We have seen signs of businesses reopening during the third quarter of 2020. Yet uncertainty remains. In some states, companies have reopened in recent weeks only to be told to reduce their capacity for customers. The pandemic has made it difficult for businesses to develop a growth strategy. With things changing so much, it takes a brave person to make any predictions concerning the coming year, i.e. 2021. But, to help you, I will still attempt in the Web Design space.
Why is Web Design important?
In a day, how many websites do you come across? Infinite, right. Now, out of them, how many do you visit? Very few, correct. What makes you click on the website and browse through the pages? Am sure, one of the aspects would be the design.
Yes, that’s true. Your website’s design can either break or make the business. It can create a difference in how your target audience views your company and potentially turn them into your customers. Developing a design with an impressive user interface will result in a much better conversion rate.
With more online businesses upping their game, it’s important to draw customers’ attention and get them to choose your platform over everybody else. This can be done by exploring the latest web design trends.
Here are the 8 latest Web Design trends you need to know in 2021.
- Dark theme websites – Dim the lights and relax your eyes. Dark mode is one of the popular trends in design, and it is set to become popular next year. World-class brands like WhatsApp, Google, Facebook and Apple have already jumped on the dark mode design train. Dark mode looks like an ultra-modern theme that highlights and allows other design elements to pop on the aesthetic end. Whereas, on the practical end, dark mode reduces eye strain and saves device battery power using low light conditions. Let’s take the classic example of Jack Daniels. It gives a premium feel and the dark design suits the brand perfectly. The website is a good balance of font choice and colour, empty space on the page and well-designed visuals.
- Improved product photography – Shopping online is more convenient than moving around from store to store. But there’s a problem when it comes to items such as clothes and furniture. For the consumer, not seeing, touching, and feeling these products makes it very difficult for them to decide. As a result, we have seen brands moving away from small thumbnail images towards extensive and detailed pictures of products on websites. You can also view the items in 3D and rotate them through 360 degrees.
- Unusual colour combinations to evoke certain moods – In 2021, one of the most prominent trends would be bold colours and unusual colour combinations. But, they need to harmonise with each other to catch the customers’ eye. Various bright, saturated colours can help your brand stand out from years of minimalist designs. Glowing shades can stick in the memory of your website visitors. For example, bubly, the sparkling water company. It is an excellent example of how a site can use bold, saturated colour without overwhelming the eye.
- Interactive 3D elements – 3D design elements can intrigue website visitors. Hence, you can opt for it to stand out from their competitors. Thanks to VR/AR technologies, 3D elements can add extra beauty to the websites, and the results can be stunning. For example, stripe.com. It is a simple yet effective implementation of 3D on a payment platform.
- Smart content load – Many of us have resource-heavy websites with many graphical elements and third-party integrations that can slow our sites down. Fortunately, there are ways like lazy loading and infinite scroll to develop smart websites that can download only the content that your visitors want to see and need. However, these technologies are not new. They can improve the user experience for all website visitors, in turn, improving your conversion rate and ranking.
- Micro-interactions and micro-animations – Micro-interactions work as small animations on a website which offer subtle feedback to users. For example, the mouse changing its course into a different image depending on its link. With the focus on micro-interactions, your website can stand out a little bit more. On the other hand, micro animations are small animations. But, it doesn’t mean insignificant. Micro animations can help guide users through your website and add an element of playfulness to your site.
- Using organic shapes – In 2019, geometric shapes were a big website design trend. However, in 2021, it’s all about organic or fluid shapes. They are anything that doesn’t involve straight lines. Look around you and think of the figures that happen in nature, like hills or the edges of a lake or river. See how they are asymmetrical and winding. Similarly, organic or fluid shapes are a great way to break up sections of a website without harsh lines or angles. Take the example of Android.
- Using the voice user interface – If you want to search a query in Google, you ask questions or make demands. Voice user interfaces like Siri or Alexa have changed the way users access information these days. This means web design also needs to adjust to the emergence of chatbots and virtual assistants. While this trend has not entirely taken off, it won’t go anywhere in the foreseeable future. We will soon see websites incorporating voice search as an additional option to the traditional text search.
As we know, in 2021, we can expect an abundance of bold, eye-catching, unique websites with animations to intensify user experience. That’s why companies need to know to create a web design strategy in 2021. Let’s understand it now.
How to create a web design strategy in 2021?
- Evaluate your current website and list down the shortcomings
- Analyze what your competitors are doing
- Based on the information, create a website design plan that can meet your business objectives
- Start by mapping out the customer journey. It will be from the first time someone visits your website to the moment they become a customer
- Spend time understanding your users’ intent
- Use the imagery that works best for your target audience
- Use the latest web design trends to make your website stand out from the competition
- Make your CTA’s attractive and spot-on for users to take necessary actions
2021 is here! This year provides you with an opportunity to relook and start afresh. Choose trends and ideas that can enhance your website’s look and functionality. Equipped with the right set of tools and trends, you may be on to starting your own trend pretty soon! If you need help, connect with us.
