The basics never grow old. Things like Levi’s Jeans, a classic watch, or a leather jacket – you can always count on them to fit right into the times.
The same can’t be said for website design. When it comes to online, new tools, technologies, and customer expectations are constantly transforming what constitutes “good design.”
As we look forward to the rest of 2021, we fully expect this definition to evolve as new technologies and best practices emerge.
An Immersive Web
First, let’s talk about web users. We’re at a moment in time where the user experience is defined by an amazing set of circumstances.
- A Remote Workforce – Due to the COVID pandemic, most of the U.S. white collar workforce is now working from home.
- Mobile More Than Ever Before – According to consumer research center Statista, total global smartphone users will be at 3.8 billion users by the end of 2021.
- The Arrival of 5G – Super-fast 5G technology arrived in 2020 and is expected to takeover completely in 2021.
These factors indicate we’re suddenly at an era of immersive web experiences – we must build with this destiny in mind.
Look for these trends to drive web design in 2021.
2021 Web Design Trends to Expect
Mobile First
The days of sitting at a computer, wandering around the web, and discovering things are coming to an end.
Most people are reaching for their phones first. Looking at the phone is the first thing many people do each morning, the first thing students do when they leave class, and the first thing employees do when they arrive at work. People are on their phones all day and night long.
In addition, billions of searches each day occur on mobile devices and in result, major search engines are now ranking sites with mobile experiences higher than those that do not.
Minimal Design
The increase in mobile traffic impacts users’ attention spans.
This means, websites need to deliver their call-to-actions fast (whether that be to sign-up, make a purchase, subscribe, find out more, or to book an appointment).
There’s no better way to get your point across fast than with a simple, clean, minimalistic design.
More Story-Telling
Driving customers to take action on your page is a challenge. While, yes, a minimal design helps, there has to be room for authenticity, story-telling, and the communication of valuable, unique selling points.
Achieving this, while keeping users’ attention, is a challenge, and can be supplemented with engaging story-telling devices like short videos, social media posts, and animations.
The Need for Speed
Website speed is more important than ever.
You don’t want visitors to leave because they were forced to wait too long. Having fast web hosting is important, but site design is a huge piece. Great web design allows for pages to render and stabilize quickly, smooth page loading, and rapid response time to user interactions.
One-Page Designs
It may not be for everyone, but for some industries, the one-page design is becoming more and more in-vogue. Essentially it places all of the traditional structured pages, like “Contact,” “About,” and “Services,” and so forth, on one page, in a concise, intuitive, user-driven experience.
In many cases, this type of design creates is more engaging and more mobile friendly.
Take It and Run – Web Design with NetNation
Design trends evolve over time, but this latest wave of technology is a significant leap that should drive you toward getting a new site. One of the most flexible and easiest ways to do this is for us to do it for you!
NetNation’s Website Design Service can create a custom WordPress-based site geared toward your needs, integrating all of the above best practices described above.
If you’re interest in the service, just reach out to us by completing the form on the Website Design page. We’ll get in touch with you and talk through if this service can be a fit for you.