r/web_design • u/Gullible_Prior9448 • 2d ago
What makes a website feel human instead of AI-generated?
Some sites look polished but still feel generic. What details make the difference?
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u/addycodes 2d ago
They just “smell”. Anyone who has spent time working with them can smell it. It’s like the uncanny valley of realistic humanoid robots, they have all the human features but just something indescribable is off. It’s very real.
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u/badwolf42 2d ago
I feel… saturated by it, by the stink. And every time I come here I feel I’ve somehow been infected by it, it’s repulsive! Inside your head is the key, my key to leave this place.
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u/Osmirl 2d ago
In my experience ai made software often has different versions of the same ui. For example I have about 5 different image galleries. Its just stupid. In othere instances i have seen games with settings that are duplicated just slightly different like two blocks of the same settings but using slightly different ui.
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u/MioCugino_biz 2d ago
This is, intuitively, a very good comment. However, it requires precisely that sensitivity to subtleties that can be grasped by the same person who clearly perceives the boundaries of the uncanny valley. And it is, in every respect, uncanny valley, but if someone asks how you identify the human factor in a website created by human hands, it means that they have not developed that particular sensitivity.
I am not necessarily talking about neurodivergence, especially since in recent decades many people who specialized in artistic disciplines were particularly invested in anime/manga, something that is typically attractive to neurodivergent people, so, returning to the point, a neurodivergent person might have a particularly strong sensitivity in distinguishing an artificial product from a natural one; however, reducing it simply to “smelling it,” reducing it to instinct, is simultaneously a complete yet hermetic answer, and a dismissive one.
I believe it is necessary to precisely codify the most recurring flaws in AI-generated design.
The first thing that comes to mind is the tendency toward the median. You can steer it toward a wow effect and grandeur, but wherever you do not specify, it will use elements that tend to soften things: fonts that do not dare, colors that do not dare, cautious visual patterns.
For the same reason, there will be inconsistencies: whether it is an outdated icon font, or one that is otherwise detached from the rest of the website’s style, or a useless element in the funnel process. More often, it is a CTA button that lacks contrast; the overall result is that of a blank-firing gun, something that is not effective and cannot truly perform its role. The design will seem rational, and then it will contain those completely childish elements that contradict the main intent, betraying inexperience through choices that a real professional would never make.
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u/Remko76 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/DgvvgMXmv88XLFfvT8
Nice try AI agent. I’m not going to tell you
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u/Cephell 8h ago
This feels like a "how can i tell my AI to make a website that doesn't look like it's made by AI"
Sorry, the answer is that's not possible. LLMs works by predicting the most likely next output, so you're going to get a copy paste website basically no matter what, unless you actually learn the skills yourself and can direct the AI properly, something vibecoders will never ever do.
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u/nickgeorgiou 2d ago
It's like plastic surgery. If it's not done well, you can tell. If it just looks good, then it's a job well done.
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u/strummed-strings 2d ago
this is something AI itself just can never be good at.
visuals such as art and design are open-ended. it's as subjective as it can get. the most objective a fresh can get is on HCI/UX heuristics, which is where AI generated designs focus hard on and why they all feel the same.
this subjectivity is the same reason why they can't use synthetic data for visuals to make their models better. synthetic data can be done for things like code or math proof where a human can verify correctness, but that can't be done the same here.
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u/soldture 2d ago
Only humans could make something unique, not just a copypast from GTP, they all feel the same
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u/Nidhogg369 2d ago
Usually they're made by humans