8 web development trends 2022

How to stay competitive and survive in the new digital era

Photo by Luke Peters on Unsplash

When it comes to website development, businesses must keep pace with the most effective and popular trends. The Riff Point web development team is not only watching the trends but knows what suits your business best. We have singled out the top 8 web development trends to follow in 2022 to stay ahead of your competition.

We are going to talk about the following trends:

1. Dark mode for UI
2. Mobile-first development
3. Single page application (SPA)
4. Progressive web app (PWA)
5. Accelerated mobile page (AMP)
6. Cloud or serverless architecture
7. API-first development
8. Chatbots

Let’s have a look at each of them in more detail.

Dark mode for UI

Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

Starting with popular social networks to bank apps, dark mode in a user interface is gaining more and more popularity. This trend is not going anywhere and we are going to witness it in the years to come. Tech giants like Google, Reddit have already moved to the dark side, and you?

Thanks to its visual design pattern, dark mode makes it easier for users to surf the Internet regardless of device.

Below are some core advantages of the dark theme:

• It saves the battery life;
• It reduces the blue light;
• It makes the content accessible to all devices;
• It’s good for the eyes since it lowers the eye strain.

Mobile-first development

The unpredictable increase of mobile users during Covid-19 describes why the mobile-first method will shape the future of web development trends. We at Riff Point have a special division for web projects, WebCodin, and have been using this method for years.

As per the latest Statista report, mobile devices covered more than 57% of web page views globally in August 2021. And since mobile devices are getting the max traffic, using the mobile-first web development approach has become crucial for all businesses regardless of industry.

What does it mean to use a mobile-first approach? To put it simply, it means providing one-click ordering on an eCommerce app, utilizing Geolocation data for delivering a customized and personalized experience to end-users, etc.

Single page applications (SPA)

We are pretty sure you have heard or seen this abbreviation lately. As per Wikipedia, single page apps are web applications or websites that interact with the user by dynamically rewriting the current web page with new data from the web server, instead of the default method of a web browser loading entire new pages.

The main goal of such apps is faster transitions that make the website feel more like a native app.

Some core benefits of SPA:

• Easy navigation;
• Offline (!) support;
• Fast page load;
• Reduced bounce rate; and
• Comfy debugging.

Progressive web apps (PWA)

This trend is also not new, but it’s one of the most popular web development trends in recent years. Why? This type of app functions as a website and can boast a full-native mobile experience. And since worldwide mobile traffic is constantly growing, this trend is here with us for a long time.

Some of the main advantages of the PWA app for your business:

• Saves the device power and storage;
• Requires fewer development resources than native apps development;
• Offers smooth updates and maintenance; and
• Grants faster launch to the market.

Starbucks, Uber, and BMW are the best examples of how big brands and businesses can benefit from technology trends.

Accelerated mobile pages (AMP)

AMP technology works similarly to progressive web apps, mentioned above. Google launched the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) open-source framework in February 2016, 1 year after PWA.

So, AMP, the same as PWA, makes it easy to create great experiences on the web. Still, AMP is used to load web pages faster and PWA is used to provide the look and feel of native apps.

How accelerated mobile pages can help your business grow? The AMP plugin is helping businesses to save on UX and native apps development and see the results fast.

Cloud architecture

Thanks to a major shift to work from home in recent years, cloud solutions have gained maximum popularity in all business spheres.

As per the latest report by Flexera, 99% of companies use at least one private or public cloud. It shows that cloud architecture is going to have a significant future and be on top of web development trends.

Here are some main benefits of the cloud architecture:

• Improved scalability;
• Affordability;
• Quicker time-to-market; and
• Scheduled maintenance.

API-first development

By definition, the API-first development approach fulfills end-user’s needs. Using this approach, web developers can do their tasks and push the code simultaneously when users access a website. It lowers development expenses and boosts delivery speed.

It lowers development expenses and improves the delivery speed. This method permits new websites to become content delivery sources. The main advantages are the following:

• Enhanced adaptability;
• Improved client experience;
• Quicker time-to-market; and
• Less development expense.

Chatbots

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

In 2022 and in years to come, we all expect chatbots to substitute most basic mechanical actions that do not require human labor: from online orders to training and education courses, and travel arrangements. So many industries already benefit from chatbots.

As per recent research on Statista, an increasing number of service-based and eCommerce businesses are planning to invest in chatbots in 2022. Data shows that 10% of eCommerce businesses are already using a chatbot, and almost a quarter are planning to invest in one.

Sure thing, the bots are becoming smarter now thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

Bottom line: 2022 has just started, so you have pretty much time to research more, talk to the professional development team, and start using these web development trends. We advise you to stay informed, and stay ahead of your competitors.