To Trend or Not to Trend
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Web developments are always on the move: new technologies, design styles, and methods for presenting and delivering content to your market. As the web changes, there is a attractive tendency to jump ship to every new ‘innovation’ in an effort stay current. Should we all follow trending new practices and ideas, and what are the effects that this mindset has on a brand as it adapts to capitalize on an ever-evolving digital landscape?
Perhaps it would be best to discuss a couple meaningful trends to see what we can learn from them and how we can answer this question.Take this article, for example. Written by Oliver Reichenstein, he discusses the trend of adding social media buttons to every page on your site, or rather the pros and cons of doing so. Here are some of his points:
- Adding these buttons increases bloat, noise, and distractions from content.
- Readers typically find content through social media, not the other way around. Brand new users are likely to have heard of you through Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.
- By generating a ‘thumbs up’ shortcut for readers, you are cutting down on authentic sharing and discussion.
What spoke to me about this article is that it was published with no loyalty to the trending social media supremacy. No bandwagon necessary. Mr. Oliver Reichenstein saw a trending development practice, determined how it could create distraction or reduce an experience, and published these thoughts.
Similarly, flat design is a trending design philosophy worth considering - harkening back to the basics of design as a tool for functionality. Generally a website is developed, and judged by how well it works. Gone are the ornamental decorations, the shadows, the embossing and embellishments, replaced with broad imagery, striking colour palettes and strong typography. The focus has been shifted to usability and content. Though this is a functionally clean and minimalist approach to web design, this style could ultimately lead to the web looking identical from one site to another. Take a moment to search ‘best web designs’, and you’ll see where I’m coming from here. It can be avoided, as long as we maintain our own online personality.
There is also a problem with completely ignoring trends as well. If your website is absent design or function that is standardized and expected, your credibility will be diminished and your customers, frustrated. With each strong iteration to your website, you’ll illustrate that you’re invested in a modern web experience and are futurecasting the needs of new and returning traffic.
In the end, the most effective way to capitalize on trends is to compare them to your mission. If you truly understand who your company is and what it stands for, then you’ll know what it means to your customers and how it should present itself to them. Usability must always remain at the forefront of your thoughts - define what your visitors are trying to accomplish, and then design to accommodate those needs. In doing so, you’ll succeed in maintaining an authentic uniqueness and will keep your brand meaningful.
Like many things in life, striking a delicate balance between following the crowd and alienating ourselves from it is the key to seeing and achieving useful, functional innovation. Making changes for the sake of change that doesn’t result in a functional improvement to your website is something I recommend against.
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