Every year, a compendium of statistical surveys regarding the state of web development is carried out. The results are compiled into an eye-opening summary that includes technology, demographics, trends, and even behavioral analysis of users around the web.

One of the most interesting statistics, which unfortunately is mostly either ignored or merely analyzed by the industry, is the “State of Disability” report, which is an overview of the most common user profiles with some form of disability. The results of last year’s survey? Over 19% of the thousands of users that participated in it reported they had varying levels of disability.

Taking into account the fact that this is a limited measurement and that, according to the WHO, over 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability or impairment, we need to drive accessibility on the web as much as we do for our unimpaired users and provide a safe, functional, and equal space regardless of the user.

We’re moving forward, but not nearly fast enough

There are, thankfully, several initiatives that have been created to make the web equal and with standards for every user. The W3C organization (along with top partners around the world) founded the Web Accessibility Initiative, a comprehensive and thorough guide on how web development should be tackled from the get-go. This guide takes best practices and standards into account in order to provide an accessible experience for every user.

The initiative includes the standardization of web development guidelines. These reward SEO AND also are already part of the best practices for web development in current times. Thus, creating an accessible website inherently must become normalized, with the added benefit of expanding your user base to include this very often marginalized demographic.

Making it right

Web accessibility is covered from a dev standpoint if these recommendations are taken into account. So, we must now do our part and make this right. One of the many ways we could implement these best practices into our projects and clients is by performing accessibility benchmarks in the early stages of information gathering and technical requirement documentation of new projects. By including this step, we can lock in the request for a fully accessible project from the very beginning, making the web a safer, equal space, one project at a time.

Are you looking to make your site more inclusive? Making Science has got you covered! We can perform site audits and provide recommendations about where and how to get started.

Get in touch

Back in 2003, the concept of “Web 2.0” was a mysterious, elusive trend that was taking the world of web development by storm. At that time, a small group of people dedicated to the open-source philosophy released what is known today as one of the most powerful CMS solutions in the world.

According to W3Techs, as of February 2022, from all of the indexed websites that use CMS as an integrated solution, over 65% of those websites use WordPress as their CMS of choice, which is an outstanding and impressive statistic by itself, but even more impressive is the fact that it’s maintained a steady growth year-over-year since its release.

Web development took a break

WordPress’ resumé is impressive. Yet, a few years after its release, the world of web design and development inevitably took a break from WordPress. It began to explore newer solutions like Drupal, Joomla, Wagtail, etc. With the web being the force of nature that it is, the world moves on very quickly. If current solutions aren’t able to keep up and maintain a steady level of innovation, it is almost guaranteed to be game over.

Years ago, WordPress faced several issues, including:

• a convoluted and unmaintainable plugin-based solution
• a lack of support for trailblazing trends

As such, WordPress became, especially for Front-End development, a limiting and restraining environment for innovation. It was a matter of time until devs moved on in search of greener pastures.

Back to the future

Nevertheless, WordPress’ adventure wasn’t over. They continued gathering feature requests and user feedback and kept growing, building, expanding, and innovating. Fast-forward to today and there are pretty much no limitations regarding web development and WordPress. Gone were the days when developers had to make sacrifices in order to implement it as a solution.

These are some of the reasons why our teams at Making Science strongly believe in implementing WordPress as a solid, robust, and versatile solution for our clients. We’re taking it to the most demanding and innovative implementations with technologies like React, Vue, Angular, among others. In this way, we create an immersive, effective, and strongly engaging experience for our clients’ users.

As WordPress continues to grow, so do we: adapting, changing and growing. Make the most of your WordPress site by reaching out to our team today!

“I knew it was the right service for me”… “I can’t stand it when all items disappear from my cart every time I click the back button.” 

This is not your regular love story. Love and Breakup letters are a fascinating UX activity that helps you explore the relationship of an object or service with its users through personification. 

How does it work?

Let’s say you want to know how your customers feel about the current checkout process, the new Special Offers page you recently added to your site, or your overall service/product. You could start by asking them to write a “love letter” (or a “breakup letter”) to your brand.

