It’s amazing how web designers are coping with the increasing technical changes to create sites that are easy to use, clear and innovative, that match the corporate style and are simply beautiful all together. With the advancement in mobile usage finally taking over desktop browsing, the desktop must continue to evolve in its own way to remain relevant. Balancing aesthetics with functionality can be a difficult task, but if you do it right, you’ll set yourself up for higher customer engagement and higher conversion rates.
As 2017 is drawing to a close, 2018 is set to take over some notable web design trends that will focus on designing simple yet powerful websites that will heavily focus on improving the user experience.
1) Make mobile as the priority
The fact that cannot be ignored is the importance of mobile-optimized web designs which has increased tremendously in recent years and the trend does not seem to be diminishing any time soon. This means that web designers need to focus on each website to have a mobile version nowadays.
2) Flat Design
Flat design is all about minimalism and usability. It’s all about getting rid of the extra stuff that isn’t needed on your website and focusing on the important parts. Layouts that are clean, minimalist, and load quickly are all the rage and desirable for a number of reasons, both for mobile users and desktop browsers who want fast loading and engaging websites for their SEO value.
3) Big and bold fonts
To complement modern design styles, web designers need fonts that stand out. The type of font you choose for your website should be able to create personality, evoke emotion, and set a tone to convey the most important information easily. The trend of bold and large fonts will keep users interested in your website and create an enhanced user experience.
4) Cinemagraphs
Being different from ordinary GIF images, cinemagraphs will conquer the internet in 2018. Using cinemagraphs as a background or an add-on feature on your website will make it interactive and increase the conversion rate. The cinemagraph trend is becoming more and more popular and has replaced GIF images and full-blown videos.
5) Entertainment
With improved navigation technology, web designers have replaced static images with animations to engage consumers in their communication approach. It’s a great tool to engage users in a website’s story and create an enhanced user experience. They help engage customers throughout their website experience.
6) Internet of Things
Combining web services with the Internet of Things became a trend in 2017 and will continue to emerge in 2018. IoT devices range from objects that are as simple as a refrigerator to complicated ones. These objects use sensors and microchips to receive and act on their environment. It is expected that 2018 will see more IoT interfaces on websites that will allow you to interact with smart devices.
7) Voice and search user interface
A voice user interface refers to human interaction with a computer or any device in the form of voice. He is now able to understand and act on complex voice commands. When combined with machine learning, this can possibly predict your needs before you even complete the command.
8) AI and machine learning
AI has increasingly found its way into web designs through technologies like conversational interfaces. In the coming years, we will see the introduction of machine learning and AI into many of the systems with which we interact. This will soon make web interactions smooth.
Customer service via the web is becoming faster and more efficient thanks to these new technologies.