As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said— “the only constant is change.” While this principle can be applied to many disciplines, one area where it easily comes to life is web development.
As user expectations continue to grow, developers need to leverage their unique capabilities to build experiences that are engaging, intuitive, and accessible for consumers.
So, what exactly does the future of web development hold?
To simplify your search, save time, and help you understand the latest web development technologies 2021, we’ve compiled a list of the top trends and developer tech news you need to be aware of going into the new year:
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Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things— abbreviated as IoT— is one of the critical factors that have driven many of the recent trends in web development. But what makes it so powerful?
Comprised of a network of interconnected devices that collect and share data about how they’re used, IoT has the capacity to make business-customer engagement faster and more streamlined. IoT can be credited with facilitating the broad adoption of things like sensors, cameras, and signaling equipment.
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Voice Search
With the use of IoT-based devices increasing, it’s paving the way for new systems embedded with voice-recognition technology such as Siri and Cortana.
It’s estimated that by 2023, nearly 8 billion digital voice assistants will be in use, with smart speakers expected to make their way into 66 million households by 2022. The growth in these areas will impact how web developers will optimize physical and digital products to deliver a more personalized AI-based experience for users.
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Bots
AI and bots are key in shaping the 2021 web development trends. This isn’t the least bit surprising, considering the demand for automated communication continuing to rise as AI-based bots can offer everything from weather updates to sophisticated insights like song recommendations.
Many major B2C companies are already implementing this technology to better serve their customers and provide them with instant 24/7 client support. Bots are also projected to influence trends in both web design and sound design.
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Motion User Interface Design
Speaking of web design, the future of software development involves addressing concerns often associated with user experience and user interface (UI). Think minimalistic designs paired with appealing, customized animations, and transitions.
Motion UI essentially gives developers the power to capture a user’s attention using animated charts, photos, illustrations, videos, and text. These elements can help a brand showcase its unique style and rank higher in search results.
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Single Page Application (SPA)
A Single Page Application, also known as an SPA, is a simple-to-deploy web implementation that will only load a single web document (hence the name) and doesn’t require any page reloading during use. It interacts with users by dynamically rewriting a page instead of loading new pages from a server.
With the high-speed internet standards of today, developers can’t afford to overlook this trend.
Not only do SPA pages need less bandwidth compared to multi-pages, but users can load content without interruption, just like they would from a desktop application.
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Push Notifications
In 2021, customers expect to receive information regarding products or services with optimal convenience. As they engage brands across more touch points than years past, push notifications have become instrumental in increasing user retention rates and directing them back to the website.
Tech giants like Facebook and Google Mail have already integrated this technology into their web apps. In the near future, we can expect instant notifications to be adopted by small and medium-sized businesses as well. At the same time, push notifications are likely to replace other common modes of communication, such as email sending.
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Cybersecurity
A topic that has dominated developer news headlines lately is cybersecurity. As remote work continues to be a hot-button topic in 2021, more organizations are striving to protect their data from both internal and external threats.
And each time we proceed to make online payments, buy tickets, or set smart house systems, there’s a risk of our data being vulnerable to malicious attacks. To combat this, web developers can run vulnerability assessments, encrypt sensitive data, or use website-monitoring tools that detect and qualify suspicious activity.
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Progressive Web Applications (PWA)
According to Statista, more than 50% of the world’s web traffic comes from mobile devices.
PWAs bring together the best of both worlds, serving up websites that look and behave like mobile apps without users needing to download special apps or computer programs. They’re known to deliver secure, responsive, and user-friendly app-like web experiences.
Forbes, Twitter, Virgin America, and The Washington Post are a few renowned companies that have already built PWAs to improve speed and optimize SEO.
Your Ideal Offshore Software Development Firm
In order to effectively navigate and stay a step ahead of these web development trends, you need an outsourcing company that can connect the right users to the right developers at the right time.
Andres Garzon, Jobsity CEO and Founder received an MBA from Fordham University in New York City after graduating from University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) in 2003. He has also received a degree in Endeavor Scaling Entrepreneurial Ventures from Harvard Business School. In 2019 he participated the Stanford Endeavor Innovation & Growth Program from Stanford University. During his postgraduate studies, Andres bet everything on Latin American talent. Today, Jobsity is a remote company and has a team of more than 200 people based in NYC, Houston, Quito, Cartagena, Medellín, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and many more cities in Latin America.
