Having a clear understanding of the future of web design technologies is essential to anyone working with digital products. This applies to web designers, web development professionals, and also project managers. Most importantly, staying up to date with this important topic becomes essential for companies that wish to deliver their users the best possible experience in the years to come.
While certain development and design technologies have become well established as industry standards, new technologies are constantly arising. They are continuously trying to make their way through a highly competitive market. Some of them will fade away, while others will remain.
Identifying which of these new technologies will prevail can translate into a potential advantage for companies involved in web development projects. Products like web apps and websites have a lot to gain from using them.
One of the technologies expected to change many industries is the Metaverse, a recent trend that has generated great hype. This will have a significant impact on web products.
This post offers a general view for anyone working with digital products like websites who wish to understand the implications the Metaverse may have on their business.
Understanding The Future of Web Design and Development: Why It Matters
When it comes to web products, it sometimes feels that new technologies will never have practical use cases in the real world. Companies want to use what has already been proven to work. Betting on unproven alternatives entails a big risk, and this is sometimes not worth it. From a traditional business perspective, this is totally understandable.
However, betting on the safe side of web development also entails a certain risk. From an individual perspective as a web designer or developer, failing to become an early adopter of technologies like VR and AR, for example, means potentially becoming outdated in terms of what is the next big technology. For a company, it means losing the first-mover advantage in industries as important as eCommerce, MedTech, and FinTech, to mention a few. In other words, missing the innovation target means potentially becoming outdated in terms of the relevant tech stack of the future, which translates into a suboptimal user experience.
If you want your company to stay competitive, understanding the future of web design and development is a must. Although exploring new alternatives will not guarantee you immediate success, it will definitely help you experiment with different ways to interact with your users. It is a way to become prepared before others do.
It is important for web designers and developers, just as it is for companies, to constantly try out emerging technologies. This is the only way to guarantee that the tech stack used will always be up to date. If you want your company to stay relevant, trying out innovative and experimental things like Augmented Reality (AR) or Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the smartest things you can do.
Nonetheless, you can still aim higher. If you want to be even more ambitious, the Metaverse is probably something you should consider.
The Metaverse in a Nutshell
To many, it might seem like this is something that is still far from becoming a reality. To others, it is the inevitable future of web design and development.
The Metaverse is an ambitious project that seeks to bring together many different web development and HiTech technologies in order to offer users a new experience of the web. Today, users view content on the web. On the Metaverse, users will be immersed in the content thanks to technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Machine Learning, and other forms of Artificial Intelligence.
In brief, it is the next iteration of the Internet where users will be able to navigate through a virtual space instead of the current two-dimensional screens. Although much has been said about it, there is still much that needs to be done, and this is both an opportunity and a challenge. Whatever the case is, it is the future of web design, and companies need to start thinking about how to reap the benefits of it.
This project isn’t led by a single company, yet it is commonly accepted that one of its most interested players is Facebook. This has important implications. Because of the company’s reach and diversity of services, whatever they do might end up having a profound impact on business, no matter the industry.
The Future of Web Design and Development: Business Implications
One of the most important implications of this upgraded version of the web is the impact it will have on apps and websites. The rise of the Metaverse will not eliminate digital products as we currently know them. On the contrary, it will most likely be the case that both will coexist in new and more powerful forms.
This means that business websites will not become obsolete. As a matter of fact, they will probably become more relevant. Traditional websites will probably end up coexisting with the Metaverse, creating synergies that benefit users and businesses alike.
Aside from the impact on business websites, it is also important to consider operational aspects like the changes in the role of the typical web designer and developer. Digital product teams will have to rethink the tech stacks they use in order to build interfaces and experiences for the user journeys coming our way.
Business decision-makers need to understand this and allow their teams to experiment with what might be the future of web experiences for users. Yes, it is a risky bet, but this is something that is gaining a lot of strength, and we might be hearing more about it sooner than we expect.
Lastly, it is important to consider that one of the industries that will benefit the most from this is retail, in particular the eCommerce niche. If your business is in this business, make sure to keep an eye on what is coming.
New Technologies in Web Development and Design
The future of web design and development will most likely depend on the following:
- Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning models and other forms of AI are helping build new and powerful ways in which users can interact with different types of software.
- Virtual Reality: this will open up many possibilities to generate innovative user experiences, in particular, to implement gamification strategies.
- Augmented Reality: with remoteness becoming more common, there is a great opportunity to use this to build solutions such as EdTech oriented ones.
Without a doubt, it is a very exciting time to be a web designer or developer. Businesses need to think in terms of the future and how they can harness these technologies to real-world applications using the Metaverse. A development partner with experience in the latest technologies might be the perfect match for your company to do so.
As mentioned above, traditional websites and other digital products aren’t going anywhere, but they surely need to be reworked in terms of what is expected of the future of web design.
