Visually driven industries like web design have always been strongly driven by trends. This development is perfectly normal – innovations expand opportunities and some ideas work better than others. When some of these solutions catch on and show practical value, it is perfectly normal for the rest of the industry to try to emulate the same approach.
Obviously, the businesses that are able to predict which of these design approaches will demonstrate staying power are in a much better position to reap the benefits and dictate the market than the companies that are late to the game. Let us then take a look at some of the most exciting web design trends that will shape the industry during 2020.
Adaptive design
The industry has been dealing with the issue of adaptive design ever since people started browsing the web from their mobile phone so calling it a new trend in 2019 wouldn’t be completely true. Still, the continuous introduction of new screen sizes and formats, makes this problem is just as relevant as ever. Because of that web designers will have to find new solutions of how to preserve design language and functionality while allowing the seamless access from different devices. Motion gestures are expected to take over even more duties from traditional menus.
A simplistic approach to design
Plato once famously said that “beauty lies in simplicity.” Well, it looks like the industry leaders have been reading a lot of classic philosophy as of late because we’ve seen a very strong push toward simplistic and minimalistic design over the last couple of years. With even behemoths like Facebook embracing this sterile design approach in their mobile app (reportedly, the company is laying the foundations for Dark Mode), the trend is only expected to take stronger roots in 2020.
Personalized UX and dynamic content
The goal of online marketing was always to deliver a personalized experience for each prospective or established customer. These days, technology is finally making these aspirations possible. And as a result, we can see the stronger push toward a personalized UX that’s built around the profile of the visitor and delivers the content based on the unique preferences like age, gender, and personal preferences. As this system develops, each new website visitor should get a unique, personalized treatment.
Greater implementation of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is changing the face of virtually every industry in existence and it is only natural that the field of website design will be affected as well.
First, the AI technology will through, what we like to call “artificial design intelligence” undoubtedly change how the industry performs to its very core. With AI taking over more menial tasks on its shoulders web designers will have more freedom to innovate, grow, and push the industry forward.
Second, AI, in the form of chatbots, can deliver outstanding and very affordable around-the-clock assistance for website visitors. If we take a look at Australia as an example of a developed country, we can see more and more companies transferring these duties from human resources to virtual assets.
Finally, developed AI is an irreplaceable contributor in the process of selecting the content for the contextual web design we have covered above.
So, expect the see Artificial Intelligence exerting an even stronger influence over all levels of the web design industry during 2020.
Data-driven design
Data makes the business world go round. And, as time goes by, the process of web design gets more dependent on it. If we stay for a while in the Land Down under and take a look at the current web design landscape, we will see that any top tier web design agency from Sydney will count data-driven design as one of its prime services. But, what does data-driven design exactly mean?
Essentially, this term describes the process of design that is backed by data and a thorough understanding of the target audience. The reason why this trend is gaining so much traction is that it essentially tears down the myth of design as a process based on instincts and good practices and puts the focus on the end-user. Obviously, this approach also produces much better financial results.
Beginning of the end of the flat design
We already mentioned that contemporary designers are making a strong push toward minimalism and simplicity. But, don’t confuse simplicity with the tired, flat, and blocky design that has been with us since the early 2000s. Now, don’t expect the pendulum to swing too far in the opposite direction and bring us back the visual clutter of the 90s. Judging by the developments that are currently in motion, we can expect to see the marriage between the two extremes – simplified elements that give a certain degree of context to their actions.
3D models
The potential of 3D rendering in UX and web design is virtually limitless. As a matter of fact, a stronger shift to interactive 3D models can completely change the way we think about website navigation. So, why weren’t interactive models more widely utilized as a way of conveying the information if the benefits are so obvious? It’s simple – the models were out of reach for most of the designers. Now, though, with the price of rendering on the downward slope, it will be exciting to see all the interesting ways in which this promising technology will be used.
Big fat text
This practice has been used with great success by newspaper publishers for ages now. But, grabbing the attention of the passers-by with massive headlines, and cleverly using the limited webpage real estate is not the same thing, right? Well, if we take a look at the success HuffPost achieved by using this ancient journalist practice we’ll see that’s not exactly true. Although allocating too much space to massive headlines may seem counterintuitive, this practice leaves a very strong impression on the readers and does wonders for the company’s branding. Expect to see this trend spreading like a wildfire.
We hope these few predictions gave you some general idea of how web design will look in the near future. This industry has always been heavily influenced by contemporary sensibilities. The ability to say ahead of the curve and dictate the trends instead of following them may largely determine just how successful you will be in this particular field of work.
