Web Design Trends You Would Like to Follow
There are currently more than 23 million employed as professional web designers in the USA alone.
Why? Is it any surprise that everyone wants a piece of the eCommerce pie given that sales are expected to reach almost $5 trillion this year?
And you need to stand out if you want to get in. Check out these 12 cutting-edge web design trends for examples of how to do it right.
2022's top web design trends and observations
Many pieces of advice would recommend you not to adhere to fashion trends in design. To see what works and what doesn't, every web designer is actually keeping an eye on the competition.
And this is why: A website with poor design will never be visited again by 88% of users.
You only get one chance to make a good first impression in life and in website design. However, in case you have a hankering for more:
- The time it takes for users to form an opinion about your website is 0.05 seconds (just 50 milliseconds!).
- 94% of first impressions of a company are based on its website.
- Negative website comments are related to design in 94% of cases.
- Because a website doesn't display correctly on their device, 93% of visitors leave.
- Because websites load too slowly, 93% of visitors abandon them.
- 90 percent of visitors will leave a website if it is poorly designed.
- Each year, websites that take too long to load lose $2.6 billion in revenue.
- Considering a company's credibility based on the layout of its website is a practice that 75% of consumers admit to.
- Dark themes are used by 70% of software engineers when writing code.
- The average user looks at a website's header image for 5.94 seconds.
- Users look at written content on websites for an average of 5.59 seconds.
- "Design-driven" businesses have a 69% higher success rate than their counterparts.
- 67% of users prefer to read content that is visually appealing.
- A great experience will make 67% of users pay more.
- If a website is poorly designed, more than 50% of users won't recommend it to other people.
- A strange or ugly layout causes 38% of users to stop interacting with a website.
- In 2018, 48% of respondents named a website's aesthetic as the main determinant of a company's credibility.
- Users can retain up to 95% of video messaging while only 10% can be done so with text.
- 80% more people will recognize your website if it uses bold colors.
- Based on the layout of your website, a visitor will decide within 10 seconds or less whether they trust your business.
- Bright colors have been shown to have a 24% increase in conversion rates.
With those figures still fresh in your mind, let's look at the web design trends that can help you increase your online visibility in 2022.
Optimization for the night mode
Let's be clear about what dark mode is if we're discussing 2022 trends for web design.
A staggering 82.7% of respondents to a Medium survey said they use dark mode in their preferred OS. Additionally, 81.9% of Android users are included in this statistic, according to Android Authority. Therefore, it may not come as a huge surprise to see major corporations like Apple committing to a thorough system-wide dark theme on their most recent iOS.
All over the world, web designers are eschewing color schemes in favor of providing users with the ability to quickly make their interfaces dark. It can conserve battery life in addition to having a very sleek appearance. In fact, Phonebuff discovered that it can add up to 30% more life to iPhone batteries. That extra boost could make all the difference for conversions on your website since Google informs us that 40% of transactions are now completed on mobile devices.
Looking at Chrome, which is developed by Google, you can browse websites in dark mode. However, for the time being, the feature will only work with websites that are dark mode-ready.
But in 2022, you can anticipate a sharp increase in the number of websites using this style. Nevertheless, exercise caution. The statistics above demonstrate that if your designers make a mistake during development, your content may not be properly displayed and visitors may leave quickly.
Minimalist mobile design
In the fourth quarter of 2019, mobile devices accounted for 52.6% of all internet traffic. That is greater than 50%. You should be aware that while that number probably no longer shocks you, high-quality mobile web designs follow different guidelines.
The user experience in mobile web design is evolving more quickly than on desktop due to the accelerated growth of the mobile market. The current trend is for designers to create mobile layouts that are as simple as possible, which contrasts with the previous trend of simple design and monochromatic color palettes. All of this is done to aid in improving navigation. Despite the small size of smartphone screens, designers are realizing that there are other factors to consider when optimizing mobile navigation.
