Web development · 20 Sep 2021 · 2 min read

5 web development trends worth watching

Web development trends move faster than most businesses can act on them. Staying aware of the ones with real staying power, rather than chasing every fad, is what actually keeps a website looking current.

1. Dark mode and low-light interfaces

Dark mode has stuck around for good reason: it’s easier on the eyes in low light, it saves power on OLED and AMOLED screens, and it gives design elements a cleaner, more modern look. Many sites now offer a toggle between light and dark themes rather than picking one for every visitor.

2. Interactive, responsive elements

Interactive elements — things that respond to a click, a hover, or a scroll — give a site a more human feel and hold visitors’ attention longer than static pages. They take more work to build well, but a site that works equally naturally on a desktop and a phone reaches a noticeably wider audience.

3. Voice interfaces

Voice search has grown alongside smart speakers and voice assistants from Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft. People increasingly prefer a quick voice query over typing, including for tasks like ordering online, which makes voice-friendly design worth including on a modern site rather than an afterthought.

4. Progressive web apps

Progressive web apps combine the reach of a website with the responsiveness of a native app: they load fast, work offline, and feel app-like without requiring an app-store install. Built with standard CSS, HTML and JavaScript, they’ve been adopted by companies like Uber for exactly that reason.

5. One-page websites

For portfolios, freelancers and single-product sites, a one-page design keeps everything a visitor needs on one scroll rather than scattered across a navigation menu. It’s easier to manage, faster to build, and often a better fit than a multi-page site for a business that doesn’t need one.

Conclusion

The common thread across all five is a website that’s fast, clean and easy to use on any device. Whichever of these you adopt, that’s the standard worth building towards — trends fade, but usability doesn’t.