For the love letter, it’s best to ask existing customers, because they’ve remained loyal for a reason. Breakup letters can also be assigned to existing customers. But, we recommend reaching out to former and potential clientele in order to understand why they decided to leave, or never engaged with you in the first place. 

Once you have a pool of participants, you should provide instructions on how to complete the exercise. You want emotions to run freely, and don’t want them to be restricted to a script. However, we recommend providing some talking points to guide their narrative. For example:

• “Describe a moment when [business] made you want to leave”
• “Write about how [business] has impacted your life for the better”
• “Explain how you may have tried to salvage the relationship”, or 
• “Tell me how you feel after leaving [business].”

As with any user research, love and breakup letters have disadvantages. The exercise might not throw good results if the participants are not creative and lack imagination. The writing can also be altered by the gender of the participants, the surroundings, and even by their emotional state at the time.

When do we use this technique?

This is a powerful activity to engage with users at a more emotional level. It is a fun exchange to collect qualitative user research data. These letters are also a more efficient alternative to asking about likes and dislikes in lengthy surveys. When you humanize the experience or product, users will reveal insights they would not think of otherwise. Depending on your audience and your goals, you can play this as a group activity, or as individual assignments.

How can qualitative complement quantitative data?

At first sight, this storytelling might not sound relevant to data-driven companies. But, take a breakup letter with comments on how difficult it is to update a service on the website. What you might see in analytics is the lack of interaction with a certain CTA button, or the increase in some bounce metric, but you won’t necessarily understand why.

Listen to your customers and they will surprise you with honest feedback. Act on that feedback and your business will have a better chance of success. 

So, now what?

Do you like the thought of doing UX Love Letters, but aren’t sure how to get started? We suggest writing a letter to us first!

Lucky for you, it doesn’t need to be a real letter. You can get in touch with us by filling our contact form here.

Confinement has forced us to modernize our consumption of the digital world. What worked before may no longer have the same results. The amount of time we spend in front of a screen increases day by day. This has generated a proportional increase in the way we search for and acquire goods or services in digital transactions. The world of digital marketing is undoubtedly a cornerstone in today’s society.

2022 promises to be an uncertain year from all points of view, especially from the digital world. It’s important to be aware of what trends are coming in digital marketing and web design.

1. Dynamic content

This trend has been one of the hottest topics of 2021, and it should be prioritized if you have not already done so. Dynamic content provides users with a better experience and incentivizes them by displaying personalized and dynamic information based on their interests, location, and previous browsing activity or purchases.

2. A Hero Image

“Hero Images” (the main image of a web page) have proven to be a great tool to spark initial excitement. We can use images that occupy the entire page to create greater impact. If this resource is well implemented, it can be key to capturing the user’s attention from the first moment.

3. Clean and clear spaces

Current web page designs are easier to read, and most use a minimalist theme. Effective web pages consist of larger and clearer content with direct messages. Avoid distractions and remove any unnecessary elements that can overload the users with information and withdraw their interest.

4. Micro-interactions

Sometimes it all comes down to the details, and micro-interactions are a very interesting resource to generate recall and interest by improving the user’s experience. Implementing short and quick animations that guide users through their interaction with your web page can lead them to complete the desired action.

Some micro-interactions have been a part of our web designs for a long time (for example, links that change color, rollover, or the change of cursor image depending on its location), and now these miniature techniques can be extended to icons and web elements in much more creative ways.

5. Personalized content

In 2022 sites will no longer be considered ‘static’, as we can now use browsing history (with the user’s consent) to deliver content tailored to each user. Now you can go back to a web page you visited before and find a completely different web page with different pieces of information or products. This makes the marketing and sales possibilities opportunities endless.

Personalized content is important for eCommerce sites because brands can focus on products that interest specific users and thus, increase conversions.

6. Dark mode

Continuing with the trend of clean and clear designs: Minimalism reigns in a world of visual darkness. Dark mode considerably reduces the impact on users’ vision making their experience much more pleasant and may help people browse longer. It is one of the key features web designers should implement in the upcoming year. And, it has already been implemented by several social networks and mobile devices.

