The End of Web Design As We Know It

The apocalypse is upon us and it is filled with zombies…if you watch AMC’s the Walking Dead. But that scenario is fictional to the disappointment of many lovers of that show. The end times I am talking about involves things like coding, CSS and HTML. It is web design that is in trouble.

I have been reading the tea leaves for the last 5-7 years. The handwriting is so obviously on the wall that I finally started telling web designers. For example, I know several colleagues who have their own web design businesses. But over time, more of their clients are asking ask for graphic design and branding services to go with web design. I simply stated, “I don’t think the web design we see now will be around in 10 years so consider getting more education.” That is a harsh assessment I know but as a brand consultant and graphic designer, I also hear what clients are asking for. Make no mistake, UI/UX designers are popular but there are companies asking for more than just coding skills.  There are several serious developments that are already impacting web design dramatically:

1. High quality inexpensive web design templates and website builders are everywhere designed for people who want to do minimal coding. Ten years ago, I grabbed a template, tweaked it in WordPress and celebrated! But the templates today are much better visually, can do much more and are much simpler to customize. Other popular CMS platforms (Wix, Weebly and SquareSpace) take a lot of the pain out of website design. (Warning: Ease of use does not necessarily equal a high quality result.)
2. Artificial Intelligence and automation are growing. The Grid bills itself as ‘the first AI platform that creates websites’.  This type of automated approach means less worry. Also, WordPress with its extensive open source plug-ins culture has helped small businesses compete with larger companies. Through plug-ins, you can automate tracking, SEO and be mobile friendly. Do non-coders who know what they want feel less stupid? Yes.
3. Social Media continues to compete hard against websites attempting to keep people on their platforms without leaving. For instance, Facebook, the social media platform leader, is testing a shopping section through its app. It has also had much success (to my chagrin) filling the Facebook feed with videos that automatically play when viewed. All of this means navigating to other websites less and less. What’s ironic is that brands are getting less love on Facebook compared to five years ago. Social media platforms know they need to get more eyeballs to charge premium advertising prices.
4. Smaller screens are becoming the norm for mobile phone users. In the Pew Research Center 2015 State of the News Media report, 39 out of 50 surveyed news sites reported that they get more traffic from mobile devices than from computers. Would you believe that even though Mobilegeddon has already happened, I still encounter websites that are not responsive? I predict that one day it will be possible to design a mobile site through your phone without having a traditional website.
5. Apps are becoming cheaper to build and are especially popular with the younger crowds.

Well, will web design completely go away? No. But the tide is shifting to smaller screen experiences focused on the customer. The terms I am hearing are ‘Experience Design (XD)’ and ‘User-centric Design’. As typical web design succumbs to the 5 disruptions I listed above, UI/UX designers will be in demand but will need to continue expanding their knowledge of mobile design and XD. Last year, CNN reported on the development of scent technology. Instead of sending a text, you can text…a smell.

But I would also advise UI/UX designers to continue growing in their knowledge of graphic design and branding even though everyone considers themselves a designer. In my experience, the typical branding project almost always goes from figuring out how to tell a story from print to digital and not in reverse. (There may be digital processes involved such as gathering and tracking data on the internet and social media. It is also possible for a project to solely be digital such as animation or a short film.) The reason? PRINT is still our main form of visual communication despite declining readership. Also, the brain can process images faster than text because we are affected cognitively and emotionally as they are stored in our long term memory. Text only enters long term memory IF connected to images. This bodes well for XD and Graphic Design. (There are classes being developed around digital design, digital storytelling, mobile design, etc). You choose but make sure you learn some foundational principles about how humans respond to stories and visual stimuli. 

Graphic Design will NEVER disappear because it draws on art and narrative developed for commercial use and is based in the physical and digital world. (The industry name may change. Who knows? It has changed before.) But  designers should still learn some coding or have access to someone who does.

If none of this appeals to you, then make like a disaster movie and run, get your family, jump in an airplane, land somewhere far away and…well…repopulate the earth. Oh, you might want to take a smartphone with you.;)

So, is this the end of web design as we know it? 

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