2017 Web Design Trends
The web’s dynamic environment is always presenting surprises and changing as web users demand better experience from webmasters. Search engines have also evolved making webmasters work harder to gain visibility. The mobile has become the platform of choice for many web users meaning the age of the responsive web design has come. 2017 will largely build on the trends that were nascent in 2016.
Responsive websites become standard
Web traffic from mobile devices overtook traffic from desktops and laptops for the first time in 2016. This has been a growing trend which has forced webmasters to make their websites responsive for viewing on mobile devices.
Google is forcing webmasters to offer better UX for mobile users by rewarding websites with responsive web design. 2017 will see responsive websites become standard.
Mobile first approach
In recognition of the shift of web traffic to mobile devices, brands have been forced to adopt the mobile content first approach. The smaller screens of mobile devices limit the amount of content that can be viewed. Web designers are allowing the mobile user to add more content as they wish. Designing content for mobile first will be a growing trend in 2017.
Typography becomes bolder
Resolutions have become sharper with the coming of the retina display. Typography has become more important in creating the personality, emotion, and tone of a website. 2017 will see bigger and bolder typography with dynamic text, image layering, and parallax scrolling.
Endless scrolling goes deeper
The phenomenon of endless scrolling has been popularized by popular websites like Twitter and Facebook. Long scrolling together with responsive web design presents better UX for mobile users who do not have the luxury of tabbed websites. Menus and tabs are being discarded in favor of the navigation within one page. More long scrolling websites will be seen in 2017.
Minimalist look becomes
The minimalist look is presenting web users with few items from which they can choose to lead to more content. Netflix is a good example of how to present the minimalist design. The user gets a few cards linked to more info instead of a fully loaded homepage. This is a trend to watch out for in 2017.
Rise of the conversational UI
Messaging platforms such as WeChat and Slack have popularized interaction through chat and natural language over the use of other mediums like social media and apps. This rising trend will see the use of the conversational UI in more websites, especially web stores, in 2017.
Real photos
Web users have become smarter and can tell a stock photo when they see one. Web designers will opt for more authentic photos in 2017 for a better impression.
