Top Web Design Trends and Standards for 2022

October 22. 2021

Every year we are witness to new innovations and improvements which make our lives better. We can see new trends pop up the most in everyday technology. Websites have made huge leaps in the last few years, and the rollout of new features is only getting faster. Although it’s okay to look back and see how far we’ve come; today we are looking at what the future holds. Here are our picks for the 5 top web design trends and standards for 2022.

1. Decreased website load times

Since the dawning of the internet, users have always been complaining about slow load times. Compared to what we had before, modern websites are very responsive and fast to load. However, there is still room for improvement. As internet speeds have gone up, so has our use of bandwidth. Sometimes web designers get carried away and adorn websites with large files. That can bring slower connections to a standstill. Users have become accustomed to fast-loading websites and will quickly get frustrated and leave if your website is slow.

Make sure that it doesn’t take multiple seconds to go from one page to another. Unfortunately, you might have a hard time figuring out what is causing your site to drag, as there might be multiple issues slowing down your website. If you need the help of experts to maintain your website, then you should contact WPFullCare. Iron out any glitches and keep your site in top shape, or you could risk losing customers and experience a drop in sales.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that your pages should take no more than 2 seconds to load. If you are experiencing slow load speeds you can try several things to speed up your website. Another reason why page speed is important is that it affects your SEO. Search engines give slow websites a lower rank, and that’s a sure way to reduce the number of visitors to your site.

2. Improved content load and page scrolling

While we’re on the topic of page speed, we’d like to point out another innovative way to boost load times. You can optimize the way your content loads to still engage users while the rest of the page is loading. Simply put, your website should pull content as you need it, instead of retrieving everything at once. This can be great for pages that feature bandwidth-heavy images and videos.

You can segment pages on your websites, or implement features that allow for infinite scrolling. You are not depriving your visitors of content, you are just loading it as they reach it. WordPress websites also have multiple ways of customizing scrollbars. Use these to add both style and functionality to your pages.

3. Increased accessibility

According to the CDC, more than 60 million Americans live with some form of disability. Don’t ignore accessibility features, because you will effectively lock yourself out of a large portion of the user base. Create accessible websites to reach more users and provide them with easy navigation when they visit your online presence.

So, what accessibility features can we look forward to in the top web design trends and standards for 2022?

• Firstly, we expect to see more voice-activated features on the internet. Web design is catching up with personal assistants like Amazon’s Echo and Alexa and Google’s Assistant, which already have groundbreaking voice recognition functionality. However, browsing the internet and navigating pages just by voice commands will require simplified navigation from individual websites.
• We also expect to see a continuation of the trend that favors user-friendly forms with a reduced number of fields.
• Make sure to increase the ease of use for the colorblind. Use contrasting colors and simple shapes.
• Thumb-friendly navigation has become a design priority for mobile versions of websites and apps. Place all the buttons needed for browsing within thumb’s reach – mostly on the center and the bottom of the screen. This way, browsing can be done with one hand on any mobile device.

4. Creative use of color

Although a white background and text are considered the cleanest look for websites, there are many options to choose from. The right color combination can make your website stand out from the crowd of lifeless plain-text pages. Use bright and bold colors, but select combinations which contrast each other, so visitors can make out what they’re looking at. Through the smart use of colors, you can make specific areas of the page stand out. This is best put to use to make the call to action and other important buttons noticeable.

5. Increased focus on user engagement and interactivity

User engagement and making your website interactive are definitely the top web design trends and standards for 2022. As a website owner, regardless of the business, you’re in, you need to find a way to keep visitors around. The flavor of the month seems to be motion UI with interactive images.

Micro-animations are taking the place of complex full-screen videos. Animations can be used to spice up a page and make it look more interesting. However, e-commerce businesses have realized that this isn’t just a fun gimmick. Animations can be used to preview certain products much better than images, especially for clothing.

Polls and surveys are a great way to boost user engagement and get feedback at the same time. Search engine algorithms can also pick up on the number of users interacting with your pages and boost your SEO. You can include comments sections on your pages and link to social media platforms to foster even more engagement.

Chatbots are becoming more competent and they can now offer a personalized shopping experience and help users navigate websites. Bots can answer customer questions or forward them via a click to call button.

In summary

That was our list of predictions for the top web design trends and standards for 2022. Even if you haven’t yet adopted these features for your site, they are definitively worth paying attention to. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t wait too long, since progress is an unstoppable force. You are either a part of it or are left behind.