Best Web Design Practices of 2020

What are the best practices of web design? Here is a list of web design practices that should be taken into consideration since they have been proven effective for the past years.

1. Make your website mobile-first. Having a website that revolves around mobile experiences first rather than a desktop-first approach should be taken into consideration. It goes with today’s trend of having most users search the web with mobile devices. To achieve a mobile-first design, you would need to look at how clean from clutter your website is. Don’t have unnecessary text that could bury important information, and always make sure that your website images or media are optimized for speed and that your images and call to action prompts are appropriately sized for mobile without having your viewers zoom into each page.

2. Keep in mind your user's experience. Use images and text cues to help your viewers easily find exactly what they need in a matter of a few clicks. It is best if you reduce the website choices you offer. Too many choices will take them longer to decide or respond. Instead, simplify navigation for them. Take the reins and lead them to end goals by turning their focus to CTAs (Calls to Action).

3. Provide an immersive experience. From the get-go, the website should grab the user’s attention and engage them with an immersive experience navigating their site. Navigating a website can be an interactive and fun experience where you take your viewers on a journey around your site where they can manipulate the website with each hover over a new item or scroll. Find the perfect multimedia blend with photos, animation, and video!

4. Be consistent with branding. It’s important to enforce brand familiarity to your users. Navigating around your website should be familiar and the same for every page. Choose a color scheme that suits your branding and stick with it! Keep your message and style consistent and cohesive to keep to your aesthetic and promote balance in your overall layout.

5. Make things simple. Do not overwhelm your viewers with heavy text or too much unnecessary data. There’s a beauty in simplicity, especially when you practice the concept of “show, not tell”. Prioritize readability and make sure to minimize text by having shorter sentences and paragraphs. The text should be easily read with just a swift scan or read through from your viewers. 

6. The beauty of negative space. Negative space is important for your website to breathe and not be overstimulating for your viewers. There’s a reason why minimalistic is a design trend that doesn’t seem to die down anytime soon. It is designed to be impactful and bring focus to things that matter which is perfect for any website. A Simple and neutral background but paired with big compelling visuals and a strong typography game will make all the difference to your web design.

7. Calls to Action Matter (CTAs). Websites often neglect their CTAs, but the best practice for any web design is to give your CTAs the spotlight. CTAs shouldn’t be buried by heavy text. It should be noticeable and clearly stand out to your audience to start conversations and a relationship with your viewers.