Mobile devices have overtaken desktop as the viewing platform of choice, and 85% of smartphone usage is done through apps rather than the mobile web. It is safe to say most websites are seeing better conversion rate when they are utilizing responsive website design.
How has this new landscape affected modern mobile design?
Responsive website designers are focused on the user experience for mobile users, and new visual standards – like the ones below – have taken root. If there’s one thing in common among these effects, it can probably be summed up with one phrase: digital experience meets visual interest. The following 5 trends all work to add maximum visual impact to amplify your audience’s digital experience all within the confines of their various mobile devices.
In order to understand these current design trends, we have to see and acknowledge the impact of mobile on today’s marketing world. Explore the infographic below and learn how mobile is changing the way we do business both on and offline:
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Source: How Mobile is Changing Business – Infographic
Design Trend #1: Parallax Scrolling
Parallax sites embrace a completely vertical page orientation. Sites are often one page – total – and traditional site “sections” are stacked one on top of the other to create a motion-rich scrolling experience that alternates images and solid text areas. The end result can be incredibly clever, and occasionally breathtaking.
Design Trend #2: Infinite Scroll
Scrolling effects are definitely a theme in the mobile design world. Infinite scroll is an effect that makes pages seem bottomless – rather than the scrollbar running top to bottom, the page loads as the user scrolls down, continually presenting additional content.
Design Trend #3: Animation and Visual Interactivity
Since mobile devices are not Flash friendly, designers tend to look for ways to use HTML5 for interactive images and animation to liven up the user experience. Subtle animation of photographs is one way to create motion and interest without having to actually embed video.
Animation is no longer a novelty for web designers…it’s becoming the basis of effective interaction design—Web Designer Depot
Design Trend #4: Light Copy and Minimal Fonts
As visual storytelling – using photos, videos, infographics, etc. – becomes more prevalent in modern website design, heavy blocks of text are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, designers and producers work to create a rich display where the visuals carry the story, with minimal keyword relevant text provided as needed.
Design Trend #5: Buyer Persona Site Mapping
Mapping out your website to meet the needs of your buyer personas is strongly recommended now more than ever. Keep your navigation simple by creating pages and content that meets the needs of your audience. Answer this question, “What are the top three to five things web visitors look for on your website?” Then answer that question through your navigation, through your copy or visual design, and finally through your content.
Creating thought leadership content like blog posts, infographics, videos, etc. can help you define the types of topics and questions that your audience is looking for you to answer. Make it easy for your visitors by creating a website to meet their needs. That’s the main foundation of creating a digital experience for your audience.
The point of good native mobile design—mobile and otherwise—is to make the user experience easy enough that even novice users can find their way around your native app or mobile website.—Y Media Labs
Modern website design trends are currently indicating that the Internet is an increasingly visual experience. Of course, trends come and go, and the latest technology is replaced with something newer and better every day. But it definitely seems that our devices are going to be more centered around looking and touching, and less around just reading, as we move into the future. For more information on modern mobile design, check out the following video below as well as articles from fellow thought leaders:
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