Web design trends are continually changing. From the minimal flat design to mobile responsiveness, we have experienced numerous changes during the past few years.
And the trend continues to evolve – allowing users to enjoy modern website designs with user-friendly navigation and layouts that are easy to understand.
As Steve Jobs once said:
“Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works!”
Suppose your website does not offer your visitors the experience they require. You can expect to see visitor retention and conversion go down rapidly.
Therefore, it is essential that you stay updated with the latest trends and incorporate them to bring more functionality to your website.
In this guide, we’ll look at some of the top trends predicted to dominate the coming years.
1. Dark Modes
Already a big trend, dark mode is anticipated to get bigger next year. Dark mode web designs make the website appear modern and grabs the attention of the audience immediately. They make the elements pop out from the dark background, instantly highlighting the core message to visitors.
Moreover, a dark mode layout reduces eye strain when viewed in low light conditions. Just think of how many people scroll through their phones at night and the damage it causes. Having a dark mode reduces some of the stress and lets your site visitors enjoy the website even with the lights off.
2. White Space
In contrast to the black, white spaces will also be prominent in web design. Also known as the negative space, white space can be any color or even texture.
The idea behind it is simple: to leave blank spaces between text, graphics, images, and columns to make the page more scannable. White space directs the visitor’s focus to the main elements of your web page without creating a distraction or making the page look cluttered.
3. Adding 3-D Elements
Integrating 3-D elements in web design is another trend that is intriguing both visitors and web designers. And the result it gives is just amazing!
However, one thing is crucial when it comes to 3-D elements and that is website speed. If you have a website that lags in loading time, it won’t support such heavy content. As a result, your page will load at a slow pace and impact the overall user experience.
4. Mix and Match
High-quality photographs are the lifeblood of any webpage. The visual interest they create overlaps even the best of text content and helps brands stay unique in the crowd.
But while photographs are doing great on their own, we are seeing designers overlapping graphics with real pictures. The collage-like effect adds extra personality to the website and reinforces the brand image.
Adding imperfect, hand-drawn elements is another trend that will see a spike in 2021 web design trends. Up until now, viewers were accustomed to seeing neatly typed text on their webpages. However, upcoming trends suggest adding some hand-drawn realness to make the page more personal.
5. Voice User Interface
As technology becomes smarter, users are becoming lazier. Instead of typing, they now resort to voicing their search engine queries. In fact, it is estimated that around 8 billion people will use digital assistants and voice-activated searches by 2023.
This means that your web design should be able to handle voice search as an additional option to traditional text searches.
6. Chatbots
Chatbots are a huge part of today’s web trends. When visitors can’t find information on your website, they usually turn to chatbots for assistance. They are especially helpful in resolving issues and getting detailed answers to queries. Not having a chatbot can lead to visitor frustration and a higher bounce rate.
Another chatbot benefit is its ability to serve 24/7. Chatbots fill in for staff unavailability during night times and holidays. They also connect visitors to a human instantly if there is a problem that requires manual checking.
With these chatbot advantages in mind, you can easily see why they are an essential part of today’s design trends and beyond.
7. Accessibility
Making a website accessible is the practice of ensuring that your website and integrated applications are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. For example, suppose you add videos or podcasts to your webpage. In that case, you need to consider captioning, transcripts, and other non-visual equivalents.
For visual elements like Infographics and photographs, you will have to think about making the content available for those who can’t see them. Moreover, the use of colors should be carefully considered to avoid combinations that are difficult to read by people with color blindness.
Accessibility has long been a vital component of mature organizations. However, many web designers often overlook the accessibility aspect of a website. It is something that you need to look at, however, if you’re going to provide an inclusive user experience.
8. Micro-Interactions
Micro-interactions are another way to show your visitor what is happening on the page. A micro-interaction element responds to a user’s action. When triggered, it lets users know that their action has had the desired effect.
One great example of micro-interaction is changing color on a clickable link when you hover your mouse over it. This indicates to users that clicking on the specific text will open a new page. Other examples include the swiping on our touchscreen phones, the ‘pull’ to refresh, and the number indicator that confirms when we add items to an online shopping cart.
9. Micro-Animations
Micro-animations are small but functional elements that give users visual feedback and display changes more accurately. Scrolling animation is one of the best examples of micro-animation that we see frequently. The scroll animation avoids clicks and makes the transition to another page smooth and streamlined.
Another example of micro animation that you may have seen is the mouse over effect in eCommerce. Shoppers can easily view different colors and combinations available through this function as they hover their pointer over the product.
10. Website Load Time
This may not be a new trend in web designing, but it certainly is an essential requirement of keeping your page accessible to visitors. Numerous studies show that fast website load times increase conversion rates, reduce bounce rates, and boost search engine rankings. In fact, it is reported that 1 in 4 visitors will abandon a webpage if it takes longer than four seconds to load. Even a second delay decreases customer satisfaction by 16%.
Given these numbers and the surge in the competition of keeping your website digitally available – it goes without saying that any web design you implement should ensure a fast page load time.
11. Mobile First
When a web design is mobile responsive, it means that the developer has designed it with desktop users in mind. Later, he deploys web development techniques that adjust the page according to the user’s screen size.
However, this approach is no longer sufficient because users are now accessing websites first, or solely, through mobile phones. Therefore, developers need to design websites from the mobile end and then expand to include desktop usage.
Conclusion
As you can see, many exciting trends are waiting beyond the horizon in 2021. Take a good look at the above trends for inspiration and see how they can be integrated with your website design.
Remember, a good design is not only about creating aesthetic appeal that grabs user attention but one that also emphasizes creating user-friendly experiences.
Amos Struck is a publisher and entrepreneur in the stock imagery field. He focuses on providing knowledge and solutions for buyers, contributors, and agencies, aiming at contributing to the growth and development of the industry. He is a recurrent speaker at Photokina Official Stage and an industry consultant at StockPhotoInsight. Amos is passionate about technology, marketing, and visual imagery. He also holds a keen interest in WordPress related news and articles. He is a recurrent speaker at Photokina Official Stage and an industry consultant at StockPhotoInsight. Amos is passionate about technology, marketing, and visual imagery. He also holds a keen interest in WordPress related news and articles.
