Looking back to 2008 in web and mobile design

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Once again it’s a start of a new year - a time of reflection on the past year, and of course a time to look forward to the year that just started. I hope that you’ll enjoy these insights and perhaps even have similar thoughts about last year. So let’s first travel back in time to 2008.

Web design trends and highlights from 2008

Personally, one trend, that I find really positive, rises above the others: Web 2.0 is finally fading away. The shiny buttons and reflections have been there a little too long. In return, we get some really nice stuff. I believe that user centric design was taken more seriously than ever before (this is something I have repeated for couple of years now). However, more and more people are designing for the subject and audience – if minimal is the thing, let it be minimalistic. On the other hand, it was a year for Flash. Rich Flash-based elements in web pages hit us big time – there was no escape. Another landmark was the use of really pretty tailored fonts and typography. They were used within all sorts of design elements now to create a range of effects. And I have to say that this is one of my personal favourites.

We’ll remember year 2008 as a time when grunge and hand-made elements were big things for developers and we all have witnessed the consequences. In the sense of layout and positioning, there is one element that comes to my mind: featured articles. The great content we witness in many blogs influence in design elements and this is probably the most important thing in 2008.

Mobile domain trends 2008

Well, do I have to say more than this: it has six letters in the title and it starts with an “i”. It was mid-2008 when they launched the 3G version and after that it has been a parade. The boost that Apple was able to create in mobile design was something extraordinary and unique. Everyone in the business started to have project bits to design something cool for the chosen one. And yes, people answered that call. We have seen some real cool stuff designed for iPhone (my personal favourite being BBC’s iPlayer). And once again, it wasn’t just the device. What they did was practically rescue the mobile web and create a whole ecosystem around the product: the App Store. It’s so pretty and what’s the best, it’s good business too.

There was another shining star last year as well. We got finally an Android phone out. The T-Mobile G1 got a contradictory reception. No, it wasn’t the iPhone, but it was a great start and the Android platform is something that you should take seriously. I’m sure that we will witness some really nice stuff in the near future. The two highlights mentioned here were not the only nice pieces of design; they changed the paradigm dramatically and we found some of our old friends digging themselves even deeper into their fox-holes.

So, what has changed for good? The focus in mobile design is shifting heavily from HW to SW design. This creates a totally new paradigm in terms of both design and business: the big handset manufacturers can not control the whole value chain any more. It’s only matter of time when the big consumer brands really start to create and roll out their own UIs for commodity touch devices.

What is coming in 2009?

Seeing the future is always the tricky part, even though I have some advantages compared to my friends around the web who contributed their own visions little earlier. Let’s start with the web:

Web Design Trends 2009

Will this be a corporate year? The economic downturn could slower this trend a little, but I still believe that we will see some very nice moves in the field. The massive CMS dinosaurs are in the end of their life cycles and my hunch is that these are replaced with lighter web applications like WordPress and Drupal.

The other phenomenon is the use of social media in the corporate domain. We will see a huge effort in the field and I believe that someone will lead by showing how the thing called social media is harnessed to make money but also to please end-users.

In UI design, the trend getting even “lighter” than before. We already witnessed a font parade last year but this year, I believe, will emphasize this trend even more. Yes, the devil lies in the details and we will witness great layout make-ups, beautiful fonts, icons and little details that finalize the icing on the cake. So we’re back to basics which is so nice! In the other hand, the contrasts in colour use will make a difference this year.

Last but not least, two issues which are common to web and mobile design even they are manifested differently. As we all know, movies and UI design have similarities and this is the year we will be witnessing some breakthroughs. The UI project leaders are facing same kind of challenges and they use similar methods (of course, on a different scale). We will see more and more 3D effects, camera runs, storytelling, scripting for overlapping layers, scenery artists and so many other things that much better known in Hollywood. And yes, the movement will land to the UI level. I’m not speaking about just some shiny eye candy stuff, where avatars are flying around the scene. Based on the knowledge of how users behave and what they need, people will design products that are easy and intuitive to use. If transitions are designed and used well, they can significantly help users achieve their goals while at the same time making the whole process more fun and engaging – creating a clear brand advantage and perception about easiness of use. Products combine high usability, desirability, and state of the art design. Such products connect with the user on emotional and behavioural levels and thus are not overlooked.

Trends in Mobile Design 2009

Thanks to Apple and Google, the world has changed. As mentioned above, 3D, motion graphics and transitions are coming big time. But this year we will witness some really sweet stuff. These will not be showstoppers like the iPhone, but as a volume based solutions they will affect the whole domain. This years’ next big thing will be a major Android phone launch. T-Mobile G1 was a good start, but there is a lot more to come. I am also waiting some sweet moves from LG and global operators. Another big hit for 2009 will be a next step in mobile browsing; the promise about fluid designs is realistic and finally here.

So would this year be like this? Remains to be seen. What ever happens, I hope that we are going to witness great designs which are targeted to their audiences and make people go : “Wow – is this for real?”

I’m counting on you guys!

Jesse
Design Director

1 Response to “Looking back to 2008 in web and mobile design”

web designer,web design India says:

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Thanks u r information