Eyes Go?

When sites are cluttered with information, whether it’s images, text, or buttons, the user’s eyes are instantly bombarded with elements competing for their attention, often leaving them overwhelmed. Thankfully for Amazon, when you become a forefront for online shopping, customers start to get used to your interface. However, most would likely agree that if they went back to the first time they used it, the site was overwhelming and maybe even confusing. Things get even worse when you need to perform a specific action.

2. Amazon-Everything

As Amazon continues to grow, they will likely continue to become a major online marketplace for almost everything you can think of. As their services continue to expand, this forces them to find new ways to add more information to an already cluttered interface. Whether it’s Prime Video advertisements, Alexa, endless Prime Days that used to be annual, grocery delivery, Amazon one medical, etc., they continue to grow into new, uncharted territory.

3. The Search

The actual search feature is extremely useful for Amazon, as it’s organized nicely with categories and helps you find a specific item quickly. The “Search” I’m referring to is when you are trying to find a specific account feature. The options are increasing here as well, and due to the endless list of items, it seems like the list just continues to increase. Where do I actually find “xyz”? … Let the search begin!

4. Consumers are Becoming Burned Out

Although we might not embrace it, many of us were alive during the 00s’ cluttered web space. Many of us who experienced that have enjoyed the direction of the web toward minimalism and what that offers us. Amazon takes the cluttered web space and multiplies it tenfold. We want simplicity and an easy shopping experience. When you add clutter to your site, you are effectively eliminating this and can borderline frustrate your consumers.

5. AI Integration

Recently, Amazon integrated their “Alexa for shopping” feature to assist customers in their shopping experience. Often times, it pops up without prompting and is another pop-up demanding your attention. Unfortunately, Amazon continues to incorporate this consistently and does not appear to give users a way to disable the feature. This will continue to frustrate customers who just want a seamless shopping experience with minimal distractions.