If we had a crystal ball, we could all look into the future and see what might happen. In a way, it would be great to be able to do this but what would we see if we could?
Regarding technology, one thing is certain: nothing is certain.
In fact, Mark Cuban who works in both the technology arena as well as sports, says, “The only thing that is constant in technology is change.” This statement is very true.
However, it helps to look into the future of web design as well as mobile usage to see what lies ahead, even if there is a margin of error. The smart business owner must always look ahead to see what the trends are and where the future might take us, to prepare for it.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what we might see in the future with web design, and we’ll include its effect on mobile usage as well.
The Minimalist Craze
One thing that we may see in the future with web design is a trend toward minimalist designs. If you look at some of the examples of minimalist websites such as this one by company called Sea Ray, you’ll see that the focus on minimalist websites is to get visitors to take action. These sites are not meant to be about staying on the page a long time. They take the view that we should cut to the chase and focus on getting visitors to click on the links at the top of the page or in the navigation without delay.
It is true that many people are just leisurely browsing when they first enter a page. They may spend some time looking at your logo, your content, or maybe an article and they may or may not go to your sales page. But a minimalist site seems to withhold much of the content of a site to move the visitor immediately from entry into the site to action.
This technique is not for everyone, but it can help you to create more of a sales magnet for your website and online business by focusing on the result rather than the appearance of your site.
Pageless Design
Pageless Design is also a trend that many expect to see in the near future. The above article from DTelepathy talks about how some sites in the future will create story-based pages that are not focused on a traditional website.
This is a unique approach and almost makes you think about how content take precedence over an actual website presence in the future. However, it is strange to imagine a time when a company would not need a website or landing page for people to learn about your products and services. While there may be a need for story-based approaches with some off-site content, this seems to be more of a trend that will not be the norm in the future but may offer an alternative for certain types of websites that wish to focus on a story-based model.
There is some evidence that story-based websites may become more popular over time as an add-on or subpage with one’s main site.
Particle Design and Mobile Responsiveness
Particle design and mobile responsiveness is considered to be the future for many design experts. It involves using strictly digital technology and virtual reality type technologies to capture the attention of visitors on your website.
This is pretty involved and includes the use of many cutting-edge technologies that must be implemented on the back end of a website for it to function correctly.
Contextual Computing & Automation
Contextual Computing is a trend that we will be seen much more in the near future. This concept has to do with the ability of modern technologies to predict what people want and deliver it to people. It has to do with artificial intelligence as well as other new technologies that promise to adapt to our needs.
Much of this movement has to do with the necessity of automation and the desire to do things as quickly as possible, including the actions that people perform when they are visiting a website.
When customers start demanding that this technology be used on a more consistent basis website owners will feel more compelled to adhere to these expectations.
Automatic Design
Automatic design platforms will be used by many business owners in the future. This is a new concept in web design because it takes the creative aspect away from the design process.
For independent website owners, this may seem like a great thing because they will be able to go to sites such as Wix.com and others and just input their information. Then the automated “smart system” will allow you to create a website through automated software and systems that are specifically engineered to create a site without having to do it manually and based on your preferences.
Mobile-friendliness
When it comes to the future of mobile-friendliness, there’s no doubt that this need will continue. The need for native applications, as well as mobile-friendly websites, will increase as time goes on. For this reason, it is important to have a web designer or web design firm that understands the importance of keeping up with the trends of the future, while also understanding that many of these things are trends and that you should not feel you should follow them all.
Whatever the future holds, the most important thing is that you are in tune with the demands of your customers and that you can keep up with this demand. If customers want immediate information that is easily accessible and if your business sells products online, you may want to consider creating a minimalist site.
If sales are what you are focused on, perhaps telling a story is the way you should plan your web content.
Whatever your main customer base wants is what you should do to create and maintain your site. It truly is about your customers and what they need to feel comfortable on your site.
You can find out what your customers want by conducting surveys and getting to know what people want. Additionally, it’s a good idea to hire a professional web design team to create a custom website for your online business.
Being able to create automatic websites may seem like an appealing thing to do. But it’s not necessarily the best solution for a professional website.
At webdesignteam.com, we understand how important it is to have a site that is customized to your specific customer base, and that is crafted to include all of the modern technologies necessary to stay on the “cutting edge.”
Remember that there will always be technological changes going on around us. (Remember Mark Cuban’s quote!) But the most important thing is not for you to follow trends but to be able to adapt to a continually changing world and an audience that you can only get to know over time.
Check out our website at webdesignteam.com and look at what we offer then contact us.
We will be happy to help you design a site that will not only meet the needs of the changing technologies, but it will also satisfy your mobile customers.