Over the decades, website development has evolved and continues to shift rapidly. Decision-makers must stay abreast of new web development trends to enhance their expertise and stay relevant in an ever-changing market.

Failing to keep up with new trends can prove detrimental to your website’s performance and user experience. You may fall behind your competitors and lose traffic to websites offering better experiences.

Let’s explore some popular web development trends in 2022, that you can incorporate into your business to drive growth!

 1. AI Chatbots

In 2022, AI chatbots are expected to become even more sophisticated in meeting the needs of and matching the behavior of users by leveraging machine learning, natural language processing, and information retrieval techniques.

Besides assisting companies in performing faster operations using voice or text chats, AI-enabled chatbots also help improve the customer experience. They can collect data, answer frequently asked questions, and solve other issues, thereby creating engaging digital experiences for customers.

Many prominent B2C companies already serve their customers with AI chatbots and we can expect more companies to embrace them in 2022.

 2. Optimized Voice Search

First introduced by Google in 2011, voice search is rapidly rising in popularity. Intelligent virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri showed mindboggling market growth in recent times and are expected to grow rapidly in the years to come.

More tech giants are entering the market or creating new products, like Google Home and Apple HomePod, to meet consumer demand. Data by Juniper Research predicts that as many as 55% of all households in the world will have voice assistants by 2022. 

Consumers are also using their smartphones and IoT devices for voice search. As a result, voice search results will start ranking higher, and more frequently, on search engine results pages. To take advantage of this trend, companies will strive to optimize their products and content strategy for voice search in 2022.

 3. Motion UI

Today, consumers crave richer and more interactive digital experiences. That’s one reason Motion UI has become so popular. 

Motion UI is a front-end framework that enables developers to build fully responsive websites and mobile applications and use predefined motions within a native app setting. 

Using this framework, you can make an element slide, spin, bounce, transition, and more. Because it’s compatible with all web technologies and can be added anywhere on a website, like a header, footer, and menus, Motion UI has been widely used since 2018. 

However, it has become more accessible thanks to the SASS libraries’ technology, making it one of the leading web development trends in 2022.

 4. Dark Mode

The dark mode is a much sought-after trend worldwide, and we expect it to rise in popularity in the coming years. Due to its visual design pattern, a dark-themed website makes it easier for users to enjoy web browsing regardless of device.

Tech giants like Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter are already using dark mode UI, and more companies will leverage it in the future.

Some advantages of dark mode UI are:

• Reduces blue-light
• Saves battery life
• Makes UI content accessible and legible to all
• Lowers eye strain even in low light conditions

Since many web developers provide an in-built feature to switch between dark and light modes, we expect it to become a rule in 2022 and beyond.

 Also Read: Choosing the right technology stack for web application development

 5. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

A PWA is an app that functions as a website with a full-native mobile app experience. It communicates with clients as a native app and runs independently.

Here are favorable changes the PWA technology brought for businesses and users:

• Seamless installation
• Saving device storage and power
• Lessened support and development expenses
• Smooth updating and maintenance
• Reduced time to market
• More flexible distribution

Many well-known brands are enjoying the benefits of these apps and we expect that PWAs will revolutionize businesses in the coming years.

 6. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)

AMP technology is akin to PWA and is one of the emerging technologies in web development.  The idea behind this is to provide users with a seamless page experience to keep them hooked to the site. 

AMPs are optimized pages that operate fast and have a convenient yet basic design, unlike full-scope web products. The pages become mobile-friendly and increase the readability of the content. 

It also allows companies to save costs on UX while increasing their reachability. This empowers small and niche products to compete effectively with market leaders. 

 7. Enhanced User Experience with Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

The inclusion of augmented reality and virtual reality in the website development world has sparked a significant transformation. Industries like tourism, architecture, and the retail industry are employing virtual reality technology to allow users to get a real-time experience of a product before making a respective purchase. 

For instance, beauty brands like L’Oréal and Nyx are using virtual reality technology to assist their customers in making the right purchases.  

Augmented reality technology has a promising future in web development and will enhance customer convenience and comfort in the coming years.

 Also Read: How VR is changing Automative Industry

 8. Cyber Security in Web Development

With our growing dependency on technology, cyber threats are also increasing. Q1 of 2020 saw a vertical rise for DDoS attacks, making it more than 248% compared to Q1 2019. 

There were more than 10 million DDoS attacks in 2020 and most of the industries targeted were vital to life during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Users acknowledge this emerging threat and there is growing pressure for companies to put stringent security measures in place to keep their personal information secure and safe.

The health, retail, and financial industries in particular store sensitive and personal information of customers and are prone to security attacks, this calls for more focus on cyber security measures to keep the data safe.

Companies should invest in the security features of their website and use appropriate SSL certificates. Websites with decent traffic should follow the required security standards and conduct security audits regularly.

In a nutshell

The future of web development is all about building a fantastic user experience. Addressing basic questions like “how fast does my website load”, “how intuitive and engaging is it to use my website”, and “how safe is my customer’s data” is a good way to improve your web apps.

Once you’ve addressed the fundamental needs of users, you can integrate more sophisticated technologies like AI chatbots, AR, VR, and more to enchant your users. 

Focus on delighting the user and you will see your rankings climb through the roof. If you have a spellbinding web app idea that can solve a crucial problem for your customers, talk to us.

With over 16 years of skin in the game, our world-class web developers specialize in delivering web apps that boost operational efficiency and growth. Our solutions are easy to scale and maintain and we ensure the highest levels of security in all our apps. 

So, what are you waiting for? Schedule a free consultation today!