Top 10 Web Development Trends in 2021

Creating a tailored web application that will have an impact requires making a range of decisions about your development approach. The way you build your web app will depend on your business goals and customer needs, but it’s also essential to consider the most current practices and styles for better web accessibility.

It’s not just SaaS and e-commerce industries that need to stay abreast of changing approaches to how web apps are developed. If your business depends on selling, engaging, or collaborating with people online, you need to be aware of web development trends. Studies have shown that 57% of internet users say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile.

Top 10 Web Development Trends in 2021

These are some of the top techniques and technologies to take note of:

Progressive Web Apps:

Progressive web apps (PWAs) are applications built and delivered using web technologies like HTML and modern APIs. PWAs are accessed via a browser yet they offer the user experience of a native app. Building apps this way is not new, but the approach will flourish in 2021. Primarily that’s because PWAs offer a fast, user-friendly, mobile-friendly experience and are also simpler to develop and deploy compared to a native app.

Single-page Apps:

One-page websites have been around for a while: all content is contained on one, scrollable screen, which makes holding users’ attention easier. Single-page apps follow the same principles and are growing in popularity. Single-page apps are designed so that pages don’t require reloading and fresh content is presented on the same screen—an example is Twitter.

Artificial Intelligence Chatbots

In 2021, AI chatbots are expected to rise even further leveraging machine learning, language processing, and data gathering techniques in order to satisfy the needs of and match the users’ behavior.
AI chatbots also contribute to improving customer experience, apart from helping companies to perform quicker operations via voice or text chat. They can collect information, answer questions and resolve other problems frequently and thus provide clients with seamless digital experiences with a company.
Companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, Twitter, Uber, Slack, Airbnb, and Amazon already use chatbots in place of regular chatbots on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Skype. More companies will likely start using AI chatbots in 2021.

AI chatbots contribute greatly to improving customer experience

Internet of Things (IoT):

Internet-connected objects and sensors are more widespread, which is why 2021 will no doubt see more businesses develop apps designed to harness, process and present the huge amounts of data being generated by IoT devices. Companies have need of solutions that make their IoT data secure, meaningful and usable to drive internal decision-making, or apps that beautifully present data for use by customers via intuitive interfaces.

Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR):

Simulated experiences that help people visualise or model information will be a trend in web development this year due to VR and AR’s potential to enhance the buying experience or make data more accessible. For example, e-commerce web applications that incorporate AR technologies to enable customers to virtually ‘try’ or customise products.

Apps will increasingly incorporate AR and VR

Serverless Architecture:

As an execution of cloud-computing, serverless technology offers the ability to build and run applications without building or managing the infrastructure. It’s a growing trend in web development because it reduces the cost of development and maintenance of apps. Apps hosted by a third party in the cloud also requires less computing power.

API-first Development:

Linkages and sharing data between different software applications is a pressing need for many businesses, so it makes sense to pay attention to the trend of API-first development. APIs (application programming interfaces) is a type of software interface that connects computer programs. Giving priority to APIs and dependencies between applications during development ensures apps function well and meet user experience needs across all devices.

Optimized Voice Search – Web development Trends

In 2011, Google launched voice search, which has grown in popularity dramatically. Siri and Alexa showed unprecedented growth in the market in 2019, according to a survey conducted by rand View Research.
More tech giants, such as Google and Apple, are entering the market or developing new products to meet consumer demand. Voice assistants will be present in over half of all households in the world by 2022, according to Juniper Research.

Voice search is on the rise, so developers must adapt

Consumers not only use smart speakers, but also use smartphones and IoT to search their voices. This leads to a higher and more frequent ranking of voice search results on search engine results pages. Therefore, companies will definitely work to optimize the content strategy of their products in 2021 for voice search.

Motion UI:

Interfaces that move with meaning are becoming a necessity in modern web development trends. Motion UI brings energy, beauty and engagement to custom web apps by enabling animated effects and graphics. The technology makes interfaces more appealing but must be applied with a strong understanding of the ideal user experience in order to be effective.

Cybersecurity:

Every firm is vulnerable to attack, regardless of its size

One of 2021's most critical concerns is cybersecurity – or the practice to secure data, networks and computers from misuse. Every firm is vulnerable to attack, regardless of its size. Software AG, Germany's second-largest software provider, for example, was hacked in October 2020, and hackers requested a $20 million ransom payment.
The trend of increasingly insidious cyber attacks means that web development will inevitably include a focus on cybersecurity features in 2021. Data, payments, and personal information are being processed through web applications—requiring developers to pay attention to security and compliance.

Given the evolving nature of web development trends, it’s wise to work with a software development team that understands how to apply technology to address market challenges, and offers full-cycle services from ideation through to deployment and continuous improvement.

Ignoring trends could mean limiting your opportunities. However, not every trend will match your needs. When you engage Groove Technology to develop your web application you’ll get flexible, end-to-end help to design, develop and launch software solutions that draw on the right mix of features to achieve your goals.