Websites need to be updated and kept relevant for it to continue enticing and appealing to readers. This is where web design comes in.
Web design trends constantly change and designers need to be on top of their game for their websites to rock and gather the much-needed attention it needs from its audiences.
This year is going to be different not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic, rather because visual and online behaviours have also changed and web designs need to adapt to it to address the demands of the evolving virtual environment.
Truth is in, the fake is out
This is a challenge for web designers to figure out and a smashing concept that would portray the right image to the audience.
The online community is entering the age of the post-truth ear, where it breaks away from the influence of fake news, misinformation campaigns, and lies that have distorted perspectives and often pass up for truth without people even noticing it.
In response to this, social media platforms such as Facebook have laid down policies to battle these negative forces. These measures were put in place by partnering with independent fact-checkers to validate content that is posted and published through the platform.
It may suggest the idea that readers may need to take action through curiosity clicks to help determine the veracity and authenticity of the content.
Here are some great ideas to make these clickable links more actionable and visible.
Label clearly and prominently- Links must be made more visible by ensuring proper labeling that briefly and strongly suggests what it is intended for.
For instance, the label ‘Sponsored’ on a post indicates that it is an ad so that it can be differentiated by readers between what is organic and what is sponsored content.
Cite sources more obviously- Web designers understand that they are partners with content developers to optimise the impacts of a truly amazing website. Being able to develop designs that give the site more credibility provides a clear emphasis on the content author and their authority on the content subject.
Make use of related content – This becomes a powerful tool to add context to the content and support your site’s information and gain the credibility it deserves. It also gives designers an edge in identifying and adjusting to the nuances of the reader and their understanding of the content topic.
Accessibility
Audience behaviour has also gravitated towards convenience and ease, which is why web accessibility is a major consideration in web design this year.
Web designers need to ensure that website and web applications can be accessed and used by everyone, especially among publicly funded and governmental institutions.
For instance, websites need to comply with regulations to also make websites accessible and navigable for special sectors such as persons with disabilities.
Here’s a simple checklist for web designers;
- Ensure there is enough contrast between background color and text. The contrast ratio between texts and the background should be between 4.5 to 1 and fonts at least 24 px or 19 px bold, as well as minimum drops to 3 to 1.
- Avoid indicating important details and information through the use of colour alone. This can be done using indicators such as icons to support colour coding and linked or underlined text.
- Pair colour values and hues together to increase contrast. Use a combination of colours, positioning, and labeling to identify content, not just relying only on images, sizes, shapes, orientation, etc.
- Focus states must help users understand and navigate to where they are on the page. For instance, when readers use their keyboards to navigate through the pages, your products need to include highly visible focus states.
- Make users understand the inputs, as well as help them correct and avoid mistakes. Don’t rely on colours to indicate an error, rather provide clear instructions on what caused input errors and prompt response on how to correct such errors.
Showcasing content in web and product design
Web and product design need to complement the theme and tone of the content provided. This will help readers establish the connection between the content and how the website is expected to look.
It should reflect an appropriate User Interface (UI) that would match the information or the input details provided by readers when it responds to a call to action (CTA).
For instance, a reader clicks on a CTA link to provide their email address and phone number. But what if the reader provided an incorrect email address and a different phone number?
This is why web designers must consider matching design and content that would not just look appealing, but would also be a practical approach to respond to the CTA correctly and accurately.
Inclusivity is important
Never limit designs to favour what is common, rather ensure that it is wholly inclusive to most, if not all readers and potential audiences. Individuals must get to see them reflected within the design and not exclude or shoo them away from the site.
This can be done by designing inclusivity that aims to provide a great user experience (UX) by developing it to be usable, useful, searchable, credible, desirable, and valuable for any user.
Getting out of the coding paradigm
Gone are the old days when a design is limited to coding skills and knowledge. Web designs are currently more convenient, creative, dynamic, and easy.
Technology has provided an important resource in design generating software that exceeds the boundaries of archaic and complex coding processes.
Visual development
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same holds true for web design technology this year as it developed more tools and capabilities to allow web design to reach new heights.
What’s more, it gives designers an actual glimpse of what users may visualise rather than just seeing wireframes and codes that mean nothing to the average user.
The return of the marquee
Just take a look at most performing websites right now, the bad boy is back and will continue to dominate the design sphere this year.
Design is never a constant grind rather it is a practice that continues to evolve that demands careful attention and care since it moves and thrives with human behaviour.