As a UX designer building my portfolio site on Squarespace, I expected the process to be seamless. But instead, I found myself tangled in a confusing system of expired domains, inactive websites, missing renewal options, and more. I had learned about user-friendly design in theory, but this experience truly opened my eyes to its importance. It hits differently when you're the one lost in the system. What began as frustration turned into a valuable lesson in the true meaning of user-friendly design.

Project Overview / Introduction

Context

I was building my UX portfolio on Squarespace, but after pausing the project for a few months, I returned to find my subscription had lapsed. The dashboard showed “Website expired on Jan 10, 2025” and offered two buttons: “Website” and “Domain.” Clicking “Website” led to a page with a random placeholder URL — no information on what to do next. In the “Domain” section, I saw an option to reactivate my domain, which I did, assuming that would solve the issue. But it didn’t. I still couldn’t access my site, and the expiration message remained. That’s where the confusion began.

The Core Issue

Squarespace treats domains and website plans as separate subscriptions — but this isn’t clearly communicated. At the time, I didn’t realize these were two separate products. As someone without a technical background, I assumed that renewing my domain would automatically bring my site back online. But there was no explanation of the distinction, and no clear CTA to guide me toward renewing the website plan. Clicking the “Website” button didn’t help either — it led to a settings page, not a renewal option. The result was a frustrating loop of guesswork, dead ends, and vague support responses — the kind of user experience good design should prevent.

As a UX designer, I couldn’t help but analyze the experience through a usability lens. Here are the issues that I faced and the core UX principles unintentionally violated during this flow, and how they impacted the overall user experience.

2. Confusion Between Website & Domain Plan

Problem: I assumed that renewing my domain would automatically bring my website back online. But Squarespace treats the domain and website as separated subscriptions, and this wasn’t explained clearly anywhere in the process.

Heuristic Violated: 🧭 Match between the system and the real world

The interface didn’t align with typical user expectations — some people might a domain and website go hand-in-hand.

Impact: I clicked back and forth between the “Website” and “Domain” buttons, searching for something else I was supposed to do. I didn’t realize the website required a separate reactivation step.

UX Suggestion: Use clearer language and feedback like:

“You’ve renewed your domain, but your website plan is still inactive. Reactivate your website to go live.”

Heuristic Violation: 🔍 Visibility of System Status

Users should always be informed through clear, timely, and visible system feedback.

Impact: The conflicting signals led me to believe something was still wrong with my domain — even though it had been renewed. I spent time double-checking the domain status using external tools, trying to confirm if the domain was causing the problem

UX Suggestion: Add a dashboard banner or visual status bar that clearly states:

“Domain: Active ✅ | Website Plan: Expired ❌ — Reactivate to go live

3. Lack of Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Problem: The dashboard showed that my website had expired, but there was no direct CTA or clear path to fix it. The “Website” button simply opened the editor — with a placeholder URL — and no way to reactivate the plan.

"No clear CTA provided; the 'Website' button leads directly to the Editor page."

Heuristic Violation: 🧠 2. Recognition Over Recall

The system made me guess where to go. Important actions weren’t placed where I needed them.

Impact: It felt like a dead end. I second-guessed everything, checking unrelated menus and support articles. I kept expecting the system to prompt me with a clear “Renew” button, but nothing showed up.

UX Suggestion: Place a visible CTA near the status message like “Reactivate Website Plan”, directly from the dashboard.

4. Broken Navigation Expectations

Problem: What initially felt like a small inconsistency unraveled into one of the most critical usability issues. I expected navigation buttons on the dashboard and global navigation to behave in predictable, structured ways. But as I explored further, I uncovered a pattern of ‘duplicated labels, inconsistent page hierarchy, and redundant paths leading to the same destination’, all of which added to the confusion.

• The “Website” and “Go to Website” buttons — placed side by side — both led to the same website
editor page, even though their labels implied different purposes.

• Two “Domains” buttons (in the dashboard and main header) led to the same landing page, but via
different flows with different hierarchy and labeling.

• “Domains” led to a structured settings page, but “Website” dropped me directly into the editor, despite
appearing parallel in both label and placement.

As I continued analyzing the flows, it became clear that these weren't isolated problems, they reflected a breakdown in the product’s navigation logic. Multiple entry points, inconsistent hierarchy, and misleading labels forced users into guesswork rather than guided action.

To visually capture the confusion, I created navigation flow diagrams that highlight the core issues. These visuals illustrate how the current structure breaks user expectations and causes unnecessary friction

5. Frustrating Support Loop

Problem: Even after I realized the real issue was reactivating the website plan, I couldn’t find where to do it. After failing to find the solution through the interface, I turned to live chat support. But I received automated replies — twice — that didn’t answer my question. On the third try, I finally got a relevant reply, but the link they sent led to a general help article, not the actual renewal page.

Heuristic Violated: 💬 Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
Support systems should respond contextually, not rely solely on generic scripts.

Impact: The solution still required me to dig through content to find the real path. Even with support, I felt like I had to solve the confusion alone.

UX Suggestion:
• Make support replies more context-aware and offer direct links to the appropriate action page.
• Expand support topics like “Reactivate Website Plan” to streamline help

6. Misleading and Buried Label for Website Plans

Problem: Even after realizing the real issue was renewing the website plan, it wasn’t easy to find the relevant page. The only available link was buried in the footer under the vague label “Pricing,” with no context about reactivation or subscriptions.

This screen recordings show how hidden and unintuitive the website plan renewal link (‘Pricing’) is within the interface.

Heuristic Violated: 📍 Recognition Over Recall
Important user actions shouldn’t be hidden or labeled vaguely.

Impact:

Because the "Pricing" link was located at the very bottom of the main page, I didn’t even realize it existed at first. I kept searching through settings and help articles, feeling lost. Even when I finally found it, “Pricing” didn’t feel like the right place to manage an expired plan, making me second-guess whether that’s the right link.

UX Suggestion:

• Place this CTA in a more visible, top-level location to make it easier to access and also surface it
prominently in the dashboard or settings.

• Use clearer, action-based labels like “Renew Website Plan” or “Manage Website Subscription”.

💬 “I used to think user-friendly meant clean and simple… but now I know it means clear, intuitive, and emotionally supportive at the right moment.”

“Sometimes the most frustrating digital experiences become the most valuable design lessons. I won’t forget how this felt—and I’ll use it to create better experiences for others.”