Which ones work and which ones don’t for your business?
With the increase of technology, the demand for a better user experience is greater than ever. AI and the Metaverse have pushed web design into a new realm, putting some web developers in limbo asking, “How do I follow the trends and create a functional website?” So, how do you know what works and what doesn’t for your business?
Not all trends or trendy options work for each industry. But, there is a way to seamlessly blend trends with usability, without sacrificing your brand’s beliefs. Check out the top 5 trends we find keep your customer engaged on your website longer and increase your conversions.
- Immersive Design
Think of Immersive design as a deep sea dive that invites your users to explore various aspects of your website. It combines stunning visuals, interactivity, and content centered around an enjoyable experience for your customers, with the goal of a deeper connection. Think of 3D animation, augmented or virtual reality, and interactive polls and quizzes.
- Parallax Zoom Scrolling
Keep users engaged with your site longer when you make your objects, backgrounds, or content layers move at different speeds, creating an optical illusion type of experience for your user. This type of design is perfect if you want your customers to focus on a specific product or service. Because this design uses large files, you’ll want to make sure your website load speed is not affected, causing a delay and making the customer leave the site before it fully loads.
- White Space (aka Negative Space)
Gone are the days where every space had to be filled with something. This causes clutter and chaos in your customer’s mind, unless you were going for that effect. Integrating negative space with different aspects of your website will streamline your customers’ experience. Another plus of embracing the space is making your website more responsive. With less elements to load, your website will be easier to optimize and navigate. This type of design works well for industries that have A LOT to say.
- Typography
Remember the Times New Roman font that was used for almost everything from websites to typed papers? So glad to be out of that stage! There are so many fonts that can be used to bring your website up a notch. Big and bold typography can be used to make a point stand out. Smaller fonts can help your user differentiate between the types of messages. And script font can be used to captivate users. With so many different fonts, the only question is which one to use? But before you go “font crazy”, make sure your font is easy to read. Depending on the statement you are wanting to make will determine the boldness or subtlety of your font. The key to this design is making sure your font doesn’t clash with the background image so it stands out and doesn’t clutter the page.
- Nostalgia
If you remember the Times New Roman font, you’ll remember the first decade of internet design. The saying “Everything old becomes new again” can definitely be applied here. Taking users back in time leads to exploration, which means more time on your site! With the use of retro-like typography, simple shapes, and cartoon-ish illustrations, the 90’s gives Retro without being “old”. Now this design is not for every brand and should only be used if it aligns with your specific brand or product. If not, it can come off lazy or out-of-touch, the total opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.
Ready to try out a new trend for your website? Although we don’t necessarily believe in “trends”, we believe in data-backed evolution. Trends can quickly become short-lived fads, putting you and your brand at risk. When choosing a trend It’s important to remember to keep your brand in mind and ask yourself, does this effectively portray my brand and customers?”
Schedule a consultation with Quartz and Clay to see what trends will work for your business!
