12 Web Development Trends This Year and Beyond
Web development trends are constantly changing and evolving. What was popular last year may be replaced by something new this year. Therefore, it is essential to continuously update skills and knowledge of tech trends to stay ahead of the curve. While this can be challenging, it also provides an opportunity to improve performance and user experience. This article has compiled a list of 12 web development trends relevant to the IT industry’s current scope.
1: Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is popular in web development to help businesses stay ahead of the curve. By automating repetitive tasks and providing powerful tools for data analysis, AI is assisting developers in creating better websites faster.
2022 NewVantgae partners survey reported that 92% of large companies achieve data and AI investment returns.
Benefits of using AI for web development include
- Automate activities such as code testing and website maintenance.
- Analyze and identify patterns and trends in web usage and user behavior.
- Monitor website traffic for security threats, block malicious activity before it causes damage, and detect issues.
AI tools are only likely to increase as businesses seek to gain a competitive edge.
2: Single Page Applications (SPAs)
Single Page Applications (SPAs) are web apps that load a single HTML page. This page is then updated dynamically as the user interacts with the app.
SPAs use various web technologies to achieve this, including AJAX, HTML5, and CSS3.
As web trends have shifted towards more user-friendly, responsive, and interactive designs, SPAs have become more popular.
Advantages of Single Page Application
- SPAs are faster and more responsive, leading to a better user experience and increased conversion rates.
- The trend is convenient to debug and test.
- Single Page Applications can support offline use, making them more reliable and resilient in the face of network disruptions.
Therefore, Single Page Applications can deliver a superior user experience that helps businesses boost their conversion rates.
3: Mobile-First Development
Mobile-First development is a robust approach that prioritizes mobile devices when creating websites and applications. This approach has increased in popularity as mobile devices have become more sophisticated.
According to a study, mobile users account for more than 62.06% of website traffic.
Thus, the web trend can improve performance, accessibility, and user engagement.
Advantages of Mobile-First Development
- Mobile-First Development can streamline experience that is tailored specifically for mobile devices.
- The trend saves time and money in the long run, as subsequent versions for larger screens will be simpler and require less work.
- Mobile first development can focus on making your content accessible even when users are on the go. Thus, it can improve your SEO.
- Mobile responsive websites can engage users to stay connected with your brand.
In a fast-paced world, using Mobile-First development is a smart way to create websites that meet users’ needs.
4: Dark Mode UI
One of the latest web development trends is Dark Mode UI. As the name suggests, Dark Mode UI is a dark color scheme for webpages and applications.
Dark Mode allows developers to create a stylish and functional user interface using a dark background with light text.
According to Android Authority , when dark mode is accessible, 91.8 percent of people use it. Almost 37% of IOS users have switched to dark mode. However, 9.90% of people switch settings between dark and light modes. Thus, the flexibility to switch between dark and light modes offers users a customized experience and drives more traffic.
Pros:
- Dark Mode UI can help save battery life on mobile devices up to 63% because dark backgrounds require less power to display than light backgrounds.
- Dark Mode can also prolong battery life on devices with OLED or AMOLED displays.
- It can be easier on the eyes, especially in low-light conditions.
- The dark color scheme can benefit people with visual impairments.
- Dark Mode makes your web pages more readable and less distractive.
Cons:
However, it is essential to note that Dark Mode UI is not suitable for all web pages.
- If your web page contains many images, you may need to adjust your images’ color saturation and contrast.
- Although Dark Mode can help conserve battery life on your devices, it makes content-heavy websites more difficult to read.
Nevertheless, Dark Mode UI is a trend worth exploring in 2022 and beyond since it improves usability for websites or web applications.
5: The popularity of AI-Powered Chatbots
A chatbot is one of the hottest web development trends as it provides customers with the fastest way to access information.
Chatbots are used on websites and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook to handle customer inquiries, generate leads, and provide support.
Almost 68% of Customers find Chatbots helpful and time-saving (source, startup bonsai ). Many industries like eCommerce, education, and healthcare use Chatbot technology to automate their services. According to Juniper Research , Chatbot Conversations will deliver $8 billion in Cost savings in 2022.
Some of the Chatbot’s uses are:
Customer Service Tool
Digital businesses use Chatbots to
- Answer commonly asked questions
- Schedule appointments with clients
- Set reminders for meetings
- Check the weather and more
Chatbots can also be programmed to escalate complex issues to a human agent.
Marketing Tool
Marketing agencies can use chatbots to
- Gather customer data
- Create targeted marketing campaigns,
- Generate Leads,
- Qualify Prospects,
- Send promotion messages,
- Interact with customers on social media.
