Like in any other creative field, web design is bound to undergo some kinds
of transformations or changes. These modifications that result from innovation, testing, and improvement of the existing paradigms are what we call
current trends, and they play an invaluable role in making the industry
better. The web design industry has seen a massive transformation in
recent years as trends have come and gone. Those who lagged behind in
embracing the changes find it difficult to catch up because today’s
leading sites are remarkably different from those that led the way a few
years ago.
Most web design trends result from the changing of consumers’ tastes, penchants, as well as designers’ desire to make sites
more user-friendly and attractive. As technology advances, it helps
design advance as well. Read on for the important current and future
trends in web design that you can incorporate to make certain that your
website stands out from competition, gives visitors the best user
experience and ultimately improves your bottom lines.
Mobile-first designingMore online businesses, as well as the brick and mortar enterprises with an
online presence, are taking a mobile-first approach in designing their
sites. This means that website designs are optimized for mobile; that is
the small screens of smartphones and tablets, before being made to work
on the larger screens of desktops and personal computers. This is
something that enterprise businesses can achieve using a website builder or a design agency.
Of course, mobile-first web designing isn’t particularly new, but the huge
penetration of smartphones and tablets to nearly every corner of the
world has meant that mobile gadgets are now accounting for the largest
share of web browsing. It is crucial for brands to shift from taking
mobile design as a mere after-thought of designing for bigger screens,
to ensuring that content delivery through the smaller screens take
greater eminence.
Responsive designingConnected to mobile-first designing approach is the greater uptake of responsive
design. Nearly every business is now in the race to build a responsive
website, which is made possible by CSS media queries as well as
malleable layouts. Responsive designing builds a single,
responsive/dynamic website that adjusts and adapts its content to yield
the best display for gadgets with different sizes. A responsive web
design is cost-effective because you pay for the creation of only one
website that is highly effective in delivering content on phones,
tablets, laptops and even the large screens of desktops. Even more
importantly, sites with a responsive design are ranking remarkably
higher on Google’s search results.
The algorithms of the giant search engine consider sites built with responsive design as providing
great user experience, hence the better ranking. Sites that do not have
responsive design or aren’t optimized for mobile are bound to fall off
the Google rankings. Ranking aside, companies are grappling with the
fact that nearly 80% of users will leave their current site and search
for another if it is not optimized.
Conversational user interfaceMore brands are building conversational interfaces that help interact with
people either through live chats, messaging services or other language
interfaces. Businesses are using the conversational UI to tap to the
fact that messaging services like WeChat and Facebook Messenger are
among the most downloaded and are transforming the way people socialize.
When this socializing aspect or conversational UI is brought to the way
of doing business, it surely enhances user experience and it is bound
to be a big trend henceforth.
Advanced animationsWeb designing languages and browsers have advanced greatly in recent times,
and this has forced websites to find new ways of engaging visitors and
enhancing their online persona. Thanks to HTML5, CSS as well as jQuery,
animations are now playing a bigger part in organizations’ storytelling
efforts to capture users’ attention. Animations are important because
they’re available in nearly any shape, size, style, and can serve varied
purposes.
Greater use of videosVideo has the ability to deliver a well-curated message to the audience and urge
them to heed the call to action with greater efficacy. What makes video a
mainstay trend in web designing is that it is versatile, it can be
incorporated in almost any part of the web page, it is hugely dynamic
because it uses both sound and movement in appealing to audience, and it
retains attention for extended periods.
All creative industries grapple with tens, maybe hundreds of trends at any particular time,
which makes it difficult to discuss every single trend in detail.
However, we have listed some of the most important web design trends to
watch out for this year and beyond. Although you may not utilize all the
trends all the time, it is important to know how the industry is
advancing and know how to strike a balance with your multimedia angle
because too many graphics create a shambolic outlook.
.jpg)
