As we head into 2023, it’s time to take a look at the website design trends that are set to dominate the year. Some of these styles may be familiar while others will leave you in awe of how far the digital space has evolved over the years.
Website design trends affect all areas of a website, from the user experience to site development and everything in between. So, it's important we understand these trends and work to create websites that are able to house these styles without relying too heavily on them as styles change over time.
Let’s dive into three of the website design trends to keep an eye on in 2023.
According to Statista, a world-renowned company that specializes in consumer and market data, people around the globe spend more than 2.5 hours on their smartphones and 1.5 hours at their desktops. This online time is mostly dedicated to entertainment, business, and communication, and the rest of the time is spent searching the internet for information and shopping for a product or service.
It is important to keep the above in mind when creating a website designed to sell a product or service because based on the above, the most effective way to sell something to the digital consumer is to let them engage with it and “feel” it.
So, how is this done?
When it comes to products the process isn't too difficult because there are many digitally effective ways to help the consumer engage with or “feel” the product online. This may be creating 3D renderings of the product and providing dimensions about the product at hand. However, how do you make this an experience for the consumer?
Today, designers need to craft a digital environment that makes the consumer feel they are immersed in the brand as opposed to just being an observer. Immersive technologies allow users to accept virtual elements in their environment, becoming more immersed in the experience as a result. This could be something as simple as an interactive image or something more advanced like virtual reality or augmented reality. For example, creating an integrative game on your website is a great way to keep the consumer engaged with your brand. Then when it comes to immersive web-based shopping, you can allow users to drop and drag a product into an image of their home or allow them to try on cosmetics and even clothes with the same principle. When covid-19 first hit, many showrooms took a major hit, and the virtual showroom became the go-to website feature to help boost sales, and this type of website is only going to grow in 2023.
Essentially, designers should be focusing on immersive websites that enhance user engagement and blur the lines between a physical and online environment/ experience.
Website typography and its color, size, and style are usually used to grab the attention of the reader and in 2023, you can expect to see more motion in text.
Even slight motion of text, in a static setting, is noticeable and designers can strategically place a well-times motion to text-based content to make parts of a website truly stand out.
However, it is important to note that this strategy should be applied strategically and sparingly, and only used on text that readers should take special note of, and text that drives the reader to take a specific action.
We live in the digital age, and the user wants to experience your website and your brand instead of feeling like a passive visitor and this is why motion in web design is important. It engages the user and allows space for fluidity which results in a seamless user experience - and of course, greater sales.
As a web designer, the objective is to attract, engage and convert visitors into clients through content. Engaging visitors is about holding their attention for as long as possible, and there are multiple ways to go about reaching these objectives.
One way to look at this is to make the elements of the website as engaging and interactive as possible. This includes making an eye-catching button that is enticing the visitor to click on it, instead of creating a flat and boring object that the user won’t be interested in clicking on - or won't even be able to see. For example, creating a button that can be animated when a user scrolls over it is a way to engage the visitor and entice them to take a specific action.
Designers need to be as creative as possible in their design elements and a great example of this is the slide show. What a visitor would usually scroll through, you can create into a slideshow experience that makes them feel more engaged in the website.
Side note: As scrolling has become more dynamic and automated, designers will also have to provide clear controls on the page that allows visitors to stop and engage with key content.
The above three trends to look out for all highlight the importance of creating an engaging and interactive space for website visitors. This kind of design establishes an interaction between the user, your content and your brand and can drive them to take the desired action with ease.
How we can help
NEXA has been building websites for businesses located around the world since 2005 and have a vast portfolio of clients, which includes homegrown businesses to large global businesses. We also provide a range of Performance Optimisation services for business that need support maximising their return on investment for websites.
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