Web design has come a long way since the days of simple HTML pages and blinking text on other websites’ pages. In today’s internet world, users are able to interact with websites in entirely different ways than they used to be able to. This means that website developers have to rethink their approach when it comes to creating websites, as the type of interactions we have with them has changed drastically over time. Here’s how UI Design should be treated in the modern era of web development.
User experience
Developing websites for the user experience has become a priority for website designers. This is especially true with the increase of online shopping and need to provide an exceptional experience for those using your website. One way is to make navigation as simple as possible by only having
two or three links on your home page, and not overwhelming users with too many options on what they can do next. And finally, it's important to consider the color palette you use on your website because colors affect how people feel while they are browsing. According to psychological research, blue is most preferred while red causes anxiety. It's good to keep these things in mind when developing your website.
When considering building a new site, utilizing a site builder such as Wix or Wordpress can make the process significantly easier by providing a set of drag and drop tools, plugins, built-in security, and no-code options. If you have an existing site that doesn't have many features built into it like modern parallax scrolling (where images scroll with the mouse), then consider adding those features, but remember that a little bit goes a long way into modernizing your site. Some modern site builders like Weebly offer templates that look great and are very easy to use, but might lack some functionality depending on what type of business you run. All-in-all, there are plenty of modern web design tools out there that will help create a quality user experience on your website.
Mobile first
The modern era is all about mobile devices. There are more than 6.5 billion people worldwide with a smartphone, and they're using their devices to access information, send messages and make purchases. Mobile design is important because it impacts your business's usability and accessibility. The goal of modern UX design is to create websites that look good and function well on any screen size or orientation, no matter what kind of browser someone is using or whether they have cookies enabled.
A responsive website adjusts its layout to fit whatever screen resolution its being viewed on, which makes them perfect for use across multiple platforms. Adaptive websites go a step further by detecting which type of device (desktop computer, tablet or phone) is accessing the site and automatically adjusting content based on those parameters. Modern UX takes advantage of new technologies like HTML5 canvas drawing capabilities to allow browsers to render graphics smoothly without dated plugins like flash player. It also employs progressive enhancement techniques, so if JavaScript is disabled or not available, the site should still be accessible for users who aren't viewing it from a modern browser.
The responsive web design style places content above everything else in order to be visible regardless of how wide a page is being displayed on the visitor's device. By contrast, adaptive web designs rely on inflexible grids to present content in different widths; users need to scroll horizontally and vertically depending on where they are within the grid. Modern UX emphasizes simplicity when designing layouts; many sites employ minimalistic layouts with only three navigation links at the top of each page instead of complex menus with nested sub-menus.
Typography
The typography of a website is just as important as its design. In fact, many sites are built around a typeface that emphasizes the personality and message of their brand. The best way to find typography for your site is to browse some of your favorite websites, looking for fonts and sizing that you like. Once you've chosen your favorite fonts, it's time to think about which font sizes work best for different parts of your site. A good rule of thumb is 16 pixels for headlines, 14 pixels for body text and 12 pixels for paragraph text. These are general rules and should be adapted based on how large or small your content appears on screen at once. For example, if your content will take up less than one-third of the browser window, use a smaller font size such as 10-12 pixels instead of 12-14 pixels; this will prevent content from being too small to read comfortably on screens with smaller resolutions.
Some typographical considerations to keep in mind when designing your website include line length, tracking and leading. Line length is the spacing between lines of text on your page. When people read long blocks of text, they naturally speed up or slow down so that they can keep reading without running out of breath. If you don't give them room to do so by increasing line spacing (tracking), then they'll have to slow down significantly just to finish each sentence before starting the next sentence - not an optimal reading experience! Leading refers to how much vertical space there is between each line of text (the lines where letters sit). Basically, leading tells us how tight our words are together on a given line - tighter leading means more closely spaced letters and vice versa.
Icons
Iconography that connects to current trends and usage is a key part of developing a website that is immediately and universally understood. Imagine for even a moment someone seeing a blue and white 'thumbs up' icon and not immediately thinking of Facebook. Used properly, iconography can help create a brand identity, while also ensuring that users always know where to go and what to do as they're so used to seeing similar icons.
There are a variety of icons that will allow users to understand your site at a glance. The first is the logo, which can also be used as an icon. The second is an image/video gallery. This will allow users to quickly see what you have to offer and what they will receive if they purchase from you. The third icon is a shopping cart, which indicates that purchases are available. Fourth, there is the checkmark or thumbs up to indicate satisfaction. Fifth, there is the Facebook like icon. And finally, there is a search bar which allows users to find products on your website easily.
Videos
If you want to attract new users, videos are a great way to do it. Videos allow site users to interact with your site in a human way and make them feel like they can have a personal connection with your site and the people behind it. It's a more organic form of communication than text or images because it is viewed as real life footage that elicits emotions and connection. Would a user rather read what you wrote about your product or see you demonstrate it? As with all things though, moderation is key. A site page that loads several videos will slow down significantly, offering up a new set of challenges and, ultimately, a reason for users to leave your site.
Other trends
As technology and trends in design continue to evolve, so do website design trends. With AI, VR and movement based interfaces becoming more common, sites are being designed to keep up with this trend. UI design is also becoming a more important element of website development in the modern era.
In terms of design trends, these are some to follow next year.
All signs point to the increasing popularity of motion-based interfaces on the web. Combine this with tracking.js, for example, and you will probably see more such interfaces in the future, reliant on gestures and body movement. CSS Container Queries have played an increasingly important role in Responsive Web Design and mobile internet surfing because the trend for greater and larger typography is going to be steadily on the rise. Moving forward, engaging and dynamic ways of
conveying information will probably become more prevalent. This could cause increased usage of video and other visual storytelling formats. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are also continuing to grow in importance as tools that can take user experiences deeper into the world than ever before possible.
Movement based interfaces may seem like an emerging trend but they’ve actually been around for awhile now. The emphasis has simply changed from using them strictly for gaming purposes or as accessibility features to using them in everyday tasks like scrolling or controlling volume levels with your hands.
Conclusion
Designing a modern website is key to capturing your potential customers and keeping them engaged. To do this, your website needs to be mobile-friendly, clear and concise, offer a seamless shopping experience, and have features that are easy-to-use. These are all things that can be addressed with UX development and design techniques. Companies such as Shopify, Weebly, Wix and WordPress specialize in making it easy for people to set up their own website. They provide templates, help pages and tutorials to assist you in building your site yourself or some even offer customizable templates where you only need input your information.
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