5 Web Design Trends Leading the Way In 2016

As web design trends come and go – their intricacies are refined and developed to a better outcome. It’s critical to stay on top of what’s new. Some new trends in the industry are brand new trials; others embrace the older and well-used methods, tweaking them slightly to adapt to the interface and new technological advancement. The following are some of the new (and critical) web design trends of 2016 that have caught the eye of web designers industrywide. As always, with new ideas and implementations, testing is key to ensure each new design introduced is optimal for the site it is representing.

Rich Animation

Rich animation, being used more and more in web design can elicit strong user responses and result in a staggering increase in conversions. Whether used to portray a storytelling perspective, educate or entertain – it’s safe to say that any kind of animation enhances a site’s user experience factor. Several types of animation are being implemented including hover, background, and loading to offer a more immersive environment for the user.

Material Design

Featuring grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and depth effects such as lighting and shadows material design was initiated by cutting elements of the interface, namely icons, out of paper to get a feel for how shadows were cast over them in a real-life setting. Material design takes the user experience to another dimension, offering a more interactive, yet easy-to-use experience.

Microinteractions

Microinteractions can range from a notification ping to liking content – a series of actions leading to another. Microinteractions serve essential functions, however, they tend to go unseen – acting as second nature for a user, and a best practice in UX design. As one would imagine, these interactions are an essential part of any type of interface – from eCommerce to blogs, apps, and presentational sites.

Card Layouts

Originally gaining ground via image-sharing sites such as Pinterest, cards have become one of the go-to implementations for designers looking to organize content, particularly for a responsive approach to web design. Frequently paired alongside the technique of flat design, cards are a successful framework for organizing visual and contextual assets built around many individual pieces of content. Without a structural system such as cards in place, a steady stream of information can become unmanageable and a turn-off for users.

Visual Storytelling

There is a rising trend in using visual storytelling to sell products, educate consumers, and connect with audiences. This comes as no surprise as visual elements make content pop to the eyes in a way that text alone simply cannot. While visual storytelling is pretty common in the digital medium, it’s not used as much in any other marketing channel. Visual stories, as opposed to static content, are interactive and get people to commit themselves to a brand. There are several effective platforms to apply visual storytelling in the digital environment such as typography, sound, video, and interactivity.