12 Essential Web Design Trends for 2021
1. Artificial Intelligence
Far from a passing fad, AI will play a prominent role in the websites of the future. An AI-powered webpage is going to be highly responsive, personalized, and more intuitive than ever before. One example of how AI can enhance your site is by adding more human-like chatbots.
For example, an AI chatbot may understand and resolve a customer’s requests by corresponding with them on the website, saving your business time and money by not getting live customer support involved.
2. Virtual Reality
VR has been popular for a couple of years already and will continue to trend in the coming months and years. For example, on IKEA’s website, you can use VR to visualize what a piece of furniture would look like in your house.
Another example is Clearly’s website, which lets you virtually “try on” glasses using your computer’s webcam to show how the glasses look on your face. It’s an engaging and useful tool because users no longer have to rely on their imagination to picture how a product or service can benefit them.
3. Fast Page Speed
Did you know that the average webpage load time is about 27 seconds on a mobile phone? Yet, up to 40% of potential customers are likely to click away from your site if it takes any longer than two or three seconds to load! Long load times also affect a website’s ability to rank since Google began rolling out its Page Experience update earlier this year. That’s why speed optimization is critical for business websites right now!
4. Minimalism
With page speed and user experience being a hot topic these days, it’s little surprise that minimalism is trending in site design right now. We’re talking about lots of blank, white space, and clean text that make the few important elements on the page pop out. Not only does a minimalistic design help increase loading time, but it also drives customer conversions – there’s less to distract them from taking the desired action!
5. Dark Mode
More webmasters are incorporating dark mode into their designs to cater to users who prefer low-light surroundings. Dark mode helps reduce eye strain, which is a growing problem as people spend an increasing amount of time looking at screens. But dark mode can also be a stylistic choice, allowing you to accentuate certain design elements by making everything around them darker. Dark mode is definitely one of the top essential web design trends in 2021.
6. Bold Fonts and Text-Only Hero Images
Bigger, bolder fonts are in. They are effective because they’re eye-grabbing and get the message across quickly. They pair well with the text-only “hero images,” which is the trend of removing the usual background image or video and replacing it with plain, bold typography. These images are best utilized above the fold on a webpage to grab the visitor’s attention immediately.
7. Smart Video Backgrounds
Making
video backgrounds is pretty simple these days, and they’re becoming increasingly popular with webmasters who want to boost their conversion rates. People love videos because they’re visually appealing and engaging, but they need to be done right. “Smart video” backgrounds are videos that show what the product or service is about without detracting from the text.
8. Data Visualizations
Statistics and data can be an essential marketing tool, but it needs to be delivered in a way that makes it easy for visitors to consume and understand. That’s where data visualization can play a huge role in the success of your website. Bar graphs, infographics, maps, and pie charts are just a few ways of creatively communicating data to prospective customers.
9. Interactivity
One of the best ways to keep people engaged is by making your website interactive. This could be by adding a valuable tool on your site, like a calculator, or something entertaining, like a quiz.
Interactive elements also work well as an email opt-in. For example, let’s say you have a website selling skin creams. Your visitors can take a quiz to find out their skin type but would need to sign up for your email list to view the results.
10. Illustrations
If your website uses too many stock photos, it can end up looking bland and generic. A fresh way to add some zest and creative elements to your site is to commission a few illustrations. Illustrations are not only a refreshing change for your visitors, but they are also more aligned with your company brand since they are tailor-made for your website.
11. Voice-Activated Interfaces
With the introduction of voice-controlled assistants like Siri and Alexa, it’s becoming more common to verbally ask a question or make a request than use a computer keyboard. Voice interfaces are still a newer design feature, but one that designers should consider adding soon since it’s likely to become prevalent in the future.
12. Accessibility and Inclusivity
Last – but certainly not least – is the importance of making websites more accessible and inclusive. This means making the website usable for everyone, including people with disabilities. It’s good customer service; plus, it is good for SEO and conversions!
Some examples of improving your site’s accessibility include creating contrast between the text and background, including focus indicators, and correctly using alt tags for images.
If you want to design a competitive site that users will love, it’s important to start incorporating some of these trends into your website. After all, the web is constantly evolving, and it pays to stay ahead of the curve! Need some help with web design?
Visit us at GooRooz today, and we’ll happily help you take your website into the future!]]>
