1) Mobile focus

Image source

Apparently, this year is all about mobile-friendliness. And why not? Google required that all websites must be mobile-friendly by April. Even without mandating it, the number of mobile users is growing by the day. In fact, some people are using a minimum of 2 to 3 mobile devices cause you never know when any of such devices will be handy. Not to mention, what you can do on a laptop computer, you can now do on a mobile device.

So, if your website is not yet mobile-friendly, then you are lagging behind the industry. Did you know that 67% of the consumers would purchase on a mobile-friendly site than on a non-mobile-friendly website? When it comes to mobile usage, there are 90% of people who uses multiple device screens subsequently.

2) Interactive scrolling

We’ve also seen web designs that consider having fun and interdependent features. One of these features that users can’t get enough of is parallax scrolling. It is originally a 2D video game technique that shows the depths of movements of the background images to emphasize the foreground images. Visually appealing as it is, it engages users through the use of layers of images for creating a 3D effect.

Parallax design allows developers to show a particular product or trails of products in 3D, which captures every single detail of the product. It is done meticulously by following a well-thought-out and carefully charted process. With this kind of technique, it automatically catches the eye of a website visitor that will most likely lead them and engage in a call to action on your website.

3) Flat design

Minimalist web design still works in 2015. Flat design, or the interface design without any stylistic elements such as the use of drop shadows, gradients or any other textures, is one of the lingering trends. The design focuses merely on simple elements, typographies, and flat colors, leading to a clean, polished look website that works seamlessly with responsive designs. The best part is it loads faster than websites with 3D effects, and it can be resized easily without compromising its high-definition screens.

On the other hand, a survey of web designers reveals that 68% of them believes that flat design is here to stay so we can expect more of such in the coming year. Only 9% said that flat design is only a fad that will pass anytime soon.

4) Single page

From the name itself, a single page website displays all the elements and contents in just one page. It is composed of a condensed and scannable content with all the necessary information on the same page, which can easily be navigated by the users. We’ve seen several websites embraced such a trend especially those sites that prioritize storytelling through visuals. Some websites use one-pages for product promotions, portfolios, brief announcements, etc. because they do not have much content.

What drives the brands and thus, the web developers to implement a single page website is the short attention span of the users. An adult user has an attention span of 8 seconds, and if you fail to capture his or her attention within that period, that’s an opportunity you lost to your competitor. Concise and objective contents yield better usability by up to 124%.

Evidently, the emphasis of these trends has a clean and straightforward layout that puts high-quality at the core while dismissing unprofessional-looking websites. When we say high-quality, it pertains to a user-friendly experience that the users deserved. Strategically, each web design has its own purpose and function. One might need to use a particular design to fit perfectly to the brand.

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1) Overwhelming innovation

We get it – designers and developers are very creative people. However, it takes serious consideration of what interaction design (IxD) to put into a particular website otherwise it won’t be as interactive as it should be. Remember that a user craves for the familiarity of both design and navigation. Also, a user bails fast if he or she finds your site overwhelming enough to leave.

Here is an example of a too innovative a site. The site is fantastic, but there are so many things going on. It is not intuitive, leaving the users wondering what to do.

2) Confusing navigation

And innovative as they are, some developers even came up with not-so-ordinary names for the site’s pages without realizing its relevance. Such a practice is very effective in confusing the users. By not showing them what to expect from the site and what they should do while exploring it, you are telling them to get out of the site quick. Don’t do that.

Here’s a perfect example of a not so navigation-friendly website. There is some value to the site and what it wants to do. However, it failed at having clear calls to action in a big way.

3) Blurring contrast

Unfortunately, developers are aware of the virtue of using contrast, but some are awful at implementing such. Without clear contrast, it would be hard to establish visual hierarchy. In IxD, it is all about the right combination of colors, sizes, shapes and positions so that the site will succeed at drawing the user’s attention to the most important elements of the site.

Here is another poor example of a site with blurry contrast to think that this site is offering free and premium WordPress themes. It uses black and white and yet its background image is gray, drawing prominence away from the calls to action.

4) Neglecting form

Form style and design are basic to IxD. However, although the developers are not to be blamed for this, some website owners still ask for too much information from their users. This bores the users and is a good motivation so the user leave your site. Again, we all know that a website always has a purpose including generating leads. However, if you are going to utilize the default form, don’t expect that your users will easily and willingly signup.

Here is an example of a site that asks a lot from its users including their Twitter names. While it is good to ask, still, there is no clear reason why the site is asking for such.

5) Unappealing clutter

All of these are considered ‘noise’ that ruins the momentum and makes them very unappealing at the aesthetic and experience level. These can be considered as clutters aside from the actual clutter, that is. These websites tend to have a busy above-the-fold that borders confusing and annoying.

An example of a cluttered website is the below. In fact, this website was featured as one of the World’s Worst Websites, and for good reasons.

