Top 5 Web Development Trends
The internet is continually evolving, at a rapid pace and in many directions. Today’s average web user is growing more confident and more skillful, and technology is advancing ever-faster – web developers need to move fast to keep up with the latest web development trends.
These days, the line between web development and web design is becoming increasingly blurred, as function and user experience eclipse aesthetics as the most important considerations. The best designs compliment and incorporate emerging technologies and web development trends to truly harness the capabilities of the medium.
Here are the top five web development/design trends that are currently making their mark in the digital sphere:
HTML5
As the popularity of Flash-based content begins to wane, developers and designers are quickly learning about the power of HTML5.
While Flash continues to be a formidable design tool, it doesn’t always work well with many popular new technologies. When misused, Flash can have a negative effect on the usability and accessibility of a site, and its ability to rank well in search engines.
Most developers would agree that no website should be made entirely of Flash; HTML5 can do many of the things that may have previously required Flash, without the adverse effects.
CSS3
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to define the look and formatting of a website. The latest version of the technology – CSS3 – incorporates a number of excellent new features including border radius, rounded corners, box shadows, multi-column layout and opacity.
Lifestreaming
The notion of “constant connection” completely dominates the way people currently interact online.
Rather than just including a link to a Facebook or Twitter page, many websites are now “lifestreaming”. Generally, this involves using a social network aggregator to consolidate multiple social networking profiles into one profile, and incorporating a live feed into a website or blog.
This means that users can follow a website owner’s movements (on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn – the list goes on) directly from their site.
Quick Response Code
Quick Response – or QR – code for the web has been around for a little while, but it has become particularly relevant with the proliferation of internet-capable mobile phones.
QR code is a barcode that includes information (such as a URL) – a user simply takes a photo of the QR barcode using their mobile device, and they will be taken directly to the associated website.
At a time when mobility is so important to users, QR barcodes are a very handy tool and are frequently used on a range of advertising materials, including business cards, magazines, newspapers and brochures.
Mobile Sites
The number of users accessing the internet via their mobile phone is skyrocketing – indeed, it is predicted that smartphones will outsell personal computers in 2011.
Most websites don’t translate particularly well to mobile devices – aside from the fact that the technology and layout aren’t always compatible, mobile users behave very differently when they’re “on-the-go”.
Many businesses are now opting to have a separate dedicated mobile site that is specifically tailored for smartphones and other mobile devices.
Friday Media is a web development company in Melbourne. Contact us to find out what we can do for you.
The internet is continually evolving, at a rapid pace and in many directions. Today’s
average web user is growing more confident and more skillful, and technology is
advancing ever-faster – web developers need to move fast to keep up with the latest
web development trends.
These days, the line between web development and web design is becoming
increasingly blurred, as function and user experience eclipse aesthetics as the most
important considerations. The best designs compliment and incorporate emerging
technologies and web development trends to truly harness the capabilities of the
medium.
Here are the top five web development/design trends that are currently making their
mark in the digital sphere:
HTML5
As the popularity of Flash-based content begins to wane, developers and designers are
quickly learning about the power of HTML5.
While Flash continues to be a formidable design tool, it doesn’t always work well with
many popular new technologies. When misused, Flash can have a negative effect on the
usability and accessibility of a site, and its ability to rank well in search engines.
Most developers would agree that no website should be made entirely of Flash; HTML5
can do many of the things that may have previously required Flash, without the adverse
effects.
CSS3
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used to define the look and formatting of a website.
The latest version of the technology – CSS3 – incorporates a number of excellent new
features including border radius, rounded corners, box shadows, multi-column layout
and opacity.
Lifestreaming
The notion of “constant connection” completely dominates the way people currently
interact online.
Rather than just including a link to a Facebook or Twitter page, many websites are
now “lifestreaming”. Generally, this involves using a social network aggregator to
consolidate multiple social networking profiles into one profile, and incorporating a live
feed into a website or blog.
This means that users can follow a website owner’s movements (on Twitter, Facebook,
MySpace, LinkedIn – the list goes on) directly from their site.
Quick Response Code
Quick Response – or QR – code for the web has been around for a little while, but it has
become particularly relevant with the proliferation of internet-capable mobile phones.
QR code is a barcode that includes information (such as a URL) – a user simply takes a
photo of the QR barcode using their mobile device, and they will be taken directly to the
associated website.
At a time when mobility is so important to users, QR barcodes are a very handy tool
and are frequently used on a range of advertising materials, including business cards,
magazines, newspapers and brochures.
Mobile Sites
The number of users accessing the internet via their mobile phone is skyrocketing –
indeed, it is predicted that smartphones will outsell personal computers in 2011.
Most websites don’t translate particularly well to mobile devices – aside from the fact
that the technology and layout aren’t always compatible, mobile users behave very
differently when they’re “on-the-go”.
Many businesses are now opting to have a separate dedicated mobile site that is
specifically tailored for smartphones and other mobile devices.
Friday Media is a web development company in Melbourne. Contact us to find out what
we can do for you.