4 Trends That Will Shape The Future Of Web Development

Trends come and go in the blink of an eye, and nowhere is that more true than in web development. The technology for developing new applications continues to grow and change at a remarkable pace. From real-time web to augmented realities and the rising importance of the Internet of Things, there’s a lot of excitement ahead. Which trends will have a hand in shaping the future of web development? What will have the greatest impact on developers in 2017? Let’s take a quick look at four trends of the future.

1. Virtual Reality Becomes More Mainstream

With predictions that virtual reality will grow into a $30 billion market by 2020, the future is looking bright. The technology inched into the mainstream during 2016, and it looks like it will begin to reach the masses in 2017. Companies like Google and Mozilla are already transforming the web with virtual reality, and the technology has brought enormous change to the gaming industry. The past year also saw the launch of the Global Virtual Reality Association whose members, including Oculus, Google, HTC, Sony, and Samsung, are joining forces to discover ways to make better content for VR.

2. Movement Based Interfaces

Interfaces that respond to hand movements may be a whole lot closer than people think. Combined with libraries like tracking.js, movement-based interfaces are set to become the new reality, so look for them to become a staple in web development in 2017.

3. The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things has already raised the level of development to a whole new dimension, and experts are predicting a lot more surprises. As it becomes more prolific and people connect to the web through more and more devices, IoT stands poised to revolutionize web development, with a lot of innovation initiated by start-ups. Among other things, IoT offers businesses a unique opportunity to streamline their processes, gaining better insight into management and reducing costs. Companies will integrate IoT solutions with ERPs, CRMs, and other applications that save time and increase productivity. Look for even more devices to start connecting to the network, with developers offering consumers ways to communicate and control information via their gadgets more effectively.

4. Artificial Intelligence

The advances in AI displayed by products such as Google Assistant and Siri show it has officially gone from being a buzzword to becoming a useful product with real impact on users. Voice recognition, content search and optimization, and visual object recognition prove AI is more than hype. For now, expect the best AI solutions to be industry-focused. But as user interfaces continue to evolve at a rapid pace, there will be a shift to the mainstream. Nothing stands still for long in web development. Information constantly changes and the methods used to deal with it evolve right alongside it. Expect even more interesting web development trends and tools to emerge as 2017 progresses.