More than 6 months after 2016, we are talking about facing the next phase of web design. What exactly is the “next phase” of web design about? It’s about going beyond mere “convenience” when it comes to the user experience on the web. If we were talking about the need for dynamic websites all this time, today we have gone one step further to focus on a “one-of-a-kind” web experience. If yesterday was about creating layouts, suitable for display on desktops, mobile devices, and tablets, today is the time to offer your digital audience a richer and more engaging experience through visual storytelling.
All about storytelling on websites
Yes, visual storytelling is rapidly emerging to prominence in the web design landscape. Although it is not a completely new phenomenon (you can find articles on the web focusing on improved storytelling techniques that were written 4-5 years ago), it definitely did not enjoy the kind of attention it receives today. Visual storytelling is well poised to lead the pack for web design trends in 2017.
Now, implementing visual storytelling in web design can be a daunting prospect, but getting familiar with a few tricks can always work wonders for you. Here are some things that web designers can try while telling a story through their work.
The narrative does not necessarily have to be complex visual elements.
Designers don’t necessarily have to stuff their designs with heavy images. If you can tell your story in one or two pictures, then you don’t have to use ten or fifteen. However, if you need more than ten images to weave a story, don’t try to reduce it to 7 or 8 images.
Make your audience a part of your story
There are several ways to do it. One of the most discussed ways is to “gamify” your site. It means that it rewards its user for performing a task. They are sites that even reward users for completing registration forms. The Swarm app, for example, rewards you for becoming a “mayor” of a place (where you have registered multiple times).
Another way to make your users feel like characters in your story is by including a guided questionnaire for users where they can tell you about themselves and you can offer them a personalized experience based on the information obtained.
Know which sites are best suited to adapt to storytelling techniques.
Visual storytelling is a means of reinforcing interactive storytelling on the web. There are some sites that just don’t benefit from interactive stories. If you are running a website that is accessed primarily for fast, continuous feedback, you really don’t want to incorporate interactive content, which will slow down the user experience. For example, an interactive image will definitely not work as well for a news site as it will for a gaming or e-commerce site.
So the next Web design company Who you are hiring should be aware of the importance of storytelling when it comes to the interactive user experience. Don’t hire them before you ask them about the techniques they would adopt to make your website visually appealing.