Is your website outdated? The top UX and web design trends forecast for 2023

It might be hard to believe but we’re already more than halfway through 2022. If you’re looking at building a new website for your company or are just interested in seeing how your current website compares to your competitors, now’s the time to start looking ahead to 2023 and the type of trends that are going to influence web development.

As a business it is your responsibility to stay up-to-date with all that’s happening in the world of web design and development. Below are some of the web trends in the UX and web development space that we are expected to see making a significant impact over the next 12 to 18 months. 

Localisation

The internet has transformed the way we conduct most daily tasks, from making booking flights to banking. The entire world is now at our disposal. Ironically, often the information we need is most valuable when it’s localised.

What does that mean? From UX standpoint, localisation means designing your website or application for your target audience in terms of location, demographics, and cultural norms. At a very basic level, your digital product should use language local to your target audience. If you offer a product or service for sale, currency should be localised as well. From a design perspective, ensure the colours you have used don’t have cultural significance in your target demographic and research whether your chosen font is available in various scripts.

Inclusive design

One of the internet’s biggest strengths — accessibility — can also be one of its biggest weaknesses. While it’s true that anyone can access information online (providing they have a device with internet connection) too often the creative work of web designers and developers does not take into account disability.

Your chosen colour scheme might be eye-catching and unique, but does it allow individuals with a visual impairment to understand the content on your page? A landing page with a frenetic, fast-paced video and flashing lights might grab the attention of visitors but it can also be quite dangerous to those with epilepsy.

Inclusive design is far more than a trend — it’s one of the most important principles by which all designers, developers, and teams that provide digital agency services should work. In 2023, it simply won’t be acceptable to have a website that is not accessible to all people.

Microinteractions

The goal of any website is to provide an engaging, seamless user experience. There are many strategies you can implement to help facilitate this. One of the simplest and most effective is the use of microinteractions.

As the name suggests, microinteractions are small animations that help a visitor understand where they are in the context of your website and what their next step should be. A ringing bell notification, for example, can alert a visitor that your customer service representative has responded to their last message in the live chat.

Microinteractions may be small, but it takes time and skill to implement them correctly. Your users might not fully understand what makes a functional microinteraction but they’ll certainly be able to identify when an animation is not helping them progress through your website.

Data visualisation

Few things are more valuable to a business than data. Data can be used to shape user experiences, provide tailored products and services, and confirm that you’re meeting customer expectations. Data can also help your potential customers make informed decisions about whether they’d like to conduct business with you.

Data is necessary but it tends not to be very appealing — unless you make a concerted effort to utilise engaging visuals. Graphs and charts can be used to create a story out of data, one that makes sense to your customers and contextualises raw facts and figures.

Perhaps there’s one page on your website that currently contains vitally important information but is rarely visited by customers. Consider how you might utilise data visualisation strategies and design to make that page far more appealing.

Augmented and virtual reality

Many people seem to still be a little on the fence as to whether the metaverse is really going to take off. Fair enough — it is somewhat of a far fetched concept.

However, there’s no doubt that augmented and virtual reality are changing the expectations of users. Visitors to your site will expect a personalised, tailored, and immersive experience. You may not have to purchase your spot in the metaverse just yet, but keep an eye on how your competitors are making use of this innovative technology.