ARESYNC | 12 Web Development Trends for 2023

Web developers are responsible for developing the code that shows how a website works. It means that they develop both the front-end/client-side and the back-end/server-side of the website, which is essential for even the most straightforward website to work. Web developers implement the visual design and layout, integrate images and content, optimize the site's performance and capacity, and test the site to ensure it works as intended on screens such as computers and cell phones.

Web development is closely related to web design, which is the development of the features and functionality of a website or application. The term "web development" is often used in a broader sense and includes the design of a website and the creation and programming of websites and applications.

Of course, the look and functionality of websites are constantly evolving. Today's websites are very different from the first websites that appeared in 1991 with the advent of the World Wide Web. By today's standards, those sites were simple and used basic HTML.

The web development paradigm has changed dramatically over the past 30 years - who remembers when frameworks were the latest in web development? Fortunately, these web development trends are quickly disappearing and have been replaced by the beginning of the 21st century.

Where is web development (and design) headed? We get out our "virtual" crystal ball and present our predictions for web development trends for 2023 and beyond.

 

The latest trends in web development

• Web development trends for front-end developers.
• 1. Developers must continue to improve their coding skills.
• 2. Dark mode will become more and more popular
• 3. Mobile-first development will continue to be interesting
• 4. Developers still need code to optimize page speed
• 5. Parallel scrolling for lighter web parts
• 6. Voice search is rapidly gaining popularity
• 7. Use of colour gradients to make things more interesting
• 8. Glass textures attract users' attention
• 9. Progressive web applications (PWA) are becoming more popular.
• 10. AI chatbots are getting smarter.
• Read more about this topic.

Developers need to improve their programming skills continuously

As the first website above shows, web developers could create functional websites as soon as they knew HTML. The first graphics appeared on the web a year later. A few years later (1995), Netscape added a scripting language (JavaScript) to its then-popular Netscape Navigator browser.

Soon after (1996), CSS was added to allow web designers to change a page's look, color's and fonts easily. It was the first time that a web page's content (HTML) and visual elements (CSS) were separated.

The turning point was the launch of the first iPhone in 2007. Suddenly, websites with small screens were available on cell phones, which changed how web developers thought. In 2010, it became necessary to consider responsive design to ensure that websites could be viewed on all devices, not just computers.

With the improvement of technology and bandwidth, Web Developers and designers had to add new elements to their websites. These now include previously impossible elements, such as full-screen video, animation and interactive navigation. Some website and app developers have even chosen to work with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), which will become increasingly popular starting in 2023 due to lower prices and increased computing power.

Despite these changes, the core of  Web Development will remain the same: HTML, CSS and JavaScript will remain the core of web production.

The dark mode is more pleasing to the eye

Many website and app users prefer to browse and use their devices in dark mode, at least at night. The latest Android and iOS offer a dark mode that allows you to switch from dark to light mode at the touch of a button. A "night mode" is also offered, automatically turning on dark mode at certain times of the night and turning it off in the morning. In addition, many leading websites and apps, including major social media apps, now offer "dark views" for "dark mode."

Another reason users prefer dark mode on mobile devices is to reduce battery consumption.

Mobile-first development will continue to grow in popularity

It has already been noted that many people browse and interact with the internet through mobile devices. It's also estimated that by August 2022, 59.4% of all internet traffic will come through cell phones.

Mobile website traffic

Emerging trends in responsive web development include:

• An emphasis on vertical screens rather than traditional horizontal PC screens.
• The display of meta-descriptors to help browsers resize pages.
• The need to use CSS queries to change settings based on device characteristics.
• Easy customization of layout.
• Developers should consider using techniques such as Flexbox to create layouts.
• The need for developers to optimize the speed of the mobile device.

1. Developers should optimize page speed through coding.

The more complex a website is and the more bandwidth available to users, the more impatient people become with pages that load slowly. Users expect fast performance and abandon pages that take too long to load. Studies have shown that users expect a website to load in less than two seconds and will abandon it if they wait three seconds. And has begun to penalize slow-loading pages, especially in mobile search engines.

By 2023, the leading technologies web developers will use to optimize page speed will be image compression, HTML, CSS and JavaScript compression, and using the web to deliver content.

