Satisfy Impatient Users with These Web Trends

The Internet, and its millions of websites, is in need of a renovation.

At least that’s what many web designers believe, and many of them are working overtime to make it happen. Many designers know where the future is heading, but it will take a good deal of work to bring revolution to the masses.

So what exactly awaits us? Let’s take a quick tour of the future, looking at the most forward-thinking trends, to get a feel for what is coming.

Minimalism Is Here to Stay

Minimalistic design is not just a fad. There are some very good reasons why it will be a long-term trend, a permanent piece of the Internet’s architecture.

As Jerry Cao of NextWeb.com writes in a recent June 2015 article:

Similar to its graphic design origins, minimalism in Web design is the purest form of sculpture through subtraction—perfection is achieved not when there’s nothing more to add, but when there’s nothing more you can take away. Although current minimalism is centered around negative space and black lettering – the core of minimalism—the style defines itself by achieving the minimum of essentials through any means.

Minimalism has become the perfect design framework for the Internet because it shines a spotlight on content. It makes it easier for users to absorb key information and move on to what’s next. As society has collectively taught itself to be more impatient, this is crucial.

Ziobro’s Seven-Point Web Design Manifesto

In an in-depth May 2015 article for Medium.com, web and UX designer Jowita Ziobro makes some convincing predictions. And though her article is definitely worth the full read (she has some great GIF examples of each point), here is a bite-sized summary of her seven primary points:

Gestures are the new clicks. With the new standard of mobile-first in web design, scrolling will replace clicking in a way that allows you to see all the content on a website with minimal clicking—and any clicking will be done with large targets that are easy to hit on a mobile screen.
The fold really is dead this time. With the advent of scrolling instead of clicking, the fold is no longer necessary. This clears the way for web designers to use big, bold, beautiful imaging and ditch the fold.
Users are quicker, websites are simplifying. Ziobro includes a graph that says it all: 1 in 4 people abandon a webpage that takes more than 4 seconds to load. Once again, minimalism will carry the day because its informative, precise design alone can meet the demand of impatient users.
The pixel is dead. The emergence of retina-grade computers means designers can use vector images that retain their high quality at any size. As retina-grade becomes standard, so will vector images. The bitmap pixel is on its way out.
Animation is back. Our mobile-centric world makes motion more important. Mobile apps rely on animation to create click-less UX. Websites, thanks to things like CSS animation, are beginning to do the same. Expect to see smooth-flowing animation to become central pillars of site design.
Components are the new frameworks. With the rise of Web Components and Google’s Material design, designers will be able to add tasks to webpages much more easily. Expect components to become the gold standard.
Social saturation and the rise of direct email. Because it’s harder for content creators to have their content seen on social media because of saturation and content control policies, people are turning to direct email to send their content. Why? Because they know a larger percentage of their followers will actually see their content.

All of these trends lead to one promising conclusion: The Internet will indeed be remodeled, and it is going to look much more beautiful and offer far better UX when these new trends become the standard.

If you would enjoy more helpful insights about web design, we’ll gladly explore a partnership with you to craft an effective website perfect for your target audience and goals.

Photo Credit: Sarah G… via Compfight