Web design combines meeting technical, design and business challenges, while ensuring that your website promotes your services effectively and gets you found on Search Engine Results Pages.
While the world of web design trends aren’t usually as fickle as some, there are some common themes emerging that are a response to how the general public are using the web and how search engines, well Google mostly, have responded.
From April 2015, Google explicitly changed its algorithm so those searching on mobile devices would see mobile friendly websites higher up the search engine listings – See our earlier blog article Google’s mobile friendly update – however the clearest trend is an active focus on user experience for various screen sizes, from smartphone to 25” monitors.
#1 KISS principle
Your should follow the KISS principle, Keep It Simple Stupid, as 2015 users aren’t too bothered about how pretty your graphics are or what a lovely background you have had designed. For mobile users, viewing graphics heavy sites means eating into their data allowances so everything downloaded must help enhance that user’s experience in some way. This trend has probably carries on into desktop users as people will often use multiple devices to view the same content. People do not have the time and patience to figure out where they have to click on a complex looking website page full of colors, text, photos and animations. They will not appreciate your quirky sense of style, they will leave your website instead. So, KISS and win at user experience.
#2 Flat web design
Gone are the days of glossy, bevelled buttons that shimmer on mouseover. Also gone are the days of baroque style ornamentation that surrounds the important content i.e. words, images, videos or links. That doesn’t mean websites are uglier or not designed well, they are just simpler, easier to use and focussed on providong a better user experience.
#3 Multimedia becomes standard
Although it might conflict with the #1 KISS principle, communication and user experience is often enhanced by multimedia, such as video, sound, good navigation etc. But treat this as a precious resource only used when appropriate.
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