The internet is difficult to keep up with. Look back at sites from just ten years ago and the change is quite startling. In another ten years, today’s websites will look dated too.
From the technology used to build them to the UX design that directly impacts their interface, the pace shows no signs of slowing down. Here is a roundup of what we think the future holds for web design.
Virtual & Augmented Reality
More often thought of in terms of its gaming applications, AR and VR are about more than just playing games on your Xbox. Instead, web designers will be utilizing it to create immersive web experiences and overlays.
Web designers will have their work cut out for them when designing for a wider viewing angle that could potentially span 360 degrees, throwing the rules of web design as we know it right out the window.
Animation
Animation has been used online for quite a while now. However, the technology never quite matched the intention and it tended to look clunky and unprofessional.
Who could forget that irritating office paperclip? Now, using animations online looks great and can add another level of interest for users. Done well, animation can bring new elements of user experience to a website.
The Future Is In The Palm Of Your Hand
It’s not just desktop or laptop screens that web designers have to take into account. Now, they could be designing for multiple sizes, from smartphones, smartwatches, and speakers.
5g Networks
Our connection speeds are getting so fast, a website is going to load before you’ve even though about it. 5g is going to be a gamechanger for web developers and users. Sites will need to be designed to be rendered extremely quickly and will need to engage our notoriously short attention spans.
AI
Not the kind of AI you see in movies (thank goodness). Instead, AI is beginning to make inroads onto the internet. Applications such as Apple’s Siri and Google’s search have entered the market and are improving all the time.
Proprietary Environments Will Trigger Open Source Resurgence
It’s easy to focus on the individual technologies but we need to look at the open web. Companies such as Facebook want your online experience to happen on their site and within their apps.
Rather than simply accepting this as the new reality, there are still those who ensure that features are being created outside of the reach of these companies, such as an open source voice assistant from the Common Voice Project.
Developer Tools Will Improve Dramatically
The demand for high-quality web design is increasing and developer tools are trying to keep pace with this demand by incorporating easy to use real-time features. Generally speaking, great experiences on the web will become much easier and cheaper to produce.
Key Takeaways
Web design continues to develop rapidly but will likely change even more substantially with the proliferation of 5g and AR. Our concept of satisfying web experience is likely to change along with it, creating both problems and opportunities for in-house and freelance web designers alike.