In terms of web design trends for 2022, designers are considering micro interactions. Take a look at those three minuscule dots in the upper right corner of your browser. When you click it, a plethora of menu options appear. The secret is to keep something hidden until the user needs it, while also making sure they are aware of where it is. Without ever needing to code a "contact us" page, you can direct your user's journey by substituting a phone number for a phone icon.
Micro interactions can make calls-to-action more effective and assist users in seeing their inputs. Most importantly, research indicates that micro interactions can help users comprehend a non-standard website layout. Good news if your company has paid web designers to create a standout, premium website design that defies the norm.
The best way to guarantee that your user will be able to use it in 2022 is through microinteractions.
Storytelling
Even the most commonplace companies have a backstory. Before even clicking on your page, visitors should be aware of what they will receive; otherwise, your website's search intent is subpar. When they arrive, take the chance to explain how your company outperforms the competition.
Customers stay on a website longer when it has interactive features. But developing responsive elements need not be expensive. Utilizing a straightforward component, such as a scrolling timeline, your company can tell its story.
It is a simple way to raise brand awareness while giving site visitors a good reason to linger longer, which should boost conversions.
Make room for the video
Google is undoubtedly the most popular website in the world, but did you know that YouTube is a close second? YouTube has a global following with over two billion logged-in users per month (and counting).
But now for the bizarre part. Each session these users have on YouTube lasts an average of 40 minutes. Are you curious about the typical for standard websites? 15 seconds tops. It is abundantly clear that viewers want to watch videos. In fact, a Forbes study found that videos accounted for 80% of internet traffic in 2013. Long after 2022, this trend is anticipated to persist. Additionally, Insivia discovered that users can remember up to 95% of messaging sent in video compared to just 10% in text.
A great way to show people what your brand stands for and, more importantly, what it is capable of is by including brief video clips in the background of your website's home page.
The best part, though? Video integration is becoming more minimal as internet connections continue to improve. This means that you won't even need to be concerned about page loads.
Bold typography
Designers are constantly searching for a "thumb stopper" in online marketing. Bold typography consistently gets the job done, whether you're scrolling through social media or scanning your email.
The hero image and other 2022 web design trends are being quickly replaced by this evergreen web design trend in the design community. The text-only hero section is a significant web design trend right now.
The best part is that it uses simple graphic design and bold type so that anyone can understand it. Bold fonts are one of those website elements that seem to influence UX design year after year because they are distinctive, eye-catching, and much simpler to create than complex imagery.
Scroll horizontally
The sidescroller, once the haven of early 2000s flash games, appears to be making a comeback in 2022 web designs. Your customers in 2022 are prepared for a non-traditional user experience, as we already mentioned.
Simple side scrolling is a universally understandable way to flip the usual website design. You can eliminate the need for a menu by adding a micro interaction, like an arrow at the side of the screen, to help your visitors understand what to do.
The magazine is well-known to millions of people worldwide, so it wouldn't jeopardize its commercial reputation by using a confusing design. In this instance, the website's designer creates the impression that using it is similar to turning a magazine's pages.
You can also change the page by "scrolling down" on your mousepad since side scrolling isn't yet a common feature. As 2022 design trends fade, side scrolling will continue to be a popular feature because it is a useful way to change up your user experience while keeping navigation simple and obvious.
Motion-based user interface
The average online visitor's attention is challenging to capture. According to Nielsen Norman, website visitors should spend 10 to 20 seconds on each page. A motion user interface is one way to keep them interested in your page (UI).
Animated page elements are called motion UI. These used to make page loading more slowly. However, the speed of the website isn't significantly slowed down by motion UI because of advances in website development technology. The 2022 update to this expanding trend in web design will be user-triggered animations, like this one from the design firm Red Collar.
Adobe claims that one of the most exciting developments in a generation is the blending of user interaction with tasteful animation. According to Adobe, the expressivity of print publishing has finally caught up with web design, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for how we can engage with content.
Even better, according to The Drum, incorporating this element into your web design actually speeds up page load time because it only needs to render when the user interacts with it, as opposed to slowing down your websites.
