Changes in Web Design over the last 10 years



Web design is one area that has been changing all the time.

There are new techniques that are introduced as well as new trends that are adapted. It is a constant curve that has everything moving forward and being improved upon. The good thing is that you can take advantages of these improvements to reap more benefits from your website.

One of the important changes that have occurred in the web design front is a fall in the cost of the hardware. Unlike 10 years ago, costs are no longer an issue. Nowadays, t is possible even for the small businesses to have a website designed for them. The cost of tracking has also gone down and it is possible to implement tracking systems for as little as $1, 000, which is within the reach of the small businesses. The web has also undergone a great revolution with the Web 2.0 providing ultra-slick interfaces that make the web to be more like the desktops applications. In the early 2000's only the big corporations had access to this. Therefore, money is no longer a hindrance to getting an attractive, functional and professionally designed website.

In the early 2000's, when the Web 2.0 was first seen, it was the norm for websites to have reflected logos, buttons that had soft corners, beveled edges as well as overly glossy and vibrant finish. This was meant to grab attention and thus the focus was more on the aesthetic instead of the content. This was at times distracting to the user. When people realized that the Web 2.0 was no longer effective, there was a shift of the focus to the more nostalgic styles. There arose different textures that became popular such as the wood effect. To add to the hand -made feel, things such as letterpress text as well as stitching and ribbons began getting incorporated.

In the recent past, the minimalist style has come into play mostly due to the mobile devices. Web designers have realized that what matters most is the content and performance. Therefore, aesthetic has become complementary rather than being everything. Instead of using the over the top designs, white space and the use of images has become more important.

In the last decade, it has been noted that the quality of content and usability plays a big role in the success of the web. One of the driving forces of successful websites is well researched web content. Examples of companies that have used tools that are simple but powerful are Amazon and Google. With the expansion of the internet, it becomes difficult for the users to stay abreast with the volume of information on the web. It is for this reason that the search engine has played a major role in the way people browse the web. This has lead to the growth of the search engines.

The focus in the evolution of the web design has shifted to providing a greater user experience with performance and speed being the most importance.. Therefore, web design has definitely come from far.