A new year, new web trends.
Since the 1990’s the internet has seen web design trends come and go. Some we’d all rather forget (Comic Sans, anyone?) and others have brought us to where we are today. Some were fleeting and others have stuck around. The thing with trends are, you never know which ones are going to become standards and which ones are simply en vogue. That’s why staying up to date on what is the latest trend is vital in web design.
From mobile to modular to material, 2016 is showing some of the most innovative and unique trends to date. Find out what the best websites will be doing this year.
Trend #1: Material Design
In 2014 Google launched their new style language, Material Design and it is posed to take over web design in 2016.
What is Material Design?
Material design is defined as the use of shadows and movements to create depth on a web page that looks extremely realistic to users. Google was inspired by construction paper of all things and wanted to bring real-life dimensions into web design.
Prior to this year, Material Design has been seen primarily in apps. In July 2015, Google announced Material Design Lite, which is more suited for responsive web design.
Regardless of the device you’re using, if you’re visiting a website or application with Material Design you’re sure to have a good experience.
Trend #2: The End of Stock Images
As Flat Design continues to be one of the most popular design trends, many websites are looking nearly identical. That is why stock photos are going to begin to phase out in 2016. Brands will need more customized visuals to stand out from the rest of the pack and win over new customers.
How can you draw in jaded web visitors? Use that creativity muscle! GIFs, video, custom photography and graphics, the list is endless.
2016 is the perfect time to finetune your brand’s image and use your uniqueness to break through the cluttered web.
Trend #3: To Scroll or Not to Scroll…
That is the question in 2016.
Two different scroll trends will be battling it out this year: the long scroll and the no scroll.
The long scroll is the more natural option for web users. However, content is more spread out with a long scroll website, thus it is more difficult for visitors to quickly scan the page.
No scroll remedies the quick scan problem, but almost too well as bounce rates tend to be higher in websites with no scroll.
Stay tune to see if we have a winner in 2017.
Trend #4: Mobile Responsive Web Design
2015 was the year of mobile. Google officially began penalizing websites who weren’t mobile-friendly in April and mobile media time (51%) officially surpassed desktop (42%), thanks in part to the newest group of consumers, Gen Z.
Brands, colleges, organizations and other institutions are all realizing mobile is here to stay and in 2016 an even greater number of websites offer a great user experience across all devices.
Trend #5: Modular Design
As far as technology and web design have come there are some ways we still do things that aren’t the most efficient. As with any industry, creating, evaluating and revising lead to innovation and growth. It’s this process that has brought us to Modular Design.
Web designer and developers are now looking to build systems of components rather than one-size-fits-all pages or time-consuming and complicated custom pages. Modular Design allows for you to have the freedom to customize a page to your liking, while ensuring your design and functionality work with ease across your website.
Expect to see more Modular Design in 2016.
Trend #6: Clever and Subtle Animations
Forty percent of visitors will leave a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. How can you keep web visitors happy when they’re so quick to bore? Clever and subtle animations!
Slack and Google have led this trend with their customized logos that morph and change shape as one of their systems loads. Expect to see more of this simple, but engaging trend from more brands in 2016.
Trend #7: Personalization
Noticing a trend of customization? As much as 2016 is about creating your unique footprint on the web, it is also going to be all about bringing a one-on-one experience to your visitors.
Web visitors expect their experiences to be tailored to their habits, likes and dislikes. As a result, we’ll be seeing much more personalization integrated into more websites.
Trend #8: Card Design Layouts
Inspired by Pinterest, these “content containers” will be even more popular in 2016 than ever before. The boxy layout allows for quick, easy and visually appealing scanning that web users love.
Check out Inflexion Interactive’s other inforgraphics:
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How Are Your Customers Surfing the Web?
Who is Gen Z?
Do You Know Where Gen Z Is Online?
For similar content to 2016 Web Design Trends:
The Non-Developer’s Guide to Web Design Terms
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