As you probably already know, web design trends are always on the move. That’s why it’s so important for you to understand how these trends affect your own site – and what you need to do to remain competitive.

Below, we’ve outlined four of the most important web design trends that are changing the climate of the web in 2016. Does your website stack up to the new changes and demands in this marketplace? Have a look below and find out.

Don’t Be Afraid to Follow Current UI Trends

If you’ve been on the web lately, you’ve probably seen similar designs on most major websites. As current website design evolves, UI trends tend to rise to the surface. And many people think they need to stand out by avoiding these design trends found across the web.

The truth is that it’s okay to follow trends – as long as they add to the functionality of your site from a user’s perspective.

Most of these new design trends reflect current consumer preferences for how they engage and consume web-based content. For instance, several trends within the last few years have changed many old presumptions of how web design works:

Not All Information Must Remain Above the Fold: In the old days, you needed to get practically all important information to appear for the user at first glance. But that type of design principle only makes a site look too busy, cramped and unappealing.

It’s Okay to Let Users Scroll Down: Users are used to scrolling down thanks to mobile. In fact, they’re willing to scroll way down to read your content – something that was unheard of just a few years ago.

Don’t be afraid to adopt current trends for your site. After all, they’ve become a trend because they work and users like them.

Material Design

Google introduced its Material Design elements to their assets. Material Design is about adding movements, depth, shadows and other effects to create an illusion of substance.

Material Design creates assets and related components that give more depth to the user experience. And while this new style is primarily used in apps right now, Google has already pushed the concept for a smooth transition into desktop and even mobile web design.

While Material Design is still in its relative infancy, these trends will likely take hold and continue to grow through 2016. If you’re in a redesign phase, it’s definitely worth looking into this trend to see how you can incorporate it into your own site.

Microinteractions (Without Overdoing It)

Microinteractions refer to pretty much every app, site and related web asset. Hitting a ‘Like’ on social media is a microinteraction. Clicking through to manipulate something or to make a change is a microinteraction.

Simply put – you need these elements in your effective website and app design. But there’s a fine line that you need to avoid with microinteractions to keep your users on-board.

The goal is to try and make any type of microinteraction as invisible or subtle as you can. This adds some urgency and interactivity to your site, making users feel motivated to “do” something. But if these interactions become too tedious or bothersome, you’ll quickly see how users will navigate away or close your app.

Efficient Design Principles

Data is money. And mobile loading is time. If you’re weighing down users with heavy sites that take a long time to load and use more data, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Ensuring efficiency and a lighter footprint on your site are essentials for today’s web. By adopting responsive design techniques with tools like RESS, you’ll boost your site’s performance, decrease load times and data usage and make your users happier.

Get Your Site Up-to-Speed with The Gaswerx

Does your site feel like it’s running behind in 2016? Not sure what to do to improve the UI and enhance your site’s potential? If this sounds like you, it’s time to contact us here at The Gaswerx.

Our experienced web designers and marketers understand all the important trends affecting the internet. We’ll help you get all areas of your web design and function optimised. And this will ensure that your site is poised for ongoing success throughout 2016.

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