3D components
Let's discuss another black sheep that will emerge from the cold in 2021 and 2022 while we're discussing page load speed.
According to Google research, the likelihood that a mobile site visitor will leave increases by 123% as page load times increase from one second to ten seconds. Fortunately, technology has advanced significantly since that article was published in 2017, and 3D elements are one of the popular designs that will gain from it.
When used as a marketing tool, the 3D effect can be a very effective way for designers to demonstrate their talents and build brand recognition. It is very challenging to dispute the UX of a well-designed product.
However, you don't have to go all out with your web design to benefit from the 3D effect for your brand without spending millions of dollars.
Design elements from Prior that we might classify as "3D-Lite" are a great way to use contemporary web design trends to improve the user experience on a business website. You can anticipate seeing a greater online presence for this trend as we are just beginning to reach the point where 3D elements can be regularly incorporated into website design.
At least until the full implementation of AR and VR in the upcoming years.
Element Floating
In the early 2020s, websites will use floating, shadow, and layer elements just as frequently as they did in the early 2010s.
Designers are starting to flex their muscles as a result of working with an increasing number of tech-savvy clients. Dev says that floating images and soft shadows can add a happy feeling to web design. Designers are utilizing more advanced technology to produce elements that give your website a more 3D appearance. Because they are less heavy, these components pose less of a UX risk.
This trend is also applicable to all types of web content, including text, images, videos, and more.
Drawings made by hand
Until you realize that customers who have an emotional connection to a brand have a 306% higher lifetime value, this one might seem childish. At that point, it is simply wise business practice.
One of the major web design trends for 2022 is hand drawn elements, which are a great way to add personality and emotion to your website. In fact, if you want to stand out, case studies from 99 designs advise against using overly precise illustrations or pixel-perfect websites with a grid layout.
2019 will see the end of that trend, and some companies are turning to hand-drawn designs as an easy way to humanize their brands.
Nevertheless, aside from using bold typography and fonts, using hand-drawn imagery or illustrations is a trend that will demand the assistance of a graphic designer, so it is important to keep that in mind.
Gradients
Trends in web design have always placed a high value on color scheme. While white space and minimalism are still popular in some industries, some of the biggest players in the game, like Facebook, are favoring color gradients. The social media behemoth began integrating its website with Messenger and Instagram, using a gradient color scheme.
How does that affect current trends in web design? There is plenty of evidence to support the idea that social media influences the rest of the internet. Gradients, as we know them in 2022, are a relatively new CSS development, according to raid boxes (the code responsible for web design.)
Since we are only at the beginning of the iceberg in terms of what we can do with it, you can anticipate that this trend will continue.
Imaginative pictures
A visitor to your website spends an average of 5.94 seconds looking at the main image, according to data analyzed by SWEOR. And even that seems excessive. You can see how important images are when you consider that the same website visitors only spent 5.59 seconds reading the entire website's written content.
Whether it is a screenshot, a photograph, or even just an illustration. Nobody wants to read a piece of writing without any visuals.
We've already covered illustration style trends and how, in 2022, hero images will actually be on the decline. There will undoubtedly still be a lot of imagery in web design trends in 2022, but it's the colors that you should be on the lookout for.
Bright colors have the potential to boost conversions by as much as 24%, according to recent case studies on the psychology of color in web design. Web designers will use more vibrant colors in their images and text content this year as the business case is clear to all.
How to make your website design future-proof
You're going to need to learn how to regularly update your website if you want to create a website that will remain relevant after 2022.
You could read one of these articles each year, but if you want to stay on top of things, it's important to understand which of these options actually generates revenue for your website and which are merely fashionable.
You can either use your own knowledge or pay a web designer annually who is aware of the trends in your industry to accomplish this.
A quick and simple way to eliminate the middleman is to choose a website builder that allows you to customize your design in a way that actually converts.
Whatever strategy you choose, keep in mind that testing and optimization are the best ways to determine whether your website is standing out or simply following the crowd.
By doing this, you'll be prepared with the newest website designs when 2022 arrives.