Parallax scrolling makes all parts of the page shine.

Parallax scrolling is becoming increasingly popular. When scrolling a web page, part of the content in the page's background (usually images) moves at a different speed than the foreground.

Unfortunately, this effect is incompatible with mobile-first development, as it generally does not work on mobile screens. However, developers can disable this effect for mobile users using media queries in the page's CSS.

Voice search is spreading fast.

Generation Z, in particular, prefers to use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to search for information: according to the latest data from GWI's "We Are Society October 2022" report, 22.5% of internet users aged 16-64 use voice assistants every week. This figure does not include the "alpha" generation, who use them more frequently than their siblings and parents. Interestingly, in this age group, 17% of men and 16.3% of women ages 55-64 use voice search.

Siri and Alexa are available on almost every website, but web developers are putting their best foot forward by optimizing their sites for voice search. It makes their sites more accessible to people with hearing and visual impairments.

Color gradients to attract attention

Color combinations and patterns will impact the web as they do in other areas of life. Currently, gradient colors are more fashionable than dull, uninteresting colors. Web designers use color gradients to create different looks, often in surprising combinations. Colors add fun, creativity and individuality to the design.

Glass textures increase consumer interest

Glass textures, or vitreous, add depth and texture to Web Designs. They combine a fading and transparent effect, giving pixels a matte and slightly opaque texture. The impression of vibrancy does not deceive the viewer. On the contrary, it can give the impression that the viewer is looking through the glass.

 

Ple has been using glass textures in its designs since 2020, most recently in Windows 11. Interactive interface elements such as buttons, navigation options and sliders are popular because they stand out with clear lines in the glass.

Progressive web applications (PWAs) are becoming increasingly popular

You may already be familiar with apps specific to your device platform. These apps appear on your home screen, in the anchor bar or the taskbar and work independently of your internet connection. They function as standalone applications, independent of the browser and other applications (except for the primary operating system). Using other applications, you can take pictures, see a song playing on the home screen, and control its playback. These applications are built into the device itself.

In contrast, traditional web applications tend to be more remote. These applications often require access to the internet, the speed of which depends on the bandwidth of the device.

However, the latest trend is the development of advanced web applications (PWAs), a mix of both types of applications. Developers code progressive web apps to work with the latest APIs and offer increased functionality and reliability. Still, these apps can work on any device, anywhere, for anyone, using a single code base.

PWAs are very popular; some believe they will eventually replace traditional web apps.

Artificially intelligent chatbots are getting smarter

Chatbots have increased in recent years, and their popularity, especially with businesses, is not decreasing. First of all, chatbots allow for 24/7 customer service. Chatbots are no longer a gimmick, as they can streamline customer service processes.

In addition, many companies are using chatbots on their websites to increase customer interaction. Recent advances in artificial intelligence and natural language processing have made it easier for chatbots to conduct complex conversations without human intervention. It allows sales representatives to spend more time on other tasks. For example, chatbots can initiate conversations with potential customers, direct them to information on a website, and allow them to get valuable answers in person without a company employee being present to answer questions online.

WordPress is still the preferred format for creating websites

WordPress development has nothing to do with actual development. Indeed, most of the work is done within the WordPress platform. But given that WordPress is now used by 64.3% of websites using a content management system (CMS) and 43.1% of websites in general, it's hard to ignore its popularity. Interestingly, 20.1% of all sites using WordPress also use Woo Commerce, confirming its current popularity in e-commerce.

WordPress is open source, and the community constantly adds new features and keeps WordPress developers up to date. The current version of WordPress 6.1, released on November 1, 2022, includes new design tools, improved templates, new blocks, enhancements and performance gains. The new blocks and site-wide editing improvements make it easier to customize WordPress themes without writing custom code.

Users want web applications to connect to other applications

Many users want their applications and web applications to be able to communicate with each other so that they don't have to enter data multiple times. To achieve this, API-based programming was born.

An API (application programming interface) is a set of functions that allow applications to "talk" and communicate with each other; API-based development puts the API at the centre of development. It means all platform functions are accessible through APIs, and data from different web applications can be integrated.