In order to build the perfect website for your business today, you should look into the web design trends of the future. And as with any development in the IT world, the future is just around the corner! The first fundament you will need to consider is the "mobile first" approach. In 2015, the global amount of those people accessing the WWW via a mobile device overtook those surfing from their desktops. As a result, web designers and marketing agencies changed their tactics from mobile-friendly to mobile-first websites. Not the desktop sets the standards for the design of the site, but mobile devices, like smartphones and tablet computers. Designers first create a "small" version of the website and then convert the lay out and navigation to the big desktops screens. At a first glance, this might look like a step back for the companies presenting their products or services on the internet, but this approach is actually positive. They can only showcase the essence of their core content, making it clearer for the user and thus more effective. Responsive web design – key feature of any modern website
Today, any website without the ability to react to the demands of the individual end-device (smartphone, tablet, or desktop) is bound to fail.In 2017, RWD becomes even more pivotal! In April 2015, Google has already introduced a new algorithm which favours mobile optimized websites. Together with the knowledge that nowadays most users access the web via their mobile devices, companies who sell products or offer services over their website simply cannot ignore RWD. A great example for a company running a business that is exclusively internet-based is one of America's most renowned DNA testing company. You can examine your DNA and order your 23andme kit from their mobile device or their desktop.
RWD of the future goes beyond the ability of a website to react to the individual end device: it also reacts to the individual user!
Age-responsive design: adapting content from 6 to 80+
Making a website which automatically reacts to the individual age of the user still sounds like science fiction. But it is already happening! Big Data and the ability to use this massive amount of digital information makes this development possible. Websites in 2017 will be able to adjust structure, layout, and content to a wide range of ages. Which is great, as the needs and the demands of a six-year-old are light years apart from those of a person who is 80 and older! Just as an example: Navigation menus will expand or be reduced according to the age of the user. The font size will automatically increase to make reading easier for elderly people. The colour schemes of the website will change with the individual age – from funky wild to more subtle and relaxed.
Websites for the Non-ideal User!
"Failure mapping" describes a practice for creating the UX (user experience) of websites. When designing a site, user flows and journey maps provide the basic framework for understanding user touch-points across the full cycle of interactions with a product or service. So far, these focused on the ideal user in terms of age, income and so on. But keeping in mind that by 2017 more than half of the world's population is going online, designers need to consider all those non-ideal users surfing the web. Thanks to failure mapping, web designers are able to build websites which can handle incorrect usage of products and services from elderly people or the gigantic and still internet-unexperienced population of the "Global South" (Africa, Latin America and most of Asia).
De-Linearity Apps and Website Usage
Keep it simple! This was and still is the design fundament of apps. If you look at the taxi service "Uber" for instance, the app will lead you through the process of hiring a driver with just a few very simple steps. Set the pick up, get the estimated time of arrival, pay the service, and rate your experience. But although they are very easy to use, these apps put the user on fixed rails which leaves the fun part of the UX totally out of the picture. More and more users do not want to be herded like sheep from one screen to the next, but interactively be part of the process. The De-Linearity approach addresses this demand and is one of the key web& app design trends in 2017. It honour the intelligence of the user and provides more than one navigation path through the process.
These are just some of many new and upcoming web design and RWD trends for 2017. As a matter of fact: We can look forward to some fantastic developments in UX.