Current Trends in Website Design

From passive to dynamic to interactive, website design has evolved rapidly. A web browser today is the point for interaction and a launch pad for apps with a host of functionalities in the background. While refining technologies, developers have also paved the way for sophisticated visuals, making it easy for visitors to navigate the site and record better satisfaction. Of the many developments in recent year, a few noteworthy ones are:

Interactivity Rose to a Higher Level
Technologies like ASP, Ajax, Jquery and LAMP have added whole new features, making it easy for visitors to interact. You notice this in the way when you hover your mouse pointer over a link, a small pop up appears and displays information. You can click to know more and it can be in the form of a pop up or a separate box. You need not leave the main page.

Menu and Navigation Systems
Pop out or fly out menus or drop down menus are not a new concept but the way they are incorporated along with a streamlined navigation system makes for a happier browsing experience. Users can navigate to the pages they are interested in. Web designers can subtly design navigation to lead visitors to the desired locations. Not all websites are considerate. Some have a landing page where you must enter your email details to proceed.


Touch Screen
Once restricted to a few devices, touch screen is the de-facto interface in smartphones and has made inroads into laptops and even desktops. It is fun and pleasure to swipe and slide pages, pinch, drag, and use intuitive gestures to get the desired response. This flexibility allows developers to be more creative and incorporate improved functionalities for seamless operation across mobiles, laptops and desktops. Windows 8 incorporates touch screen features ushering in an era where taps and gestures replace mouse movements.

Search Boxes
This is something we should be thankful for. Instead of searching the entire site for a piece of information, most sites have a search box to help you find what you want.

Recession Spurs Freebies
Rather than charge a few dollars, most websites offer useful and not so useful apps as freebies as an incentive to use the website and probably go in for some paid option. If your freebie convinces visitors that it is valuable, they will gladly pay for other services or products. It seems to work.

Working in the Background, not-so-desirable trends
What we may not be aware of is that web developers may introduce spyware or tracking software surreptitiously when you visit their sites and click on innocuous links. You may be blissfully unaware but all your preferences and browsing history may be recorded somewhere.
Just as much as it helps users, these developments also help web designers create move effective websites from their point of view: getting traffic and results.

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