Web development trends for 2021

But web development is not only responsible for the appearance of a website. Much more is going on in the background. The website establishes the connection between customers and the company departments. It offers functions for users and your employees. It also collects important data that can tell you more about your customer base.

We’ll show you which nine trends will dominate web development in 2021 and what the future will bring.

1. Usability in web development

Ease of use is playing an increasingly important role. There are good reasons for this. Applications have become more and more complex in recent years. That created barriers to use. However, both your employees and users of your web platform benefit from easily accessible systems.

The productivity of a platform depends primarily on its usability. The greatest functions and features are useless if they are too complicated to use. It is important that your employees have easy access to the software solutions. The same applies to customers or users of your web platforms.

This minimizes the training effort and ensures platforms that quickly develop their maximum potential. Such success when introducing new applications can be measured with KPIs. Then it becomes apparent how effective platforms with a high level of user-friendliness actually are.

For this reason, usability will play an important role in web development in 2021. We implement software and web applications for you that are logically structured and easily accessible. This gives you platforms that users enjoy working and interacting with.

2. The infrastructure in the cloud

The year 2020 was marked by a massive shift from the office to the home office. This has changed the requirement profile for the IT infrastructure. The disadvantages and weaknesses of current platforms were clearly evident. The integration of mobile work and the home office into daily work requires flexible platforms.

For this reason, applications and resources will migrate even more to the cloud in 2021. Now when you think about a platform change or an update, the cloud is at the center of the considerations.

Many companies rely on Software as a Service (SaaS). This has the advantage for you and your employees that the applications can be accessed via the Internet. It does not matter whether you are in the office, home office, on-site with a customer or on the train. Access is even possible from abroad.

Thanks to this feature, SaaS and platforms in the cloud are the ideal infrastructure for the modern workplace. The integration of home office and external workstations is completely automatic.

However, this is not the only positive aspect of SaaS solutions and cloud applications. Cloud systems and models such as SaaS offer these advantages:

• Access to data and applications from anywhere
• high scalability and flexibility of resources
• Reduction of the maintenance effort of the local IT
• current applications at any time
• Consumption-oriented billing model with scalable costs

3. Mobile First!

The mobile market has developed rapidly. Powerful smartphones and fast mobile internet are the drivers of this trend. In 2021 we can expect nationwide 5G with even more options. Accordingly, mobile first is one of the trends in web development in 2021.

Mobile first means that applications and platforms are primarily designed for mobile use. A website adapts to the resolution of the mobile device. In addition, the functions are also in focus. The modern user lives mobile and expects this flexibility also on the Internet.

However, Mobile First does not exclusively refer to usage. Your internal applications must also be based on this concept. For you and your employees, this means that all information and functions are also available on the move, if possible. This is independent of whether it is about communication or analysis of data from the CMS.

In web development, we implement systems that provide functions and information across systems. This is how the boundaries between the office and the mobile workplace disappear.

4. Edge computing opens the way for innovative solutions

Until recently, the term edge computing was unknown to many. Experts now agree that edge computing will overtake the cloud and become the next IT trend. Edge computing includes all devices that are located on the edge of the network. These are primarily small, compact systems with very special tasks.

Such edge devices bring you real added value at very low costs. Examples of edge devices are sensors that transmit measurement data or the control of an information display. The boundaries to the IoT are fluid.

The targeted use of such edge devices requires innovative ideas and the right applications. We take over the implementation of your ideas for you. With web and application development, we create apps for the edge with the functions you need.

5. Informative CMS platforms with connection to all business processes

The boundaries between marketing, information and sales channels are blurring. The customer does not want pure sales catalogs in 2021. He is looking for added value, information and entertainment.

A modern content management system forms the basis for delivering exactly that to your customers. On the one hand, a CMS is connected to all business areas. On the other hand, the CMS also collects important information. In the best case, these are available to you, prepared and analyzed. This is how you get to know the needs of your customer base.

You create a direct line to your customers via the CMS. You can provide them with information and manage your various channels. This includes a blog, your website, various social media platforms or even a YouTube channel. All these channels can be managed with a modern CMS.

