It’s no secret that everything is and will continue to be shifted online, especially after the pandemic. This means that it’s harder than ever to make your website design stand out from the crowd and keep up with the competition. Web design trends are something that changes continuously. Thus it is a constantly developing field. It is all about creating and bringing revolution while looking to the future. There are so many advancements in technology and design for websites that there are constantly new ways of engaging users.
The last thing you want as people arrive at your website is to lose conversion because your website design looks outdated or ignores critical web standards. That’s why we have spoken to Reactive Graphics an award-winning web design London agency, to seek their expert opinion on new website trends that companies will start prioritising and utilising in 2023.
Parallax Scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a website effect where the website background moves at a slower pace than the foreground. This results in a 3D effect as visitors scroll down the site, adding a sense of depth and creating a more immersive browsing experience. It works great to make a web page more dynamic especially if your website has a combination of videos, pictures, and lots of text. Web designers use parallax backgrounds as a tool to better engage users and improve the overall experience that a website provides. Parallax scrolling introduced a new way of allowing designers to break the stereotype by making the act of scrolling itself engaging for the user.
Horizontal Scrolling
Horizontal scrolling is a page navigation technique in which the user scrolls left and right to reveal content from the sides of the window. Horizontal scrolling can be done by clicking and dragging the horizontal scroll bar, swiping sideways on a desktop trackpad or a trackpad mouse, pressing left and right arrow keys, or swiping sideways with finger on a touchscreen. Horizontal scrolling won’t apply to every industry but if you’re in a creative and visual industry like art or fashion then is more likely to gain prominance. In recent years, this feature has most popularly been used by photographers or artists to portray their portfolios. You may have also seen big clothing companies use this feature to display new clothing collections.
Chatbots
Chatbot design combines elements of technology, user experience design, and good copywriting. We see chatbots and 24/7 online assistance everywhere these days, and this website feature will continue to be relevant, if not become more relevant in 2023, especially with the continuous advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. We anticipate chatbots will replace human customer service representatives for routine inquiries and “personal shopping” as AI and machine learning advance. Automation can a great customer experience and also save money on those customer service costs connected with speaking with a member of staff.
Micro-interactions
A micro-interaction is exactly what it sounds like, small animations that users can interact with on a website. There are many types of microinteractions possible and the list keeps on growing with further advancements in technology.
Some of the more popular micro-interactions are:
- Contact and newsletter sign-up forms
- Social media like and share buttons
- Animated call to action buttons
- Swiping, scrolling or clicking
- Password strength feedback
- Drag & drop upload
- Notifications
- Download animation
- Audio and/or visual feedback
- Hover animations on buttons or linked graphics
These micro-interactions enhance the experience for the reader by capturing their attention and keeping them engaged without distracting them from the information that you want to portray on your web page. When done right, micro-interactions stimulate dopamine release in brain, creating small moments of delight. These moments all contribute towards improving user experience and increasing the likelihood that users will keep using your product and in the case of websites, the amount of returning traffic.
White / Negative Space
White (negative) space is the area of the layout that is left empty. It may be not only around the objects you place in the layout but also between and inside them. Too many elements without enough negative space significantly raises the level of distraction. Users are then overloaded with information and interactive elements, most of which they don’t need, and they will have to make an effort to find what is important. White space is a common technique used by some of the biggest companies in the world. Apple is famously known for using white space in its branding, packaging, and website. It’s a great way of showcasing high-quality images and improving readability in a simple way.
Dark Mode
Dark mode is a low-light user interface that uses a dark colour (usually black or a shade of grey) as the primary background colour. It’s no secret that over the years our screen time has increased. We are using screen-based devices in both, our work and home life, which has encouraged users to switch to low-light. Using dark mode is easy on the eyes, because it reduces eye strain for the reader. Another advantage is that it saves battery life.
Many companies are using dark-mode web designs because it is an eye-catching, practical, and modern way of presenting your website. World-class brands like WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, Facebook and Apple have already jumped on the dark mode design train.
Unique Use of Colour
Colour is a staple design element we see everywhere in our lives such as on every website we visit or app we use. We are seeing more strategic use of colour on website designs, whether it is to create better branding or make a bold statement to make sure people realise you’re different. Typically, when picking brand colours most companies may stick to three to four different colours which are then incorporated into their brand identity. However, it has become quite popular to use gradients of these colours to make elements on the web page stand out by adding dimensions and realism to a design.
Behavioral Design
Behavioral design is about using visual cues to influence user behavior. You can use scientific data and creative design to improve user experience. For example, let’s say you want to help people learn new skills, achieve fitness goals, or keep up with a daily habit. You may have noticed how fitness apps are taking advantage of this trend. Great example are apps who count your steps. You start walking, keeping an eye on how many calories you burnt by walking and you do feel good seeing that numbers. It motivates you to maintain that habit by giving you amazing badges and rewards.
