The world of web design is never static, and it is only through forward momentum and perpetual evolution that innovative ideas can be put into practice and issues of the past overcome.
With that in mind, here is a look at a few ways in which this practice is set to change and grow going forward, giving you a better concept of what to look out for when building your next website.
Competition will intensify
In the last few years there has been increased rivalry between site-building platforms like Wix and Squarespace which aim to offer users an efficient and affordable way to make their own websites with simple tools, and agencies which deliver bespoke web design services to a variety of business customers.
There is still a lot of debate to be had over which solution is best, and ultimately it comes down to a case of considering the needs of each user. While the template-oriented approach is quick and cheap, it eliminates a lot of the uniqueness from a website and means it is harder for up and coming companies to stand out from the crowd.
Meanwhile the agency-assisted approach can be costlier up front, but offers almost unlimited customization and is thus far better suited to organizations that do not want their sites to look like just another cut-and-paste job. It also has the benefit in that you can find a company near you, who is on hand at short notice. For example, if you’re based in Toronto, Parachute Web Design can help with a localized approach for your particular area.
Analytics will inform design decisions
In earlier eras, web designers have had the tricky task of working out the best ways to present sites to visitors, often relying on trial and error to see which strategies are most effective and which need to be ditched.
Experts today are able to leverage data analytics to take this guesswork out of the equation and instead use cold, hard figures to determine the optimal design features and user experience tweaks to put into play as part of wider marketing efforts.
This shift should not only make life easier for designers, but also ensure that web users are able to enjoy generally more consistent sites regardless of the device they are using or the connection they are on.
AI is set to become essential
Artificial intelligence has already been implemented to a certain extent by many websites, usually through the deployment of automated chatbots which are designed to deal with basic customer queries, freeing up support resources for more in-depth issues.
As consumers become more accepting of AI interactions, even if there is still a level of mistrust to overcome, web designers will need to incorporate features powered by machine learning algorithms when creating customer-facing features. Likewise the ability to leverage big data tools at the backend to glean insights into visitor behaviors will empower design decision-making.
Voice search will be more relevant
Voice-controlled assistants are available on nearly every modern smartphone and smart speaker, and the number of people using them to search for information is on the rise. This means websites need to be designed with voice search in mind, so that they can convey relevant information to users without relying solely on aesthetics and content layouts to achieve this.
The age of voice search dominance is still a long way off, but it would be churlish to ignore the increased impact that this is already having on browsing habits. It is unlikely that the graphically expressed website will ever really die out, yet the best prepared sites will be those that accept that the future of the industry will need to be broader and more inclusive.
