If your business operates in the web development market, it’s vital that you maintain your competitive edge — and this means keeping a well-clicked finger on the pulse of evolving trends. As the 2020s usher in a new age for developers, dynamic new approaches and tools are rewiring how businesses create and deploy enterprise web applications. But you can stay ahead of the curve.
Here, we’ll outline three exciting new trends in web development that are poised to transform the industry in the years to come.
- Modernising standard office apps
Traditional office applications have been a mainstay in corporate settings for decades, aiding in administrative tasks such as word processing, spreadsheet management, and presentation creation. In the majority of white-collar professions, competency in tools such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is expected.
However, with shifting user expectations and advancements in technology, modernizing these applications has become a priority. Nowadays, users demand more seamless collaboration, cloud integration, and cross-device accessibility. To meet these demands, web developers are breaking new ground in transforming desktop applications into agile, web-based solutions.
By migrating these applications to the cloud, users can access and work on their documents from any device with an internet connection. This shift not only enhances collaboration but also allows for real-time updates and enhanced version control. For example, EASA provides an Excel to web solution to eliminate the common issues associated with collaboratively using a standard Excel spreadsheet — including “formulas being overwritten, out-of-date files remaining in circulation, or intellectual property being left exposed”.
- AI integration
The integration of artificial intelligence into daily business operations has been fast and unrelenting, ever since ChatGPT went public and saw record-breaking adoption back in Q4 2022. Cut to the midway point of ‘23 and AI is revolutionizing just about every digital vertical you can imagine — with web development being no exception.
One compelling application for AI is in building AI-powered chatbots to be embedded into web applications. These virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries, provide instant support, and streamline feedback interactions to improve overall customer satisfaction. What’s more, AI’s ability to understand user behavior and facilitate targeted marketing can maximize user engagement and subsequent conversions.
However, AI implementation doesn’t just help your product users and clients. It can also be ingrained into your workflow when you’re developing web apps and other experiences. For instance, Google writes that its Bard AI assistant “can help with programming and software development tasks, including code generation, debugging and code explanation”. These tools are trained across programming languages such as C++, Java and Python, significantly speeding up development and quality assurance processes.
- Static Site Generators (SSGs)
Another rising trend in the web development sphere is the use of Static Site Generators (SSGs). These offer a pioneering new approach to building websites and applications. Cloudflare explains that an SSG “generates a full static HTML website based on raw data and a set of templates”, preparing individual HTML pages to serve users ahead of time.
As static sites are pre-built, they differ from traditional dynamic websites, which generate content on the server side for each user request. This approach offers several advantages, particularly for enterprise web development. Firstly, SSGs provide faster page load times, improving overall user experience and even benefiting SEO rankings. Static sites are also more secure, as no server-side processing takes place, reducing the risk of common web vulnerabilities.
Lastly, with the decoupling of the front end and back end, SSGs promote a distinct and component-based approach to web development. This separation allows teams to work independently from one another, boosting efficiency and accelerating the development cycle.
