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What to Expect in 2011

January 20th, 2011

Insight Article

2010 brought us the iPad, Google Android 2.2, 3D Televisions, and Wikileaks. Twitter surpassed 20 billion tweets and Facebook surpassed 500 million users, so what’s next? We have our sights set on a groundbreaking 2011. Our team has some predictions of what is to come:

1. The Beginning of the End of Desktop Computers

As the avenues to access the web increase, we are witnessing the beginning of the end of desktop computers. This year, the number of users accessing the web through their TV or a gaming device will double. At the beginning of 2011 there were 500 million broadband subscribers worldwide; we expect that number to reach 1 billion by the end of the year. Web User Experience professionals will need to increasingly focus on optimizing websites for these non-traditional devices. We also expect to see the influence of certain elements of mobile design impacting website design.

2. E-Commerce in New Places

A significantly greater portion of sales will begin to happen outside of traditional websites. Increasing mobile sophistication will result in a growing number of companies offering payment options via mobile embedded security. Starbucks is already leading the way on this front. Also expect to see an increase in spending through social sites like Facebook.

3. Wearable Apple?

Apple’s “blowout earnings” for the last quarter of 2010 have set the stage for what should be an envelope-pushing 2011. With Richard DeVaul, the pioneer of wearable technology, as the company’s Senior Prototype Engineer, we’re bound to see some innovative and irresistible new products.

4. Less is More

Website design will take a streamlined approach, increasing the usage of typographic solutions in lieu of photography. Font replacement tools are becoming ubiquitous across the web, allowing for more customized typeface design. We like the use of identity building fonts in varying sizes and colors by The New Yorker,  Crate & Barrel, and Hunter’s Wine Shop to draw attention to pieces of content.

5. We Will Feel the Impact of HTML5 and CSS3

HTLML5 and CSS3 have had a profound impact on what can be accomplished in the visual and interactive landscape on the web. Their increased acceptance and the final abandonment of IE6 compliance will allow developers to create some really rich and interactive user experiences. Just look at what we have already seen from Arcade Fire and the Google Chrome Store.

6. Business Intelligence

This year businesses will invest heavily in multi-channel analytics in an attempt to gain insight into customer experiences and interactions. Companies will uncover fragmented interactions with their brands and likely need to adjust marketing tactics.

7. Cloud Computing Will Finally Hit Big

The technology has been around for a while now, but this year businesses are prioritizing the need for employee collaboration and document management while still needing to keep costs low. We expect to see provider consolidation and an increased focus on the user experience which will aide with adoption.

8. SharePoint 2010 for WCM

SharePoint based websites will increase. SharePoint, already widely popular for document management and internal collaboration in many organizations, has greatly improved its Web Content Management capabilities with the 2010 release.

9. Open Source CMS

Organizations that were managing their website without a usable CMS will increasingly see the benefits of using one. The advantages of an open-source CMS such as Drupal will become particularly evident as companies initially try to keep development costs low while increasing peer collaboration.

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References:

IBM’s Inside the Midmarket, A 2011 Perspective (CMS Wire summarizes it nicely)

Forrester Research 2011 Customer Experience Predictions

Gartner’s Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users, 2011 and Beyond: IT’s Growing Transparency

The NavArts Team