With such a platform you can reach your customers in a targeted manner. You manage digital media, page content and external channels. Such a platform also allows the personalization of content via targeted content marketing.

In this way, on the one hand, you build an image. On the other hand, you invite your customers to interact. We implement individual CMS solutions based on SULU from Symfony. A direct integration into the existing IT structures or an existing web shop is not a problem.

6. Smart applications

Artificial intelligence, automatic controls and the Internet of Things – these were buzzwords in the past few years. The time for individual use of these technologies will begin in 2021. The large IT companies have long been active in this area and have integrated AI into their everyday lives.

Thanks to the possibilities of individual web development, you too will soon be able to use the advantages of these technologies. There are many possible uses from which small and medium-sized companies can also benefit enormously.

An example of the use of artificial intelligence and automated systems is the evaluation of data. Thanks to the high degree of digitization, a huge amount of information is available to every company these days. Most, however, do not take advantage of the potential of this treasure.

Such big data lakes can be evaluated with automatic analyzes and intelligent databases. Without the use of expensive manual work, you receive valuable data on your customers, the market situation and many other topics. This is how you gain competitive advantages thanks to artificial intelligence.

7. Headless systems for flexible e-commerce

Marketing and sales in the digital area are going through a constant process of change. Like hardly any other area, e-commerce is developing and changing at breakneck speed. Anyone who does not keep up with the times will miss the connection and thus lose the relationship with the customer.

In 2021 everything will be about flexibility. The digital sales channels have become the primary and often the only sales channel. However, there are a variety of channels for this. The software solution must manage, control and synchronize this at the same time. A high degree of automation is also important.

We implement such platforms with Sylius, the e-commerce framework from Symfony. The headless architecture allows individual solutions and offers you many other advantages. This gives you an e-commerce solution that offers exactly the functions you need via modules. APIs allow the connection to other platforms and thus a smooth exchange of data.

Such an e-commerce solution gives you a high degree of flexibility. You work independently of a specific ecosystem, as you connect your favorite platforms directly via the APIs. Integration into your CMS, PIM or ERP is no problem.

These are the main advantages of an e-commerce solution with a headless architecture like Sylius:

• modular construction
• API architecture for integrating PIM, CMS and more
• no commitment to a specific provider
• fast integration options
• Focus on usability and sales channels

8. Hybrid and native apps

Your own app for your company is a testament to professionalism. In the meantime, such apps can even be developed for small and medium-sized companies. The possibilities of individual application development allow you to create your own apps cheaply and quickly. We use state-of-the-art technologies such as Symfony.

Your own app can be designed for internal or external use. Own apps have the advantage that they do exactly what you need. Compact, small and flexible applications help to solve very specific tasks.

We implement individual web apps of all types. These can be hybrid apps that use all the functions of a smartphone. We also create web apps for you according to your ideas. Web apps have the advantage that they run in the browser and are therefore completely platform-independent.

We make sure that the apps integrate seamlessly into your existing IT landscape. Connections and data exchange are possible via APIs and interfaces. In this way, individual applications create real added value. Own applications create flexibility and solve problems. This is one of the reasons why custom web apps will be a trend in 2021.

9. Sustainability and environmentally friendly solutions

The issues of environmental protection and sustainability have been affecting almost all areas of our lives for several years. Web development is also increasingly influenced by it. Indeed, sustainability has the potential to be a win-win.

IT geared towards environmental friendliness primarily uses economical computer systems. With a focus on the cloud and models like SaaS, this is possible. With consistent implementation, you do not need a local server or powerful workstations. Thin clients with extremely low power consumption are perfectly adequate as access devices to the cloud.

Such an IT infrastructure is inexpensive to purchase and even cheaper to maintain. In times of rising electricity costs, this is a clear advantage for your company. We implement the necessary cloud systems and SaaS platforms for you. This gives you a flexible, inexpensive IT infrastructure that is also sustainable and inexpensive to maintain.

We realize the individual web development

At WDCL, we develop online platforms and web applications. The digitization of business models and processes is our core business. If you would like to implement individual projects, then use our contact form. We advise you comprehensively and competently about the possibilities of web development.