Web Design Trends that are Changing the Internet Landscape in 2017

Last year, we saw a lot more businesses adopting the mobile-first approach and, consequently, implementing responsive design on their websites to make them mobile friendly. 2017 is shaping up to be another great year for Website Design, as we see many innovative trends are being adopted around the world. 

Here are some of the top web design trends that are transforming the Internet landscape in 2017: 

Layouts that bring the focus to the content

Content is still king, and more designers are waking up to the fact that people navigate to websites to read content and not just to view neat animation tricks. In 2017, we expect many sites to be redesigned to make the content more readable and clear, with elements promoting ease of readability. 

SVGs to improve loading times

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) are relatively new technology. They are an alternative to traditional image formats like PNG, GIF, and JPG. They allow designers to produce images that can be scaled up and down to match any screen size without loss of fidelity (unlike other formats). What’s more, they don’t require HTTP requests, so pages with them load lightning-quick.

3D design elements

3D design isn’t new, but we saw the mainstream implementation of 3D elements on top websites via technology like Parallax scrolling. This year, we are going to see designers make websites that can be viewed on 3D wearable devices like Oculus Rift.

Colors helping the minimalist approach

There has been a trend in the market to build websites that have a minimalist interface and a clutter-free design. Bold and bright colors are being used to both emphasize the content as well as to promote a brand’s identity.

Constraint-based design tools

Developers usually have to create several versions of a site for different screen sizes. In 2017, the market is being flooded with tools like Figma that allow site makers to build a site only once and have it displayed correctly across multiple platforms.

Are you looking for to make a new website in 2017? Openwave’s leading Web Design & Development team can make you a custom website with leading-edge features at economical prices.

Make the Shift to Mobile-Friendly Design to Cater to Mobile Users

Everybody takes their smartphones everywhere these days. People often use their waiting time to browse their favorite sites, shops, or blogs. Statistics tell us that traffic from mobile devices has surpassed traffic originating from desktop PCs in 2016. By making sure your business can effectively cater to mobile users, you can keep your customers happy and improve your revenues this year.

Understand your customers’ attitude

Your clients or your visitors are going to want to surf your website or store on their phones and tablets, especially when they're on-the-go. If your site doesn't display correctly on their small screens – or if they have to spend too much time panning and zooming into your pages to click on links – they will probably abandon it and go to a competitor instead.

Test your existing site

How well is it doing when it comes to small-screen friendliness? Check your existing pages by browsing them on a phone or tablet. Is it easy to navigate on a small screen? Does it look right? Do you have to squint to view text anywhere? Make a note of problems and areas that need improvement.

Make a move to mobile-friendly design

The goal is to provide a smooth experience to mobile users. Your web pages should be easy to navigate, clutter-free, and display content in an efficient, clutter-free way on mobile devices. You can cater to mobile users in one of the three following ways:

• Create a single responsive website for both desktop and phone users. This option is cheap and efficient, but often slow-to-load.
• Create a mobile-only website and redirect mobile users to them. This option is a very useful but hard to maintain and update.
• Use adaptive design that makes your site compatible with the device accessing it.
• Create an app that will load much faster than a website, and will offer personalized services to users.

Every business is unique and has unique requirements when it comes to making services available to their mobile customers. For best results, we recommend you consult with an experienced web design and development team to come up with a unique solution for your business.