Happy New Year! A new year brings a new set of trends in the ever-changing web design world. Each year we see trends rise and fall in popularity and are largely dictated by changing technology and how we use it. Mobile usage has been steadily on the rise, and the web has changed greatly because of it. We’ve seen responsive design grow because of the growing amount of mobile users as well as a user experience that needs to cater to it’s growing mobile user base. Video and animation are also rising in popularity and are going to be huge again this year. Check out all of our predictions for the year and where we think the web is headed in 2017!

Mobile-first design

This design approach puts the importance of mobile design first, just as the name says. More users are browsing on their mobile devices than ever before and those numbers are going to keep going up. This isn’t a new trend, but it’s going to be huge this year, the biggest influence we’ll see in 2017. Responsive design will continue to grow and sites that aren’t designed with mobile in mind will continue to dwindle.

Microinteractions

These are small animated interactions like a hover action that reveals something when you touch it. They are little touches that lend to better storytelling and a better user experience. They also make websites more fun and interactive, giving the user something to interact with and feedback on what they are doing.

More video

Video usage has been steadily growing over the last few years and will again be a big player in design this year. Videos will be used in backgrounds, advertising, and in traditional ways on websites, but you’ll see it more and more. People want to see people delivering content, not a machine, and using video allows your site to feel more human.

Earthy colors

Pantone has named Greenery as the 2017 Color of the Year, which will be influential in all types of design. We’re seeing a lot of trends that are moving toward nature-inspired and handmade things, instead of machine-made things, and websites will follow that trend as well with earthy and nature-inspired color palettes.

Simplified navigations

Because of the growing amount of mobile-users and a mobile-first design perspective, navigations are becoming simplified. They are needing to be easier to find, easier to use, and with less items to browse through. We’re also seeing some mobile-inspired items blend over into desktop use, including navigations that slide open or expand when you click on them.

More complex layouts

Because of the rise of pre-designed templates and flat design, many designs have started taking on a simple and similar look, causing everything to blend together. This year, we’ll see the rise of more complex designs and layouts, with designers breaking out of the grid and creating less linear designs.

E-Commerce user experience

With the rise of mobile usage, and our shortening attention spans, the need for a better, easier, and quicker online shopping experience is needed. People don’t want to click too many times to get what they want or wait for things to load, they want it fast and they want it to be simple. E-commerce shops will need to evaluate their shopping and check out experience and make sure it’s easy to understand and simple to complete.

Mobile usage really is the biggest influence of the year and will continue to dictate how websites function and look in 2017. Let us know what you think of our predictions and what some of your own are as well! Cheers to a great year ahead!