The internet is playing a bigger and bigger role in the lives of ordinary people, and businesses are taking notice. As the second decade of the 21st century continues to unfold, the way websites are designed and administered is evolving as well, and business owners, web designers and others are taking notice.
While no one can predict the future with precision, there are some clear signs emerging. Taking note of these trends and extending them out could be good for business, and here are seven of the things you can expect.
1. Clean design - Say goodbye to overcrowded websites that are hard to navigate and filled with fluff. In the future designs will be cleaner, crisper and smarter, with just the right amount of information.
2. A sense of fun - The world has been through a lot in the last couple of years, and the last thing people want is more doom and gloom. As a result more web designers and business owners are looking for ways to make their sites fun and engaging.
3. More white space - Filling every conceivable corner with text and graphics has long been the standard, but no more. In the future what is not on the page will be just as important, and web designers will be giving visitors room to breathe. Look for more white space breaking up smaller paragraphs and groupings of text as website designers adapt their sites.
4. Speech enabled search - The emergence of speech to text technology has been a game changer for users of mobile devices, and website design is only now catching up. Look for more speech enabled search options in future website design going forward.
5. Calming colors - earth tones - The psychology of color has always played a role in online design, but now bright primary colors are giving way to more muted hues. Earth tones should be big moving forward, and website designers are taking notice.
6. The use of multimedia - The early web was a text only affair, but the modern internet is all about multimedia. Look for more videos and other types of non-readable content to emerge in the next couple of years.
7. Interactivity - These days consumers want to interact with their customers, and that has led to not only responsive but fully interactive web design. This interactivity will be a hallmark of web design in the future, and now is the time to get ready.
When it comes to smart web design it is not enough to know what is happening. If you want to succeed in the future you need to stay abreast of future trends, understanding not only what is going on now but what will be happening in the next couple of years. The seven emerging trends outlined above will be happening fast, and it is important for web designers, freelancers and others to get ready.