Each year promises a revolution in web design, and 2021 is no exception. Unlike 2020 which was filled with masks, hand sanitizer, and unending zoom meetings, it is understandable that people were tired and needed refinements in the way we designed websites. We kept an eye out on some expected trends, and we compiled some of them for you. We hope these trends will inspire you but, more importantly, help you create a responsive website that is highly effective. Here are our top picks.
Page Speeds & Load Times
These have been critical characteristics of SEO and UX design for a while. Although, every new website project is pushing to eke out that extra bit of performance to improve conversion. An ultra-fast load time and proper SEO are expected to dominate again in 2021 and for a good reason. Website performance affects the user experience. It is slowly becoming a metric for user satisfaction and conversion. The need to invest more to make sure you have a fast, responsive website.
Retro Fonts
We are witnessing many things being reinvented and making a comeback to web design. Vintage typography is regaining popularity but not in the drab and tacky ways they used to be applied. Remember when Sans Serif fonts were the go-to for web design because there are legible and straightforward? That is not the reason for the comeback of old fonts. Instead, the main reason for this trend is due to advancements in display technology. It now allows stylized and graphic fonts to look more appealing. This also permits imagination and playfulness, which creates a visual theme or a personality for a website.
Horizontal Scrolling
Yes, this taboo of web design has finally survived long enough to become acceptable. The horizontal scroll once thought of as a web design faux pass has also been permitted by advanced display technology and an increase in the typical screen sizes.
More and more designers are finding ways to integrate it into their designs,. We can’t wait to see what they do with it. It is a superb approach for presenting secondary information, and its applications open up new functionality for web design. While it is still coming of age, it is critical to allow users alternatives for navigation like clearly labeled arrows. It is advisable to use clear visual cues to show where horizontal scroll is being used.
Micro-Interactions & Micro Animations
The online experience continue to change with the use of enhanced graphics. One of the obsessions of modern web design is to make every interaction with the user return feedback. By now, you are used to the concept of color-changing links, but now the trend has gone even further. Micro-interactions for icons are used to make websites stand out from the rest.
For example, a mouse clicks on some icons that say delete, which now shows a movement. Micro-animators are also coming along with micro-interactions to guide the user on how to use the website. These add life to an otherwise boring page. While they have been used in the past, the technology has matured. They are now being used organically for purposes like showcases and visualizations.
Augmented Reality
As more websites integrate multimedia on their sites to improve the user experience, one thing that is definitely taking advantage of advancing technology is AR. Instead of just using your phone for hunting Pokémon, AR experiences are being used to provide a preview of the product beforehand.
One of the pioneers in these sectors is Wayfair Technologies, whose WebXR API has made AR technology for web design accessible for all. Websites currently actively using AR technology for their displays include Ikea, Jeep, and Airbnb, but you can already see the immense applications going forward.
It’s amazing to see how far web design has come, and the truth is we can expect a lot more advancements in the coming years. Does your website incorporate any of these trends? If not, it’s always a good idea to update your website’s design to positively impact your brand and revenue.
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