10 Web Trends To Look Out For In 2023 - Journal

10 Web Trends To Look Out For In 2023

Technology changes fast, and website design trends come and go just as fast. What was groundbreaking then may have become overrated over the years.

There will always be aspects of the web that are never going away – user-friendly navigation, data security, and fast load times should just be a given on your website.

In this report, we would like to highlight 10 trends to look out for:

Storytell with Iconic Nature
Serve with AI Chatbot 24/7
Engage with Voice Search and Commands
Enhanced Search Experience
Effective Self-servicing
Better User Experience with Micro-interactions
Design for Greater Accessibility
Deliver Personalised Experiences
Multi-screen Dynamic UI
Offline Availability

Storytell with Iconic Nature

It’s a loud world. All the shouting, all the noise over social media and digital platforms. Stop. Pause. Think.

Real communication only happens within a quiet space, when heartfelt words are punctuated by silence. And nature intuitively knows the language of our soul.

Iconic nature-inspired visual in XIMNET Website

Using nature for visual storytelling is a masterstroke that speaks of your brand’s understanding of what matters. It’s about the people, it’s about your customers. It’s about our genuine interdependence and respect. No technology for its own sake, no business solely for its benefits.

Natural metaphors and symbols are refreshingly breathtaking compared to passӗ graphic icons and the contrived professionalism of photo stocks. Take a look at a sample website here.

Serve with AI Chatbot 24/7

The chatbot is the website, and the website is the chatbot! An intelligent, on-point, empathetic AI chatbot concierge service that is fully aware of all its website content and services is the next wave that will sweep the digital world.

We think AI Chatbot is yet to peak, considering the ongoing research and development in areas such as NLP (Natural Language Processing), NLU (Natural Language Understanding), Predictive Analytics and so much more.

Can you imagine Mr. Carson, the Downtown Abbey’s butler, in charge of your website?

Ask, search, fetch, seek recommendations, order, pay and more…“Consider it all sorted, sir!”

Seamless AI Chatbot on PETRONAS Dagangan MyMesra website

It is now available with our AI chatbot Services running on top of XTOPIA. Experience the seamless AI Chatbot UX here.

Engage with Voice Search and Commands

Voice assistants are an integral part of many products we use daily. Most of us had experience using Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, Amazon Echo, or Google Now. Also, many brands integrate assistants in their products that aim to solve specialized tasks.

Online shopping is convenient, but sometimes a trip to a brick-and-mortar store is needed or preferred, either after asking your voice assistant for information or in addition to having that first-time “conversation.”

More than two-thirds (68%) of consumers say a voice assistant lets them multitask and complete tasks hands-free. How about incorporating voice in your website?

Enhanced Search Experience

Seamless user experience, easy-to-navigate pages, and useful copy are must-haves all sites need to have a successful website. However, more than 40% say search tool is more important than anything else on a website.

If you have a large site, a search bar allows your users to find what they’re looking for quickly. Enhance your website search with components such as auto-suggest / keyword recommender, as well as to feature popular searches upfront to assist your users to find desired information faster and more accurately.

Need something more advanced? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ready to provide a better search experience in many ways from keyword clustering to intent detection.

An experimental prototype developed for Maldives' largest telecommunication company

Effective Self-servicing

Self-service is no longer a “nice to have”. With the ongoing COVID-19 wave, customers need online services made available for them to get things done more than ever.

In fact, it has become so important that 70% of customers now expect a company’s website to include a self-service application. Whether it is to assist your customers with comparison or simply choosing the best option, such online tools create deeper brand loyalty and higher sales conversion. Leverage user behaviour insights to plan for your next digital marketing campaign.

Better User Experience with Micro-interactions

From the once revolutionary “like button” to a scroll bar that shows you where you are on a page, micro-interactions are small visual movements that have a large impact on UX design. Whether it’s a hover colour or data input, micro-interactions serve the purpose of making the user experience more engaging, interesting and enjoyable.

Now nothing can be static, because it gives an out-of-date vibe. Users need to know that you are out there. Wait, it does not stop there. Micro animations are also extremely helpful when it comes to guiding users through their interactions with your website. All these are made possible with fast-speed internet.

Design for Greater Accessibility

Each year, new screen sizes are born, and there is a need to display websites optimally as part of making them accessible for all.

On top of that, websites with content sharing tools available for users to send a page’s content via messaging platform such as Whatsapp or simply sharing it on social media brings greater engagement and audience reach. Need your website to be more inclusive? Try out an accessibility plugin tool to accommodate differently-abled users as well.

Accessibility tools for website

Deliver Personalised Experiences

Curated show recommendations from Netflix, shopping suggestions on Instagram, and pre-made playlists on Spotify: are just a few examples that prove we live in an age of hyper-personalization.

Companies are collecting more data about their customers—from demographics and behavioural data to localization and more. And with the artificial intelligence to make sense of it all, personalized experiences today are becoming a regular part of UX that is just too good to give up on. Personalization benefits businesses (especially in eCommerce) since they can use data to target potential customers.

Multi-screen Dynamic UI

More and more people are using more and more devices — and more often than not they do this simultaneously. We see this in our own lives, whether personally or professionally. Users expect to access information on all relevant screens and across multiple channels.

More and more people are using more and more screens — and more often than not they do this simultaneously. We see this in our own lives, whether personally or professionally. Users expect to access information on all relevant screens and across multiple channels. Is your content ready for multi-UI?

How will your digital touchpoint display on smart devices, or perhaps with voice?

Offline Availability

With Progressive Web Apps, the whole offline experience is no different than your typical experience with a connection—and that’s the beauty of it. This is a feature especially useful for eCommerce stores that need an uninterrupted browsing experience, even when no connection is present.

To make PWA available offline, the service workers pay a part in serving the content and you will also need to cache your page's resources too.

Proposed PWA for PETRONAS Dagangan

Final Thoughts

From AI chatbots to web design solutions and scalable business applications, XIMNET is trusted by many who know what matters in the end; an on-time project delivery, the celebratory hurrahs and ultimately, the real results that does the talking for them.

Coupled that with our ability in telling memorable stories for your brand and your campaigns, we are a unique proposition for you and your projects.

Big ideas buzzing in your head? Let's make them buzz to life!

contributor

Josephine Toh

Joe is the Agency Manager of XIMNET Malaysia since 2018. She is also the UX Lead for an web building platform, XTOPIA.IO.