What are the current trends in web development?

Our digital world is changing with lightning speed. Web development trends are emerging every day. Both developers and business owners should keep up with the latest technological advances to stay ahead of the game.

Today I am going to discuss top 5 web development trends to keep an eye on in 2019.

1. AI or Bots

AI today shows a high level of intelligence. People have trained it to perform human-like tasks including collecting and analyzing data, learning, planning and problem-solving. These days we can see the increasing demand for AI-enabled communication, multi-task automation, and analytics solutions.

You have probably come across voice bots, AI chatbots, or virtual assistants. The chances are that you have asked Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana to schedule events or reminders for you. All mentioned AI technologies help provide customers with a great shopping experience by simplifying the decision-making process.

2. Single Page Applications

In a nutshell, a single-page application (SPA) is known as an app working inside a web browser that does not require you to reload the page during its usage. The popular examples of single-page applications are Facebook, GitHub, Google Maps, and Gmail.

The main benefits of SPA include:

• Simplified and streamlined development
• Increased performance
• Reduced interferences related to page reloading

A single-page application becomes a good option when creating a responsive website that supports mobile, tablet & desktop apps.

The latest developments on SPA are made with the help of such JavaScript frameworks as AngularJS and React. They make single-page applications fully functional and suitable for hybrid apps.

3. Mobile-Friendly Website

These websites function well across various mobile devices with different screen sizes or resolution options. Their key features are simplified navigation, optimized content, scrolling option, and focus on a clear call-to-action. Such websites can boast high load speed due to their advanced functionality that is capable of reducing data entry.

In 2016 Google’s development team released a mobile-friendly website guideline. It allowed owners of smartphones and tablets to get excellent user experience regardless of the mobile device.

The research by Statista predicts that the number of mobile users will increase by several hundred million in the next several years. There is why more and more brands focus on making their website mobile-friendly to boost conversions and interact with their users

4. Blockchain Technology

This latest innovation trend has enormous potential. It can lessen financial business expenses, decrease the quantity of transaction contract and enhance cash flow offered by the transparency of records/data.

In the simplest of terms, Blockchain is a technology providing a two-sided transaction event. Each transaction there is secured using cryptographic principles (chains). 

The central idea of blockchain is decentralization. It means that it is not controlled by banks, organizations, or government. The lack of a single point of control makes the system more transparent and secure.

Blockchain has the following advantages:

• Data security
• Digital transparency
• Smaller risk of identity theft
• Elimination of intermediaries

When it comes to web development, the benefits of Blockchain are as follows:

• Smart prediction system
• High web pages interactivity
• Data security
• Safe transactions

5. Progressive Web Applications

A PWA is an application that loads as a website but offers users almost fully native mobile app experience including offline mode, push notifications, and screen-responsive pages.

Since mobile traffic has been steadily growing over recent years, the question of providing an additional opportunity to collaborate with brands on mobile devices has become crucial.

Since PWAs provide brands with this opportunity, why not use it?

The core benefits of the PWA technology:

• Lower development and support costs
• Simple installation and updates
• Easier distribution
• Saving device power and storage
• Independence from app stores

Want to get a better insight into PWA technology? Find a minute to read our article Progressive Web Apps vs Native Apps where we have covered the key benefits and downsides of PWA compared to native apps.

Final thoughts

These are the most recent web development trends that are worth focusing on in 2019. I hope this list is useful to you!

If you want to know more about modern technologies and software development practices, I recommend reading the full article on Codica Blog.