Web design trends going into 2016

In the past year, focus has been on responsive web design and meeting up with Google’s mobile friendly update. However, there are other trends that have rocked 2015 and will spill over well into 2016. I spoke with mxits.com.au who showed me some of the most popular let have a look at them.

Rich animations are now being used more than ever to improve storytelling on webpages. It makes for an interactive and entertaining experience. However, rich animation will not fit on all pages. Designers have to carefully consider how animation will add to the elements and personality of the site.

In a bid to keep up with responsive design, lots of websites today deploy similar UI. Wordpress and its booming theme market equally contributed in this rise in similar looking websites. However, there is nothing wrong with this. It simply highlights the fact that there has been a shift in the way users consume the web. They now expect to see specific UI patterns on websites. Designers can therefore do little by way of innovation as emphasis is mostly on providing this familiar experience.

Launched last year by Google, Material Design simply uses shadow effects and the concept of movement and depth in order to come up with more realistic designs. The focus of material design is to create a clean and domestic design that fully focuses on user experience (UX). The acceptance for material design has not been unanimous but it is a trend that will only grow stronger in future.

This is an important feature in every digital design project. Most websites and mobile app include some elements or moments that a user is expected to interact with. These interactions ensure that designers are providing users with a human-centric design. This rise in this particular trend is as a result of designers understanding that making websites and other related devices human-like in their moment is important for adoption and usability.

The rise of mobile internet usage today means responsive web design is more popular than ever. Web designers rely on it to present a uniform experience for users regardless of device being used. Since it is a relatively simple and cheap way for businesses to build fully functional and mobile friendly sites, it is a trend that won’t go away anytime soon. However, design and development must be in tandem to ensure that performance issues common with responsive design are avoided.

This trend has been around for a while because of its compatibility with other trends like minimalism, responsive web design, and material design. In the future therefore, features of flat design like long shadows, simple typography, ghost buttons, minimalism etc. will continue to remain at the forefront in web design.

These are web design trends we expect to see in 2016. However, it is important to avoid going with the trend because it is the in-thing. An e-commerce site for example has everything to lose by deploying one page scrolling. Focus should always be on creating a better experience for users at all times.