Even though the average user may not notice it, web design trends are always on the shift. What perhaps looked good just a few years ago seems archaic now and web designers are always out to tweak the website design so that it remains contemporary and interesting to users. According to https://www.kinesisinc.com, design accounts of 94% of the first impressions by users; visual appeal and website navigation are usually the two aspects that are crucial in such impressions. Some of the top web design trends that merit attention:

Responsive Design

Even though responsive design is hardly a new web design trend, it still finds mention at the top of any design trend list simply because of its sheer importance. An increasing number of users are now surfing the net from their mobile devices and today the number of searches from mobiles have surpassed that from desktops. It is, therefore, critical for web designers to ensure that their websites work properly on the smaller screens of a vast array of mobile devices being used. With the average internet user more impatient than ever, any site that does not display properly on mobile screens is quickly abandoned and the increased bounce rate is also picked up by Google and the website driven down its page rankings.

Chat-bots

Many users are in a great hurry when they visit a website. If the website is really large and will require a lot of investigation to discover what it offers, visitors find the chat-bot facility very useful as it can be used to find out very quickly the answer to their most common questions. While having a real person handling a chat window is the best possible solution for addressing user queries, having such a facility 24x7 to answer queries in real time can be challenging for many businesses. The chat-bot can be an ideal solution in these conditions as most common questions of visitors can be answered on the spot and for questions that cannot be answered immediately, the visitor can be informed who and when to contact a live representative for solutions. Not every type of website can use the chat-bot facility profitably; websites that offer custom products will not find it helpful, however, business websites that have the same questions asked repeatedly can most definitely benefit from this feature.

Animation

While videos that start playing immediately when a web page is launched are universally disliked, it does not mean that the web page has to be bereft of all movement. It is possible to add some simple animations into the background of the web page or into some of the images so that they can catch the attention of the visitor and help him to engage with the website. Of course, this needs to be done in a way that does not distract users and draws attention away from the main purpose of the website. The principal benefit of adding animations to the website is to make it more engaging so that the user is tempted to spend more time on the site. You can think of drawing attention to live Instagram stats with some nifty animation in the background.

Original Illustrations

Using stock photography is already a big no-no for website designers as it is very likely that the average user has seen the very same images in a number of situations earlier and fails to be impressed any more by them. In fact, using stock photographs has negative fallout in terms of website goodwill since users assume that any site that is taking such a shortcut will obviously not have any other content that is original. Photography by professional photographers is an option that works well but it can be expensive and when done by everyone loses its competitive edge. The latest trend in using visual images is original illustrations that are drawn to custom specifications by artists, either by hand or more commonly on the computer. Using custom illustrations on the website can create a singular viewing experience for the user and communicate a unique brand personality that cannot ever be done by photography. Finding a good artist who can translate your vision and brand experience into engaging illustrations can take some amount of experimentation but once you can settle on one, you can be sure that you will be engaging with your customers in a very unique way.

Hamburger Menus

Although controversial, hamburger menus that take up very little space on the screen and open up only when clicked are fast becoming popular. Originally devised for mobile screens, hamburger menus hide all the items of the main menu behind its icon making for a cleaner look. The principal advantage of a hamburger menu is that since it is very small, it permits a cleaner web design while still providing all the navigation elements required by visitors. The minimalist appearance of hamburger menus is not liked by everyone but if your audience is young and more accustomed to using their mobiles for surfing, they should be perfectly comfortable with it.

Bold Colors

The main challenge for website designers is to make the websites stand out in the clutter of thousands of other websites competing for the attention of the user. While color schemes have always been a favorite weapon in the hands of web designers, most have tended to stick to colors that complement the brand colors. A relatively new trend is being seen where designers are employing bright and bold color schemes in a bid to deliver a distinctive experience that will make the user remember it more. The use of bold and vibrant colors has to be obviously tempered by the judgment of the web designer as it may not work well across all industries and may well clash with the brand personality.

Conclusion

As with any website design trend, the decision to implement it will depend on whether it is likely to add any value to your website either in terms of functionality or in terms of delivering more memorable user experience. It is always a wise policy to get user feedback before implementing sweeping and expensive changes.