Website design trends and technology are constantly evolving and shifting focus. A mere ten years ago, designers didn’t worry about whether or not a website design was mobile-friendly—today it’s a necessity. As technology becomes a bigger part of our daily lives (now you can call your washing machine from your smartphone!), it’s safe to say web design will adjust and accommodate the latest developments in order to stay relevant and useful. Here are a few predictions about upcoming trends and the future of web design for writers from the experts at Web Design Relief.

Trends Affecting The Future Of Web Design And Author Websites

Optimization For Every Device

Responsive design is already a must-have for most websites. The days of building a website solely for desktop monitors are long gone. Now, websites must be optimized for desktop, laptop, mobile, and tablet screens. The future of web design will see responsive design optimization expanding to include even more options. Soon, websites may be condensing to fit on the tiny screens of smart watches, or growing to accommodate website browsing on smart televisions.

Increased Security

Captcha-protection is defending websites from phishing attempts and malicious spam better than ever. However, no form of spam protection is 100% effective yet, and hackers are getting sneakier and scams more sophisticated. Thankfully, many new developments in web security are emerging to combat cyberattacks.

In the not-too-distant-future, facial or eye recognition technology may be required to submit comments or messages on a website to ensure bots can’t sneak through. We may also see the rise of password-less websites using new technologies that utilize different types of authentication processes (like QR code scanning or text message sign-in capabilities)—thus eliminating the need for weak, easy-to-crack passwords.

You can start making changes now to keep your author website visitors safe with tips from this article: Keep Your Website Visitors Safer With These Tools

Virtual And Augmented Reality

There’s been a surge of virtual events hosted through video communication software over the past year, and telecommunication will become even more immersive in the future. Authors may soon be able to host first-person, virtual readings and lectures on their websites through virtual reality technology or augmented reality.

Faster Downloads

Average website loading speeds currently range from one to fifteen seconds. While this is a massive improvement from the days of dial-up Internet, it can still be better! Internet providers are constantly updating their technology, so website loading times are well on the way to taking only a fraction of second, or no time at all!

3D Visuals

Most successful website designs incorporate eye-catching graphics and images. Even now, more and more designers are integrating 3D images into websites and landing pages. With upcoming technological developments, the graphic elements on future desktop and laptop monitors and mobile screens will be able to support more advanced 3D capabilities. Visitors to your author website will be enjoying an amazing visual experience on your web pages!

Single-Page Websites

The one-page website is already growing in popularity and will most likely become the standard in web design. With more web surfing shifting toward mobile-only use, website users prefer to scroll through one page (like a social media feed) rather than click through multiple pages.

AI and Chatbots

While live chat features with virtual assistants are common on e-commerce websites, we predict that one day you may be seeing chatbots on author websites too. Your website visitors, readers, and agents or editors will be able to “chat” with you via pre-written responses or Artificial Intelligence machines.

Web Design Elements We Won’t See In The Future

Certain website design features are going the way of the dinosaur and will eventually be phased out. Notably, the enormous, slow-to-load website model with complex navigation will be replaced by a streamlined, simple-to-navigate website. And elements that aren’t mobile-friendly, like massive sliders and video backgrounds, will also disappear from modern website designs.

Check out more outdated author website trends to keep your online platform fresh and current.

With the emergence of innovative technology and smarter devices, author websites will become faster, safer, and more immersive for your fans and visitors. The design experts at Web Design Relief are tracking the latest trends and developments, and can create an author website for you that will be right at home in the future! Schedule a free consultation today to learn more!

Not only do we offer assistance with web design, but we’ve been providing traditional publishing and self-publishing options for writers since 1994, and we invite you to call or email us with your questions.

Question: What features do you think author websites will offer in the next 10 or even 20 years?