Over the past 12 months, we've seen a lot of changes in the world of web design. The proliferation of mobile devices — including smartphones and tablets like the iPad — has changed how users access and interact with content. Also, the formal adoption of new standards such as HTML5, web fonts and CSS means that more users than ever can take advantage of the latest and most powerful features the web has to offer.
Small businesses often have trouble keeping up with the latest trends in web design due to the cost of redesigns or the need to appeal to the broadest possible audience. However, these technology trends in web design are worth noting — and considering incorporating into your own site.
1. Ditching Flash
Regardless of which side of the Adobe vs. Apple Flash debate you're on, one undeniable fact is that more and more sites and developers are moving away from requiring Flash for video, animation and site navigation.
Flash's main use cases are still around interactive design and RIA (rich Internet applications), experiences that most small businesses don't need to provide. It might make more sense to simply display information using HTML5, Javascript and CSS3 instead of relying on Flash.
Most mobile devices can't access Flash content at all, and even those that do support it don't always render it well. As a consumer, nothing is worse than visiting a site from my phone and being unable to browse contact info, product lists and services or find a location because the site's navigation or core content was built in Flash.
Flash is still a good tool for certain tasks, such as capturing audio or video, displaying complex animations or running games. If you're still using circa-2005 Flash templates, though, 2011 may be the time to upgrade and use some more modern tools.
2. Web Fonts
Typography is a key component of any web design. In the past, using custom fonts on the web was an exercise in frustration and complexity. As a result, most designers either used a small selection of "web safe" fonts or resorted to image or Flash-based workarounds.
Excitingly, both fonts and the web have come a long way in the past 12 months. Thanks to services like TypeKit, Fonts.com and Google Web Fonts, it's now possible to use free web fonts on your site with minimal effort.
3. Mobile Compatible/Optimized Sites
More and more large and small websites are revising their sites to make them friendlier to smaller screens. A site that has been made compatible with and optimized for mobile devices means not only will it load faster over cellular data networks, but also that the content will be presented in a way that fits the screen dimensions of smaller devices, making it easier to access and understand.
As smartphones proliferate, we're spending more and more of our online time on mobile devices. For small businesses, ensuring that your site experience translates well to mobile is a great opportunity to improve the usability of your site.
4. Tumblr-Inspired Design
Tumblr is a platform for quickly and easily publishing updates, sharing content and getting feedback. It's become a popular platform for many small businesses who use it as their company blog or website.
Tumblr offers a number of great themes for small business users, and its design itself is influential in the world of web design.
Even if you don't use Tumblr as your official blog or website, you can still emulate its design style — unique post type icons, beautiful big headers and simple layouts.
5. Touch the Future: HTML5 and CSS3
As noted in the intro, it's hard for non-design-centric small businesses to justify using cutting-edge design ideas when there's a concern about leaving part of their potential audience behind.
While there are still some corporate networks and a small percentage of home users stuck using old, outdated and nearly extinct browsers, the latest versions of the major browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari and Opera) all support CSS3 and HTML5.
Additionally, almost every modern smartphone supports advanced CSS3, Javascript and HTML5 functionality.
At this point, it's perfectly reasonable to experiment with the power of HTML5 or CSS3 on your small business site. You can enhance the experience for users on newer browsers while gracefully degrading the experience for those still using older ones.
via mashable | Sky Bus