7. SEO for voice

How users view and browse our pages are important, but we must consider how they access certain pages. The new factors that affect digital marketing also impact web design. One of the most relevant tools that will affect your web design is SEO and the emerging voice search trend. Siri, Alexa, and Google are tools that are becoming increasingly essential in searching for information and content of interest, so it is a crucial point to consider in your web design.

8. Localized SEO and Accessible sites

The localization of current content is a determining factor in SEO optimization. More relevant, responsive searches and easily accessible geography data is fundamental for Google searches.

The reality is that we no longer only use computers to navigate, but many different devices, and we access them in different ways. From SEO by voice search to other accessibility tools designed for people with disabilities, we must adapt these tools into our web pages to ensure a smoother journey for all of our users.

9. Mobile is still king

The vast majority of the population navigates from a mobile device, making mobile-friendly websites very important in 2022. This means building clean, simple designs that users will find easy to access and use (thinking about the “fat finger” syndrome as well as mobile usability). Implementing dynamic scrolling will ensure that your web pages load faster and provide users with a better experience.

10. Interactive content still arouses interest

Interactive content ranges from infographics, branded games and e-books, to interactive emails. We must make sure our consumers don’t get bombarded with endless amounts of information that diverts them from the path we want them to take. How many campaigns have you seen with interactive features such as a branded game using products or discount codes?

Tools such as interactive Q&A’s on social media, polls, and surveys are part of the list of interactive content that keeps people interested. It can also be a clue to let you know as a brand what is trending positively (and what might not be). Ensure that the interactive tools of your choice don’t affect your web page’s speed.

How do I determine which trend will be most effective for my web page layout?

These trends are innovative actions that can contribute to more conversions and sales in the new year. But first, you must establish which trend integrates best with your brand’s marketing objectives to ultimately increase your ROI. To determine what is most suitable, you must keep your objectives in mind and try new things. Understanding your customers will help your brand develop the best strategy, and it is also imperative in deciding which trends you should consider improving your web design in 2022.

If you’re not sure which trends will create the best outcome for your campaigns? Get in touch with us at info@makingscience.com.

Technology is changing how we interact with our users. Augmented reality, Machine learning and AI are door openers for a new digital landscape. Here are 10 trends that we believe will reshape digital experiences in the remainder of 2020.

1. Button-less interfaces
   The kingdom of buttons will come to an end with the arrival of new ways to interact such as gestures or voice recognition.
2. UX applied to everything except screens
   In the upcoming years we’ll be exposed to digital experiences outside the traditional screens. The challenge will be making easy and effective interactions screenless!
3. Agnostic interfaces: “Mobile first is dead”
   User experience must be fluid and functional, regardless of the device you are using. In the multidevice digital landscape, interface design beyond devices will be a priority.
4. Voice assistants with natural language
   The progress in natural language processing (NLP) will allow us to talk naturally with our virtual assistants and have more in-depth interactions.
5. Increase in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
   These technologies will move from experiments to become crucial elements on digital experiences for many verticals.
6. Improved personalization
   With recent learnings, we are offering to our users better personalized experiences, while keeping consistency in all touchpoints in any device.
7. Analytics in user research
   Data analysis and user research will join their paths to offer a holistic vision of the insights obtained from users and customers in the browsing experience.
8. From User Experience (UX) to Intelligent Experience (IX)
   New technologies force us to evolve from User Experience to Intelligent Experience, where intelligence is brought into a client’s journey to optimize their experience in all interactions.
9. Biometric usage
   More and more companies are using biometric data with the intent of simplifying their client’s experiences by removing pain points and increasing security.
10. Sustainable challenge digitalization
    As sustainability is getting more ingrained in society, the digital world reflects with content that communicates sustainable policies or changes in businesses or processes.

With this global pandemic, technology and user experience needs to adapt more than ever to help us transform our visitors into customers.