The Rise of Voice Search
The Voice Search trend has been on the rise in recent years. The global voice recognition market is expected to increase from $10.7 billion in 2020 to $27.16 billion
by 2026.
The trend is driven by the increasing use of smart devices and virtual assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. A study suggests that 71%
of consumers with smart devices use voice search to perform tasks.
Benefits of Using Voice Search
Many web developers are now incorporating these technologies into their websites and applications. The benefits of Voice Search and Smart speaker technologies include
- Increased usability,
- Faster search speeds,
- Improved accuracy and user experience
As the use of Voice Search and Smart speakers continues to grow, more web developers will likely adopt these technologies to meet the needs of their users.
7: Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs)
AMP is a web design trend gaining popularity due to its ability to improve page functionality and drive conversions.
AMP pages are mobile responsive and have a simplified design, making pages faster and easier to load.
In the fast-paced world, mobile users want fast solutions for their searches, and thus the plugin makes the user experience ideal for websites where speed is essential, such as news sites and eCommerce stores.
Uses of AMP
- Improving page speed
- Reducing bounce rates
- Increasing conversion rates
- Improving SEO
Hence, businesses that adopt AMP as part of their web design strategy can expect to see an improvement in their conversion rates.
8: Headless CMSes
A headless CMS is a back-end-only CMS that makes it easy to store, manage, and retrieve content. It’s called “headless” because it has no front-end design or templates. You can use any programming language and framework to build your front end.
The Benefits of using headless CMSes
- The ability to update the back-end without redeploying the front-end
- Improved performance
- Increased flexibility as different applications can be built on top of the same API
- The ability to use new technologies as they emerge without being tied to a specific front-end framework.
The Downside of Headless CMSes
Headless CMSes are more complex to set up and maintain than traditional CMSes. They require a greater understanding of web technologies.
However, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, especially as the trend moves towards more decoupled architectures.
9: Motion UI
Motion UI is the future trend of the digital world. It is a Sass library for creating flexible animations. It is easy to use, highly responsive, and flexible for Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
Benefits of Using Motion UI
Web developers use Motion UI to
- Create impressive and engaging effects on web pages, such as simple animations, slides, and hinges.
- Help businesses to turn customers’ attention towards target areas.
- Make products more appealing with custom animation integration.
- Provide an engaging experience that customers will find helpful.
With web technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and the interaction between machines and humans, Motion UI is well-suited to meet the demands of the ever-changing digital landscape.
10: Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things, or IoT, is one of the most vital tech trends today. It refers to the growing trend of making devices accessible through our mobile devices. It includes everything from home appliances to wearables to cars. With the implications of this trend, businesses can benefit from increased flexibility and efficiency.
The Statista Report on the Number of IoT connected devices worldwide (2019-2021) forecasts the use of IoT devices to reach 29 billion in 2030. Another study suggests that, in 2022, around 20 billion IoT smart devices will be in use worldwide. Therefore, the demand for 5g networks will also continue to grow.
Benefits of Using IoT
- IoT can provide continuous data transfer between devices, which can be used to automate and control operations.
- It can be integrated with existing technical information to provide a more comprehensive view of operations.
- IoT offers increased flexibility and scalability, which is essential for companies constantly evolving businesses. The trend can help enterprises to save time and money by reducing the need for manual monitoring.
In short, IoT is a critical part of the future of business.
11: API-First Architecture
API-first architecture is a relatively new approach to web development. The API-first approach means that when developing a new website or application, the API is the priority over other elements such as the user interface or database.
There are several reasons for this
- APIs are vital to many modern web technologies, such as microservices and serverless computing.
- An API-based approach makes it easier to integrate with third-party applications and services.
- API-first development tends to produce more robust and scalable codebases.
While API-first architecture is not without challenges, it can offer significant benefits in many situations.
12: Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology offers a secure, transparent, tamper-proof way to make direct peer-to-peer transactions. Bitcoin is the most popular use of Blockchain technology. According to Statista, there are over 81 million Blockchain wallet users. However, blockchain technology has many potential applications for web development.
- Blockchain’s verification procedure protects it from hacking attacks because each node verifies the transaction before it is added to the blockchain.
- Blockchain developers create secure blockchain solutions and maintain clients and server-side applications.
- With secure and tamper-proof digital records, blockchain could help to streamline healthcare data management.
- All transactions are viewable publicly. Thus, the technology trend will help to build trust between parties involved in a transaction.
Blockchain technology is thus changing how we make and record transactions, and it will likely impact how we do business in the future.
With the ever-changing digital landscape demanding constant innovation, it is essential to stay ahead of the competition by learning and adopting the latest tech trends. These twelve web development trends will help you stay relevant in a fast-paced IT industry.
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