Developers are the forerunners in tech modernism – they are always looking ahead and are always on the lookout for new technologies in web development. We, at Putti, are no different. We’re always on the hunt for future trends that will help us build functional websites that promote its search engine.
But why do we need to keep on following these trends? As web developers, failing to keep up with new trends can result in serious consequences for our client’s website performance and user experience. We wouldn’t want our clients to fall behind their competitors and lose traffic to websites offering better experiences.
Developing and maintaining websites according to the current trends is the best way to remain competitive in your niche. Let’s take a closer look at the top trends in web development that you can expect this year. Many of these trends already exist on the web. Still, they are expected to become even more widespread in the coming years.
No-code and low-code application development
Development without programming is one trend that needs to be watched out for this year. No-code and low-code development are expected to make our lives easier. Experienced developers use these tools to streamline workflows and reduce workloads, enabling them to focus on other tasks.
These tools have also made it easier for citizen developers to build useful applications without writing complex code. No-code tools lower the difficulty to entry with visual programming interfaces and drag and drop tools for those who have never written a line of code.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web App (PWA) is a technology for transforming a mobile app into a browser. Though they’ve been there for a while now, PWA’s latest iteration will replace web apps for good.
Last year, mobile devices accounted for 54% of global internet traffic, according to a report by Statista. With the increased usage of smartphones and tablets to accomplish various online tasks, it is essential to revamp web applications into PWAs. In addition to providing an unmatched user experience, PWAs offer other benefits, including reduced development costs and seamless maintenance for the provider.
In 2022, the influence of PWAs will continue to grow. If you’re considering a revamp to your desktop web application, you will need to optimize for mobile devices as well. Rather than build two applications, develop your website as a PWA for a better customer experience on mobile.
AI Chatbots
This year, we are expecting AI chatbots to become even more sophisticated in meeting users’ needs by leveraging machine learning, natural language processing, and information retrieval technique.
For example, chatbots allow customers to reach out to companies on their terms and help them find what they’re looking for quicker and more efficiently. Chatbots also can answer questions about your products or services, check the availability of an item in your store, or even help customers make an online purchase.
With everyone seeking personalization and automation, we can expect more businesses to embrace AI chatbots in 2022.
Motion UI design
A website shouldn’t only have all of the information someone is searching for; it should also be aesthetically pleasing. Today, consumers not only expect faster and mobile-friendly digital experiences — they also expect richer and more interactive experiences.
That is why Motion UI, a front-end development framework, has become popular. It involves visual cues and makes it possible for web applications to respond to users, creating a smoother and enjoyable user experience.
Motion UI has been widely used since 2018. Because of its compatibility with all web technologies, it can easily be added anywhere on a website, especially on headers, footers, and menus.
Optimized Voice Search
Voice search is rapidly increasing popularity when first introduced by Google in 2011, thanks to IoT. Two areas, in particular, voice search and smart speakers, could be responsible for this growth.
Virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri showed record-high market growth and are forecasted to snowball. It is estimated that there will be 8 billion digital voice assistants in use next year. Meanwhile, it is expected there will be 163 million smart speakers by 2021.
The growth in both areas will impact how everyone from developers to users interacts with search engines, which means that developers and marketers will need to adapt how they do things. This means that businesses will be working on optimizing their products and content strategy for voice search in 2022.
Improved Cybersecurity
No matter its size, every company is vulnerable to data breaches and cyber-attack. With cybersecurity being one of the most critical concerns of 2022, businesses and individuals are expected to invest more into cybersecurity to protect themselves.
Because of an alarming increase in cybercrimes in 2021, website development has adapted to make it easier to safeguard company and customer data. There’s already been a shift toward application-based multi-factor authentication such as Google Authenticator, patch management, and Security Operation Centers (SOC).
Protecting your company and customer information will be critical in 2022, especially at a time when cyberattacks continue to increase. That is why we recommend businesses do the following steps to improve overall security:
- Conduct a vulnerability assessment
- Secure your remote access,
- Introduce roles, permissions and multi-factor authentication on all of your digital platforms
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Web development is constantly evolving to meet the needs and expectations of consumers. Staying on top of web development trends can help you ensure your website is consistently attracting and delighting your visitors.