In the early days of the internet, web pages were nothing like they are today. Simply relaying text was the main goal, so designs were basic, and supported by the limited capabilities of older HTML. With no adaptive elements and little concern for the user experience, these pages reflected the technology and online culture of the time, but times have changed.
Today, websites fuse functionality and design within the scope of constantly evolving tech, and if you run a website yourself, this can be difficult to keep track of. So, how are these changes represented, and what do website creators need to know to stay relevant?
Design Done Right
For a look at a website that embraces and leverages all the key aspects of modern design, consider the casino at Paddy Power Games.
Though the basis of this website is the titles like Rainbow Jackpots and Premium Roulette, the service’s attention is focused far wider than just this element alone. Including moving banners, navigation tabs, and a strictly-maintained theme, there are many components at play, and each understands its place among the whole.
Clarity and Overload
Modern online casinos commonly include hundreds or even thousands of different games. While this selection makes for a lot of content for players, it also introduces an issue of clutter. Solving this issue means finding a balance between reflecting this range of choices, and not overwhelming users with visual noise.
The best websites manage this by taking stock of what users turn to the most, what they’re trying to draw attention to, and how much the average person can absorb at one time. In the online casino example, this is demonstrated by the sections on the main page, and how much they offer.
The sets of tabs are small, relaying clear text that’s understandable at a glance. The rewards and bonus banner rotates automatically, featuring eye-catching graphics to keep users interested. The games are each sized so that they’re readable, while still giving a visual indication of what they include. As noted by Visual Hierarchy, many different approaches can be taken here, where each website needs to understand what works best for its specific needs.
Scalability
Working with these elements is the unavoidable contemporary importance of scalability to smartphones and tablet devices. Tech Jury reports that up to 70 percent of web traffic comes from mobile devices, depending on the website and its user base.
This means that mobiles are no longer an option, they’re often the default platform.
The challenge here is that smartphones, tablets, and even desktop and laptop displays all have different screen sizes, and the mobile options also come with touch functionality.
To ensure maximum levels of access, websites need to utilise the latest coding and visual design so not only do the website work across all systems, but they’re also as visually identical as possible. Again, this is a balancing act and one which can take a long time to properly leverage.
As the internet takes over the landscapes of information, entertainment, and business, good practice in web design is only becoming more important.
When we use websites in our daily lives, we tend to take design for granted, but it plays a more important role than we realise.
Whether you have a website, are looking to create one, or are just interested in how they work behind the scenes, approaching with a critical eye can reveal just how much hard work they require.
Getting a website right is an art form, and it’s one we can all appreciate if we remember how far they’ve come.
