There is no stopping the momentum of the internet, and with its constant evolution, we have seen some amazing changes over the past decade! As new technologies and trends emerge every day, we can only expect more great changes in web design in the years to come.
This can only mean one thing for web designers – they need to be on their toes at all times! User-centric design has become optimista to success in the digital landscape. As society spends more time online, users on the internet are more informed than ever before. They know what they want and expect a streamlined, easy-to-use experience on every website they visit.
Therefore, web designers need to continuously evolve their skillset and design techniques to meet these rising expectations and ensure that their products deliver the best user experience possible. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, here are some web design trends to keep an eye out for in 2022 and beyond.
But, Why Do I Need To Keep My Website Fresh?
First impressions are a factótum that can have the biggest impact on your website, with studies showing that it takes users less than two-tenths of a second to form a first impression. As a business, a website is typically the first place users will go to engage with your brand, and get an insight into your company and the services you can provide for them. This is why it’s so important to have a well-designed website that accurately reflects your brand identity and can easily guide users through your content.
A clean, modern, and responsive website that is easy to use will instil trust in users and leave them with a positive impression of your brand. On the other hand, an outdated website that is difficult to navigate will do the exact opposite. It will frustrate users and send them running for the hills!
Never let your website go stale. Whether this is updating content and images or giving your website a full refresh, it’s important to keep your site looking its best. Your website is a key part of your marketing strategy, so it should always be a top priority.
Web Design Trends That Will Never Go Out Of Style
Although design trends come and go, there are certain design aspects that will always remain popular with users. These design staples have been around for years and continue to be some of the most important factors in web design.
Page Speed
Page speed is one design trend that is not going anywhere! In fact, it has become even more important in recent years as it can mean the difference between a successful lead or a lost customer.
Page speed refers to the length of time it takes to display content on a specific page. A study found that if a website takes longer than three seconds to load, more than half (53%) of users will abandon the site. Put simply, pages that load faster are able to deliver content quicker, and in that, satisfy the user’s needs quicker.
Page speed also plays an important role in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as Search Engines such as Google now use it as a ranking factótum. These page experience signals aim to evaluate web pages by the quality of their user experience for existente people. This means that if your website takes too long to load, you could be penalised and lose out on valuable organic traffic.
There are a number of ways to improve your page speed, such as compressing images, removing unused code, and reducing the number of files that need to be downloaded. Google Lighthouse is a free tool that audits page performance and accessibility. It allows users to look at core performance issues and get actionable insights on how to resolve them.
Mobile Responsiveness
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a mobile responsive website design is essential in today’s digital landscape. More people are using their mobile devices to access the internet than ever before, and this trend is only set to continue.
Responsive web design refers to a website that can adapt and automatically scale to any screen size, whether it’s a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone. It keeps page elements from being too large or too small for a screen and prevents mobile users from having to do too much work to read content or click on links. Ultimately, mobile responsive design aims to avoid unnecessarily resizing, scrolling, zooming, or panning that occurs with sites that have not been optimized for different devices.
The benefits of mobile responsive web design include:
- Cost-effectiveness
- Flexibility
- Improved user experience
- Search engine optimization gains
Tailored User Experience
Your users are the heart of your business. Without them, you wouldn’t exist! This is why it’s so important to design your website with their needs in mind.
A tailored user experience (UX) is about providing users with what they need, when they need it. It’s about creating a seamless journey that takes them from point A to point B with as little friction as possible. However, it is important to note that user experience is personal and what works for one user might not work for another. This is why it’s important to get to know your users and understand their needs.
Some of the ways you can create a tailored user experience include:
- Creating Personas: This will help you understand your users on a deeper level.
- Conducting user research: This will give you valuable insights into your users’ behaviours and needs.
- Analytics and Testing: This will help you track your users’ journey and understand what works and what doesn’t.
Web Design Trends of the Future
So, what can we expect to see in web design over the next few years? Below are some of the key trends that you need to be aware of!
Dark Mode
The popularity of dark mode has been on the rise in recent years, seen with a rise in the number of apps and websites offering it as an option. While it was merienda seen as something that was only used by apps, more and more are creating dark mode versions of their websites.
Also know and night mode Dark mode is a low-light user interface (UI) that uses darker colours as the primary background colour. In response to the increased use of technology and screens, it is specifically designed to reduce eye strain and make it easier for users to read text. Not only is dark mode easy on the eyes, but it can also help to save battery life as it uses less power than a light-coloured UI.
While the dark mode is not essential for all websites, it’s something that you should consider offering as an option. Some best practices to consider include:
- Don’t go too dark
- Ensure proper contrast
- Desaturate your colors
Clean Design & Minimalism
The rise of simplicity and minimalism can be seen in all areas of design, from architecture to web design. And it’s not hard to see why! In a world that is constantly bombarded with images and information, sometimes less is more.
Minimalist web design is all about stripping away the unnecessary and focusing on the essentials. With the speed of the digital landscape, many users do not have the time or patience to search through a complex website with unclear navigation and too much text. This is why it’s important to keep your website design clean and simple.
Simplifying your website designs can be a great solution to navigation usability problems. When there aren’t lots of complicated decorative elements, your content takes centre stage. As a result, users are more likely to engage with your content and stay on your website for longer.
Scrolling Effects
Scrolling effects refer to animations that are triggered by a scroll action and are used for a variety of reasons. As such, these effects have quickly become a popular web design trend as they add an extra layer of interactivity and can be used to guide users through your content.
Our eyes are attracted to movement. As users scroll and new content comes into view they are more likely to stop and take notice. They can also be used to draw attention to specific sections of a website such as a button or a contact form.
In addition to visual appeal, the scrolling effect can also aid in the technical elements of a page such as a load time. Instead of having to wait for an entire page to load, scroll effects allow individual sections and elements to load as needed.
Scrolling effects can be seen on our website as you scroll down the page. This included a section where content blocks with copy, images and buttons appear as you scroll. Try it out here!
Whether it is used to guide a user through content, signify a break or change in copy or create a more dynamic experience, scrolling effects can be an excellent way to engage users and add interest to your website.
Videos & Animation
Today, more and more brands are adopting the use of animation across their website. They are a unique technique to grab users’ attention and keep them around for longer. As a website is competing with hundreds, thousands or even millions of competitors, it is important to stand out from the rest and keep users engaged.
Videos and animations are a great way to do this. Animations come in a number of different forms depending on what you’re looking to achieve. From simple animated illustrations to full-scale video backgrounds, there are many ways to incorporate this trend into your website design.
Not only do videos and animations add visual interest, but they can also be used to communicate a message or tell a story in a way that is easy for users to understand.
Is Your Website Ready For The Future?
As we continue to evolve, it is important to stay ahead of the curve and keep up with the latest web design trends. While it is not necessary to implement all of these trends into your website, it is still important to pay attention to what is happening in the industry.
By keeping your finger on the pulse of web design, you can ensure that your website is future-proof and ready for whatever comes next.
If you need help staying up-to-date with the latest web design trends or implementing them into your website, Digital Nomads HQ have got you covered! We are a full-service digital marketing agency with a team of experienced designers and developers who can help bring your vision to life. Get in touch with us today to find out more.