Web designers and developers, listen. As a final advice, don’t forget to test until you reach the optimal design for your website. Testing should not constrain your creativity because, in the first place, you are designing a website with the users in mind, right? Such a cliché but this cliché holds true today and, perhaps, for all the days to come.

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We, as users, are after the usability of the website. Did you know, however, that there are people who work hard just to make sure that all the overall design, as well as all the functions and features of a website, is working well? Yes, these are the web designers and developers. If, for users, web design is all about how the site looks, for developers, it is a completely different story although the goal is making any website as user-friendly as possible.

What developers are actually doing

If there is one thing that separates the developers from the users that is the former finds ways to solve the latter’s problems. Developers narrow the gap between the users and the brands through uncovering issues that prevent a specific brand in realizing its full potential digitally. Solving business problems while providing users the experience they deserve is no easy feat, but someone has got to do the job.

During meetings, there is one agenda in the mind of a developer. This is not about discussing the project in terms of requirements and specifications. Instead, the developers are after knowing what the challenges the brand currently experiences and how they can address these challenges through design. It is about knowing the roadblocks of penetrating the digital world successful. This is true whether a brand is just thinking of building its own website or planning to redesign the existing one.

How design helps overcome challenges

1) Creating a digital identity

True enough, a website is the extension of the brand online. Easier for any developer to create a website from scratch or redesign one when there are existing marketing collateral from the logo down to the letterhead. There should be synergy and consistency wherein what a user sees in your office or store must be also seen in your site. Not literally though. These means your logo, key graphics, and key colors, among others, to show integration. In this way, the users will not be confused. They will know from the time they enter your site that it belongs to your brand.

Developers understand that the website cannot deviate from the brand’s identity. This is especially true for brands that are already existing outside the digital world even before they decide to hire developers to build their website. For redesign projects, eliminating weak points to emphasize the strong points is the necessary next step. The current website must be examined to determine if there is a consistent theme or whether the right fonts, colors, images, etc. are being used. This brings us to the second item.

2) Communicating the digital identity

Along with theme consistency, developers need to make sure that the elements in the website are talking to the right audience. Does the site use the appropriate wordings and relevant graphics? What if the elements are repositioned? Will it create a much stronger dialogue with the brand’s intended audience if the graphics are emphasized?

Decidedly, the developers will step into the process of building your website so that they themselves would understand the needs of your target audience. They will go through the process of understanding your target audience’s thought processes when visiting your website – may it be an old or new website.

Developers decide on specific things such as how the overall design flows, which elements attract the user’s sight the most and the least and how useful the navigation. The decisions, however, is based on how particular elements (i.e. background image, font types, colors of the call to action buttons, etc.) work together. It is through the combination of these elements the site will be able to communicate effectively to its intended audience. This brings us to the third item.

3) Speaking to diverse audiences

Speaking of the right audience, designers and developers are well-aware how diverse the audience segmentation is. Also, depending on the brand’s digital strategy, the website may target more than one audience, but with equally diverse factors.

A perfect example is a brand that targets both direct buyers and dealers. These audiences have competing needs hence it is rather easy to dilute that message for each if the website itself provides no clear boundaries which information is for who. A perplexing website has an inherent risk of excluding an important audience segment that is critical in the brand’s sustainability.

Thus, the job of the developers is to organize the processes for each target audience. For instance, there should be separate login forms for the buyers and the dealers or separate links for partners, stakeholders, and sponsors. This entails careful research on the part of the developers, asking questions and uncovering the brand’s goals for each target audience.

So, what’s the secret?

Ultimately, designing solutions is not without difficulties. The process is also time-consuming. Nevertheless, the most critical part of the process is listening. Listening and reading between the lines are the key getting to the core of every issue. There are instances when the brand owners and representatives themselves have no idea what the problem is. They just know and feel it intuitively thus they often don’t understand the root of the problem.

For developers, listening takes more than just listening to what the clients and perhaps, users are saying. They also have to listen and take a cue from how it was being said and what has not been said. Developers can only build a cohesive digital strategy and speak to the audience once they understand the breadth and depth of the issue through emphatic listening. It is only through this that the best solutions are created.

Image credit: HipGloss.com

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Developers should be using all the tools at their disposal to improve code and coding quality. This can be the only way to confidently release codes that can execute expectedly. The steps below ensure that the developers are releasing the highest quality codes possible and thereby improving the quality of the JavaScript project itself.

Note: The steps outlined below is a workflow in actuality that website and mobile app developers can follow. It is the aim of this workflow to reduce or eliminate errors that frustrate users.

Code

Invoke a strict mode in your functions by using the ‘use strict’ statement. Use module design patterns. Minimize the usage of global variables. You can simply sandbox separate code modules. Pass in external dependencies, keeping the modules clear and concise.

