When you work in web development, it’s essential to keep up with its ever-evolving technologies and trends. To help you stay up-to-date, here are some of the top web development trends you should expect to see in 2022.
1. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
A progressive web app (PWA) is a website that looks and acts as if it’s a mobile app but it works within a browser and doesn’t require users to purchase or download anything from an app store. While PWAs are nothing new, their popularity has been steadily increasing in the past few years. Companies that currently rely on PWAs include Uber, Twitter, Pinterest, and Starbucks, just to name a few.
PWAs have become popular for several different reasons, with the primary one being the prevalence of mobile technology. These days more than half of all website traffic worldwide comes through mobile devices. The increased use of smartphones means web applications need to be updated to PWAs to improve the overall user experience. PWAs blend the functionality of mobile apps with the convenience of web applications; they can be found through a search engine and accessed on or offline without the need for a software download.
Additional benefits to progressive web apps include faster load times, the ability to work offline or in other apps, reduced development costs, and easier site maintenance. PWAs also offer higher conversion rates than native apps, more engagement, and reduced bounce rates. With the many benefits offered by PWAs, their growth is expected to continue into 2022 and beyond. If current usage trends are any indication, PWAs are on track to replace web apps entirely in the next several years.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Powered Chatbots
Another trend you should expect to see grow in 2022 is the use of chatbots powered by artificial intelligence. AI chatbots leverage machine learning, natural language processing, and information retrieval to meet the needs of website visitors. They have become a popular option because they simplify the user experience which improves site ranking; they’re able to communicate with visitors, answer questions, help users navigate the website, analyze visitor data, and solve basic problems while helping companies save on the cost of hiring customer service agents.
Artificial Intelligence is already being widely used in a variety of industries such as healthcare, education, finance, government, retail, travel, and more; in fact, the use of AI on websites increased by a whopping 190% between 2018 and 2020. But AI isn’t done growing yet; it keeps improving and becoming even more sophisticated with its functionality advancing every day. As AI continues to evolve, making tasks simpler and more efficient, additional companies will embrace AI chatbots and their usage will continue to increase.
3. Optimized Voice Search
Voice search has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, becoming part of our everyday lives. Ever since Google introduced voice search in 2011, people all across the globe have discovered the convenience of being able to ask their questions aloud instead of typing inquiries on their phones or computers. The use of this technology has expanded even further with the creation of smart speakers; the global smart speaker market was valued at more than 11 billion dollars in 2019 and is expected to grow to 35.5 billion dollars by 2025.
The prevalence of voice search is changing the way companies do business on the web; sites that aren’t compatible with voice search will fail to rank well in search engine results. That means to best meet the needs of their clients, Web Developers must create products, websites, and content that have been optimized for voice search.
4. Dark Mode Standardization
In 2022, we’ll continue to see more and more websites and apps offering user interfaces (UIs) with a dark mode option. Dark mode is a reversed color scheme that allows users to see light-colored text, icons, and other UI elements on a dark background. The popularity of dark mode has exploded in recent years because It cuts users’ exposure to harmful blue light that can cause eye fatigue, which is especially important when you consider how much time we spend on our devices every day.
In a survey conducted by Android Authority, more than 80% of respondents reported using dark mode whenever it’s available. Tech giants like Facebook, Google, and Twitter have already taken notice of this trend and implemented a dark mode option for their sites. To keep up with this growing market trend, Web Developers will need to know how to implement a switch that allows sites to easily toggle between light and dark modes depending upon the user’s preferences or system settings. In the future, dark mode will likely need to be a standard feature on all websites and applications.
5. Single-Page Applications
One of the most significant web development trends of 2022 is the use of single-page applications (SPAs). On traditional websites, any time a user clicks an item, a new page must be loaded into the web browser. Single-page applications have changed all that; these JavaScript-based web applications load a single HTML page and dynamically update content as necessary without users having to refresh the entire page.
Single-page applications offer a wide range of advantages; Web Developers get to enjoy reduced development time with less server space required while end-users of the site benefit from improved site performance and easier navigation. The popularity of SPAs is likely to increase into 2022 and beyond; they’ve already been widely adopted by many in the web development industry including big tech companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook.
6. Serverless Architecture
Another key web development trend in 2022 is the increased usage of serverless architecture. Serverless architecture relies on cloud technology and was developed as a way to reduce system overloading, data loss, and development costs; it allows users to run code for practically any type of application or backend service without the need to provision, manage, or upgrade servers. The benefits of using serverless technology include minimizing development time, reducing costs, improving flexibility, and allowing more internet-sustainable apps.
The largest providers of serverless architecture are also some of the biggest names in tech; Google, Amazon, and Microsoft all provide serverless technology. The market size of serverless technology was valued at 7 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 and is expected to reach 30 billion dollars by 2027. That means we can expect to see far more companies and Web Developers making use of serverless architectures.
7. Enhanced User Experience
Users want it all—fast loading times, mobile-friendly pages, plus more interactive online experiences. Web Developers are answering the call and giving users exactly what they want; to meet the demand for enhanced user experiences, programmers are relying on Motion UI, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).
Motion UI is a SASS library that allows Web Developers to create fully responsive websites and mobile apps that include predefined motions such as spinning, bouncing, transitioning, and sliding. The ability to use these motions makes content more interesting and interactive, which keeps users more engaged for a longer period of time.
UI Motion is compatible with all web technologies and can be added anywhere on a website, including the header, footer, and menus. It’s been widely available since 2018 but has become even more accessible and popular in the past couple of years which has made it a top trend for 2022.
Augmented reality and virtual reality are also delivering enhanced user experiences. Though the terms are often confused, there is a significant difference between the two: augmented reality adds digitally designed elements to the real world while virtual reality places you in a digitally created world while blocking out reality. Both are becoming more popular every year—the mixed reality industry is currently valued at more than 50 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to reach almost 300 billion in just two years’ time, making AR/VR one of the hottest web development trends in 2022.
How to Learn Web Development and Its Latest Trends
If you’d like to learn web development (and be able to keep up with all its latest trends), the best way to do this is by enrolling in a web development bootcamp. Bootcamps are specialized skills-focused programs that operate on an abbreviated schedule; they’re considered an excellent alternative to university education because they can get you career-ready in just a few short months as opposed to the 4 years required to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Depending upon your location, you may be able to find a web development bootcamp in your area. If there are none available, a viable alternative would be enrolling in an online web development bootcamp. By taking your bootcamp online, you get the same expert instruction and live feedback as you would from an in-person class except you can learn from the comfort of your own home.
If you’re not quite ready for an immersive bootcamp, another possibility would be enrolling in individual web development classes. That way you can get started on your learning journey while testing your interest in pursuing web development as a career. If you’re trying to fit your education in with a full-time job or busy home life, then online web development classes might be the best choice for you. They offer you maximum convenience with the same high-quality curriculum as in-person classes.