When looking for a web design course in Kenya, consider a school that follows the latest design trends.
Some programming schools are rigid with their curricula. Even as a design student, you have a responsibility to learn the latest trends in web design.
Otherwise, you will waste your time learning outdated programming languages and designs.
The world has shifted to e-commerce. Hence, many of your future clients will require an e-commerce website.
Every web developer in Kenya needs to know how to integrate these trends into a website.
1. Original photography
Stock images have dominated websites for a long time. With the current mobile devices with multiple cameras, website users prefer and expect original photography.
Brands have evolved from stock images to high-quality original images.
Original images of a product are not enough in this age. Customers need interactive visuals such as 3D images and virtual reality as well.
E-commerce comes with the challenge of proving to clients that a product is good with just an image.
Hence, if you are developing a website for your business or a client’s business, you need interactive visuals.
Otherwise, you will have a good-looking website but low sales.
2. AI and Chat bots
We cannot run away from this trend in 2020. Artificial intelligence and chat bots are now part of e-commerce.
The need to remain competitive and make money should be at the back of your mind when creating a website for a business.
Entrepreneurs may not have the design skills but they follow the trends on their competitors’ websites.
AI and chat bots improve user experience by answering common questions fast. Chat bots direct customers around the website as well.
Hence, customers can make quick purchase decisions.
Customers will purchase from e-commerce websites that offer this experience and provide quick information.
Your web design course in Kenya must include lessons on integrating this technology into a website.
3. Ecommerce mobile apps
We are coming from the era of responsive websites into ecommerce mobile apps. Many companies are realising the need to have an e-commerce mobile app in addition to a responsive website.
The shift from desktop web apps means web designers in Kenya need to create ecommerce websites for mobile devices first. The websites should then adapt to desktop screens.
While mobile technology is a top trend, some customers will still prefer to shop on laptops or desktops.
For web developers, learning to develop e-commerce mobile apps alongside web apps increases their competitiveness.
A full course in mobile apps development is recommended even with the rising popularity of app builders.
4. Animations and GIFs
Many website owners were sceptic about animations and GIFs when they began. The feeling was that the design trends were too playful.
However, the performance of websites with such interactive features changed their minds.
Customers in 2020 prefer an interactive shopping experience on a website. GIFs and animations are a sure way to make the shopping experience fun.
Combine images with GIFs, especially for the products that you want to highlight.
Animations can be used on loading bars, background images, and homepages banners. Motion pictures are also trending alongside animations.
An alternative way to make the shopping on a website interactive is to include short video clips.
The right combination of animations, chat bots, AI, GIFs, videos, interactive buttons and icons, motion pictures, and cinemagraphs will skyrocket sales on dormant websites.
5. Bright Striking Colors
Are you conservative with website colors? Well, it is time to move on.
Buyers are attracted to colourful homepages. Experiment with bright colors and test the difference.
The trick is in choosing striking colors that communicate the right messages about your brand to customers.
Make sure that the colors blend to avoid a chaotic website. The trend is easy to implement on your website.
For business owners, you need to convince them to replace the white space or cool colors with bright colors.
However, the trend pays off with more website clicks, low bounce rates, and higher sales.
6. Product pages
If you took a web design course in Kenya several years ago, you learnt to create a landing page with links to different pages.
This means that a buyer gets to the home first and then looks for the page with the product of interest.
Modern ecommerce designs enable web developers in Kenya to add product page hybrids. When a buyer searches for a product, they will end up a landing page centered on the product.
The product pages focus on other items in the same category and links to other pages on the site.
In other words, you learn to create mini stores within an e-commerce website that highlight different categories of products.
7. Storytelling
Have you noticed the shift in advertising to storytelling? Gone are the days when marketing messages highlighted products only.
Brands are trying to tell stories related to their products that connect to the buyers’ emotions.
The emotional connection between a brand and the target customers is important in converting leads.
You can tell a story with interactive visuals on an ecommerce website.
Show the buyers how your products solve their pressing problems. Some customers may not realise a pain point until you highlight it with a visual.
Every visual on the website or product pages should add to the story. Hence, you cannot pick random visuals and include them on a website.
8. Personalization
A web course design in Kenya in 2020 must teach you how to make a website more human.
Machine learning has made it easier for companies to present the products or information that website users need fast.
The language used in your website’s content should be human. Address the customer as a human being with a pressing need that your products can solve.
Adding testimonials and reviews from other customers helps. Avoid fake testimonials. Give honest reviews from real customers who have used your products.
Alternatively, provide information on the best way to use your products. Short videos or slide shows can help in communicating such information.
Some businesses use quizzes to understand the type of product customers are looking for and then recommend a product.
The right personalization strategy will depend on your range of products and persona of your target customers.
You cannot use outdated website designs in 2020 and succeed. The e-commerce space is now highly competitive. You may not need to create a new website but instead use the highlighted trends to revive an old ecommerce site.
