Moving into a New Year can be an exciting time and it is only natural that many people will look forward to the exciting new methods that will arise in their industry. There are some industries and businesses that rarely change from year to year but this is certainly not the case with web programming. In the grand scheme of things, web programming and web design is still in its infancy but huge steps forward are being taken every year and 2013 promises to have a number of big changes and challenges for people involved in the industry.

Typography

When it comes to websites, the mantra that “content is King” has always been present but in 2013, more so than any previous year, how that content looks is going to be very important. This is definitely the year when typography comes to the fore, providing users with more connection points.

The majority of websites will remain true to the tried and tested fonts and types but as the capabilities grow, expect to see more exciting use of typography on websites. This owes as much to the graphical overload causing problems with regards to web site weight as it does to the stunning types of web typography available but the combination of these two elements makes sure that typography will have its year in 2013.

The importance of quality content will remain, that is not going anywhere in 2013 but the way that this content looks will have the potential to grab your attention and have people talking.

End of Flash

This will not be a shock or surprise to anyone and it is a continuation of a notable trend of 2012 but it may well be that we wave goodbye to Flash in 2013.

With so many mobile devices refusing to support it and numerous problems when there is an update, many users have had enough and of course, web programmers will be wise to listen to what people are saying. With HTML5/CSS3 and Javascript amongst the numerous alternatives, the disappearance of Flash will not be the disaster it may have been a few short years ago.

White space minimalism

As 2012 drew to a close, there was a growing feeling that white space was on the rise with respect to web-sites. Similar to the circumstances that are driving the progression of increased typography, sites that provided too much for guests has resulted in a need and even desire to provide a more restrained approach. “Less is more” never really goes out of fashion and with space giving a site a professional and authoritative feel, what is not to love about this emerging trend?

Ease of sharing on social media

Social media sharing is not a new thing, in fact, you could argue that there has been overkill but in 2013, there is likely to be a more intelligent approach to social media sharing on sites. Encouraging better interaction and providing users with more opportunities than merely “liking” a page or site will lead to more users becoming involved with what a site has to offer.  Web video creation and sharing via social video sites will also come to the forefront of this trend.

Mobile apps

With the amount of smart phones and tablets, the way that people access the internet has been changing so it is not a surprise that programmers have been drifting towards the mobile market. In 2013 though, there will be a switch in focus to creating mobile apps as opposed to merely providing mobile sites and content. The technology behind mobile app creation is becoming widely available at a very affordable price and with there being massive benefits to the user of having a secure and reliable app; this is likely to be the way that many sites will look to go in 2013.

Big buttons

Coming hard on the heels of the importance of mobile apps and the increasing use of mobile devices, an increasing number of sites will look to provide big buttons to make life easier for the touch masses. In the past, large buttons have been mainly used for the aesthetic aspect but these days, the quick “tap & touch” capabilities of web use means that there needs to be an ease of use that is suitable for everyone, regardless of how they access the internet. The bigger the better is often the mantra for sites although this will bring its own challenges with respect to web programming.

Every New Year promises to be an exciting one in the world of web programming but it is clear to see that 2013 is going to offer a massive range of opportunities and challenges for programmers. Anyone looking for a challenge and a chance to make a fresh start with their site will find that the big trends of 2013 will provide an excellent range of opportunities.

Responsive Design

With so many different browsers and platforms available today, having a responsive design is something that many web programmers are looking to incorporate into their projects.  2013 will likely see this trend continuing as more and more devices hit the market.     By embracing responsive web design, this may also spell the end of having to design mobile websites for each client to run alongside their desktop site and while it may seem to contradict the point about Mobile Apps above, it’s important to note that mobile websites and mobile apps aren’t the same thing at all.

Final Mentions

Other exciting new innovations, trends and emerging aspects of web design will possibly appear or evolve in the coming year, among others:- jQuery parallex scrolling on websites, vertical scrolling which while aesthetically pleasing can cause a huge SEO shortfall, large images as compression techniques continue to improve, not to mention a plethora of site redesigns to ensure they are calming and easy on the eye.

Whatever is on the way, there’s only one thing for it if you’re serious about your web programming business.  You just have to roll with it.   If you’re good at what you do, these things aren’t daunting and they’re the very things that will keep your passion for programming fresh and alive for years to come.