Simplpost Founder Interviewed About The Hottest Web Design Trends in 2014
Callie Malvik from Rasmussen College requested some insight into the the four hottest web design trends of 2014. The goal for her article is to strip down all of the technical jargon, and explain these trends in Layman's terms for beginners. Here's my full and unedited thoughts on each of these hot topics.
1. Responsive Design:
Responsive design simply means that you create one website design that looks good on any sized screen. The page elements move fluidly to expand to whatever width screen the website visitor happens to be using (wide laptop screen to narrow smartphone). And responsive design techniques allow for the ability to customize the look of any element based on the screen size the site is being viewed on.
You can check a site by increasing or decreasing the width of the browser window on a large laptop or desktop display. Responsive design is important because it addresses the huge range of Internet devices being used today, without having to design multiple versions of one website. A responsive website should look excellent no matter the screen resolution. It saves time and money in the long run, since you no longer have to maintain multiple versions of each site.
2. Flat Design
Flat design is simply a minimal look with few 3D elements, and less graphic effects like gradients and shadows. It's a clean and modern design style that really began with Windows Phone and Windows 8. And is now being made popular in Apple's latest iOS 7. There is less embellishment and forces you to focus more on the user interface and content.
It's important because it tends to encourage better usability and keeps a consistent experience between modern operating systems, applications and websites. It also tends to speed up loading times on mobile devices since there is less reliance on larger graphic files for the user interface.
3. Long Scrolling Sites:
Long scrolling sites are basically multiple web pages that have been stacked together into one long page. There will often be navigation links that allow you to jump from section to section.
The increased use of touchscreen devices have helped make this design more popular. It is easier to swipe up and down a long screen to consume content. And there is only one page load to access all the content, so there is less waiting. It tends to make for an overall more enjoyable experience than having to click through lots of different pages to get to what you want.
4. Video Replacing Text:
Everyone seems to have less of an attention span for consuming content nowadays. Large blocks of text often make users want to move on without reading, as it seems more overwhelming. Clicking a play button lets the user sit back and enjoy a full multimedia experience that's more entertaining and less work.
Video also gives you the opportunity to add animations, audio and other content with more stimulation in less time. And it allows you to communicate your message much more effectively. It almost seems like a requirement for any successful project to have some video content included.
You can read the full edited article with lots of other great information here:
http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/guide-to-hottest-web-design-trends/