When using third party frameworks and libraries, make sure they are established and well-tested. Keep the functions small. Separate business data from the DOM manipulation.

For bigger projects involving multiple developers, follow the coding guidelines such as the JavaScript Style Guide. Since they need stronger rules for code management, they may include stricter dependency management like Asynchronous Module Definition (AMD). Also, use code storage repository systems, keeping the codes backed up in the cloud.

For much bigger projects, create code branches to implement different features before merging.

Document

Experiment with formats. Once you found the right format like the structured block comment format for the project, use it. With this, the developer may understand the purpose of the functions minus the need to study the codes thereby reducing misunderstanding.

Analyze

Run a tool such as a static-code analysis against the code on a regular basis. The practice checks any coding pitfalls and errors, the most common of which are forgetting ‘strict mode’ use, referencing undeclared variables and spotting missing semicolons or braces, etc.

Correct the issues that the tool you use flags up. Set up default options to enforce coding standards among the developers involved.

Test

Conduct unit tests for small standalone functions for the execution of one of the functions from the main codebase. The functions include specific inputs to confirm that they output the expected value. Use both expected and unexpected parameters for input.

Run the tests on multiple browsers across different operating systems. You can also use testing tools especially those that provide APIs that allow unit tests to be run automatically across the browsers simultaneously. The tools also feedback the results of the tests upon completion.

Measure

Code-coverage tools can be also used in measuring which lines of the codes are executed during the unit tests against the functions. Function complexity should be also measured. In simpler terms, the reduction in complexity scores means easier and much better understanding of the functions.

Further, there are tools online that not only measure complexity, but also generate JavaScript code complexity visualization. This helps in identifying which functions can be improved.

Automate

Use task runners in automating the processes from documenting down to measuring. The process increases the opportunity to address code quality issues as they arise.

At some points, the code will throw errors. Handle these runtime errors gracefully so their impact to the website’s behavior and usability will be limited. Use web services in logging runtime errors thrown by the codes. The log information can be used in adding new unit tests and thus improving the code and eradicating the errors.

These seven steps help our developers in producing the codes that we are really proud of. These steps lay great foundation for future use as well. Our developers are committed to using these steps in our projects in producing high quality JavaScript codes. Let’s work together in building and improving the web – one step at a time.

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The problem is there are no simple “right” answers for most web design questions (at least not for the important ones). What works is good, integrated design that fills a need—carefully thought out, well executed, and tested.

― Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

Today, both offline and online business owners aim to promote their brand and product and service offerings on a global scale, enhancing the competitive edge and bottom-line in the process. This is possible with the help of a professionally-designed, highly customized website.

Business owners may not realize the importance of custom web designs in bringing in more traffic and thus more sales opportunities.

1) A customized website differentiates the business from the competition

It is a form of distinction that tells much about your brand and branding strategy. The overall design will be associated with your brand alone, so your website will always be on top of mind of the consumers when they remember an associated subject with it. Unique designs are often easily recognized and recalled by the visitors.

2) A custom site reflects the business philosophy and values

It is more than being a showroom for your products and services. Rather, the website can help the visitors in creating appropriate and favorable impressions of the brand as a whole. It won’t be difficult to encourage these visitors to invest in and transact with your business.

3) A custom-built website entails professionalism

It is more related to the reputation that the company is trying to maintain. Professional elements can be easily distinguished. In fact, any average Internet user can tell which site is professional looking and which is not. Businesses with custom sites are perceived as credible enough to do business with.

4) A tailor-made website synergizes with the overall marketing purpose

It contributes in convincing the consumers to purchase, so conversion is also easier with custom designed sites. What we’ve learned from customer psychology is that an individual will only purchase from a reputed company. Custom sites are essentially designed to suit the taste of the target market as well as the products and services that it markets.

5) A custom-made site complements optimization

It’ll be constructed to be search engine friendly. SEO elements can be integrated during the coding stage to increase the findability of your website. What good is a customized site if your target audience cannot find it? Professionally written codes are the necessary first step towards having a profitable site, attracting the right audience who are ready and willing to purchase.

The customization dilemma

Unfortunately, in most cases, the budget dictates the decision to opt for using website templates, which is the less costly option than custom websites. Custom website design and development is not as expensive as you think especially if you are going to look at it from the cost-and-benefit perspective.

Anyhow, customization also translates to adaptability and scalability which means changing the features of new business and technical requirements easily in the future when new technologies and tools came up. So for now, you can include only the most important features and incorporate other important features when the budget allows for it.

With this, your goal should be customizing the website at a cost that your present budget can accommodate. Your main goal should be setting a realistic budget. Customized websites can go as high as $5,000. Why skimp, right? After all, it is your website – the core of your online presence.

Achieving the brand personality that you want is impossible with a template! Why would you even consider using templates when customized web designs are very budget-friendly?

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