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Every day there are changes taking place to the way we consume, interact with and design online media. So, it’s important to always be aware of what’s happening so your website and online presence is always the best it can be.

We’ve collected together some of the key things that need to be considered when looking at the future of web design and what the rest of 2011 could hold…

Optimisation for mobile and tablet devices

iphones and ipad

This is something we’ve discussed a few times here on the Codastar blog, but with so many people now browsing the internet using their mobile phones and tablet devices, it’s something that needs to be considered.

There are a range of tools available to create a mobile version of your website and various plugins you can install to make sure your website looks good on tablet devices as well. However, this can get a little confusing, so it’s best to discuss your requirements with a professional web design team and go from there.

Consistency across channels

Again, we’ve stressed the importance of being consistent online. Not only does it help people recognise your brand but it builds a connection with potential customers.

Consistency isn’t just about the words you use, it matters from a design perspective as well. So, your social media channels, website and offline materials all need to be consistent in terms of overall look and feel.

It will benefit your business in the long run to speak to an experienced design team who will be able to draw up a set of detailed brand guidelines that can be used across all online and offline channels.

Keeping everything clean and simple

Apps Schmapps Screenshot

The Internet is a crowded place, not only are there billions of different websites to chose from, but once you’ve clicked onto a specific page you’re often bombarded with so many icons, images, videos and chunks of text that you just feel overwhelmed.

It’s important to have all of the necessary elements on your website, like links to social media channels, calls to action and contact details. But, at the same time you don’t want to bombard users. The act of visiting your website must be simple and easy for users so they’ll want to interact with you, visit you again or even contact you. That’s why it’s going to be more important than ever for the web design of the future to be clean, simple and easy to use, otherwise people will just look elsewhere.

Of course it’s important to find out what works best for you. Maybe a really simple design wouldn’t get your message across, or maybe it’s exactly what you need to focus only on the important elements!

Growth in user experience

With an increase in social media channels and social applications to add to your blogs and websites, it’s important to have things such as integrated social media channels, integrated Facebook applications, social blog comments like Disqus and live chats. The list really could go on and on! There are so many more ways to get users involved in your website and the task is to find what works for you and gets users most involved in your products and business.

If you’re keen to find out more about what the future holds for the web design industry, then check out the Future of Web Design conference which is being held in London from the 16th to the 18th of May.

To discuss any of these issues with a member of the Codastar team, then please get in touch.

Images via Yutaka Tsutano’s Flickr, Image Mechanics.


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