Web Designing In 2016 — Its Not Like 10 Years Ago

I have been designing web sites for quite a long time (first one in 1996), but recently got back into it after not actively designing since 2006 or so. For the way technology moves in modern times, that is probably like repairing today’s tv’s if you last repaired one in 1962. Much has changed, and I have found myself reading to get updated. So what is so different? Well, that is a loaded question, now isn’t it?

What worked in 2006, when all we had to worry about was how a site looked on a desktop monitor or laptop screen, doesn’t fly in 2016 (or in 2011 for that matter). As more and more people get smart phones and tablets, we are consuming much more content on these devices and less on our desktops. This is why it is so important for businesses to have apps, but I digress. And viewers have little patience for things that require a little extra work, such as scrolling a page left to right in order to read the content that is off the screen. Designers call this the “user experience”, and it better be a good one while you have that viewer’s attention.

For example, look at the photo below. This is my farm’s website, which I designed around 2008. When viewed on some tablets, this is how it appears. Notice the page is cut off to the right (it does look better on iPad though) and the title is partially missing. The text is kind of hard to read and must be zoomed in. And then it requires scrolling back and forth from left to right. This is not a great experience for the reader.

So what are the things that have changed since 2006? Here are just a few of the big things to know:

1. Flash — If your site uses Flash (like many of the sites I used to make did), I have some bad news. Many mobile browers (Safari, Chrome) do not support Flash anymore (maybe there is a plugin for Chrome?), but a couple 3rd party browsers might support it. But most people are not using 3rd party browsers, and if you have one of those fancy Flash intros on your website, it is likely DEAD on your iPhone — go check right now.
2. HTML 5 — there are lots of cool things we can do with HTML 5, including supporting video, and GPS location, and many other features.
3. CSS — this has been around for a while, but it has pretty much become mandatory for websites now in order to optimize for different size screens.
4. Search Engines — Search engines like Google began penalizing website that are not “responsive” and mobile friendly in 2015 with their ranking system. So if your site is not mobile friendly, you could possibly lose that 1st page ranking in searches. If you want to know what Google thinks of your page, they have made a page to check your site: https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

The point of this article is just bring some awareness to those that have websites that were designed a while ago and are oblivious to how hideous their sites look on mobile/tablets. And there are still a lot of sites out there, including my farm’s website, that have been neglected through the digital age. Now that you are aware, you should address it ASAP. You could be losing viewers, and losing viewers could mean losing potential business. For bringing this to your attention, I say, “You’re Welcome.”

I can be found on Twitter @ejameswhite1 and @livestockcity.