Our Predicted Website Trends in 2017

With 2016 coming to an end and it’s been quite a big year for web design, development, and technology. We thought we should share our predictions for 2017 and the trends that we think will become popular.

Mobile first than desktop

Mobile phones have now officially become the primary device for browsing the web, especially here in the UK. Many companies, including us, understand how important it is to have a site that effectively delivers content on a smaller screen.

Google says 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site they have trouble accessing and 40% will instead visit a competitor’s site. This highlights the importance of having a mobile-responsive site. Especially since the beginning of 2016, 1,800 million people browse the internet on their phones and this number is rapidly growing.

Design and visuals aside, the mobile-first model and the restriction it brings is a useful way for brands to consider what their core content and message they wish to communicate. As mobile don’t allow too much text and content because of their smaller screens.

Be unique – focus on originality

With thousands of websites being developed every day, they will need to make sure that they are standing out from the crowd.  Customers and users seek authenticity from the brands they use and well, stock pictures aren’t going to cut it anymore. The common business man smiling and shaking hands or designers sat around a screen isn’t something we are going to see in 2017.

For companies and brands to strike a connection in the new year, they are going to need unique: designs, visuals, typography, and photography that represent who they are. The number one thing to do is decline stock imagery.

At CSI Media, we can help you with that as we have a team of creative expert designers. They will be able to design websites, graphics, and print materials for your business. I’m sure we can do whatever you have in mind, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

What about animation?

As browsers become more advance, websites are moving away from static imagery and finding new ways to engage with their users - unique methods of communicating. 

Animations allow companies and brands to tell a story and bring out of their personality in a more eye-catching way. With the development help from HTML5, CSS, and jQuery as they are taking a bigger role in this.

However, this should only be used sparingly and carefully! You don’t want to distract a user and you don’t want them to wait a long time for the content they are looking for as they are waiting for an animation to load.

Videos are coming in big and bold

Videos aren’t a new thing however we have a feeling they are going to become very popular. Just like animation, a moving image on a page is going to instantly capture the user’s attention and draw them to the site.

They are a great way to get across a lot of information across in a more creative and appealing way. Hubspot suggest that 79% of all consumer internet traffic will be video and 50% of all mobile traffic is now already video based. As well as websites, videos are becoming more popular across social media. With Facebook recently introducing live video and Instagram having the “Boomerang” app to allow users to create fun short videos.

Innovative scrolling and parallax

We think that parallax and innovative scrolling are going to be the biggest craze in the next year. In the past designers and developers were concerned about the important information being in the top fold and this design would compromise this.

This versatile scrolling works well to deliver varieties of content. It works with video-based content, where large full-screen videos play and pause as the user scrolls. As well as static content which can animate, move or change depending on the purpose.

Many brands have introduced this to their websites because it gives the site a flawless and smoother look as it gives the page a 3D effect. It’s a great tool to give the page a sense of depth. This blog have a list of tour favourite examples: http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/parallax-scrolling-1131762

The negative of this is that it’s bad from an SEO point of view. With it being on one URL and mainly images, there is no keywords for the search engines to pick up. Well-known brands have introduced this scroll because they are well established whilst smaller businesses haven’t because of SEO. This is a decision that needs to be made, SEO vs design.

These are our five predictions for website design for 2017 however if you need help and advice beforehand, get in touch with us. We are an award-winning web developers and design agency with teams of experts and years of experience. We can have a range of services, have a look at what we can offer or get in touch with us.