2016 has seen some significant leaps forward in terms of web design trends, technologies and capabilities. Skilled designers are implementing a number of these new tools to help give themselves a leg up on the competition.

Here are just a few of the biggest web design trends we’ve seen so far this year:

• Artificial intelligence: Mobile apps have already experienced a proliferation of artificial intelligence, and that technology is expected to see leaps in other platforms moving forward as well. The biggest example this year is Facebook M, which is essentially the same sort of tool as Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana. Facebook describes M as a “personal digital assistant.” Google also introduced Smart Reply for Gmail this year, which makes it easier for users to suggest any of three different replies based on the message that was sent.
• Interactive focus: In the past, the focus in web design had been on layout. Today it’s all about functionality and interactivity, with layout being the cherry on top. Designers are spending less time going into painstaking detail in the early phases in programs like Photoshop or InDesign and more time tinkering with how certain functions feel in programs like Adobe Comet and Sparkbox.
• Storytelling: Storytelling has always been a major part of advertising. Now it’s starting to merge with the web design world as well. People are drawn to interesting and compelling stories, and designers are finding new ways to engage in visual storytelling in their work. The way a website flows and functions, as well as the content included on the website, all goes into creating a consistent story that will have visitors continuing to click through to different pages on the site.
• Long scroll sites: With an increased focus on storytelling, long scroll sites have become the go-to tool to create a coherent and interesting story. These sites offer a lot more design possibilities than your standard static pages, which provides companies with more opportunities to set themselves apart from their competitors.
• Design for data: No longer are aesthetics the sole emphasis of web design. While designers are still focused on creating sites that look good and function well, they are doing so within the spectrum of what research and data tells them is going to be an effective format. Certain information like click through rates, browsing time, conversions and other metrics all can reflect the effectiveness of a website.

At Viral Solutions, we constantly stay up to date with the latest design trends to ensure our clients are on the cutting edge. Contact us today for more information about our design services.

Copyright 2016 Viral Solutions LLC

Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner and an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant.

We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.