NN: Web Development Trends Predictions 2020 to Watch For

The development of technology has completely changed the way of life of mankind. They helped automate and facilitate most processes. Also, technologies have created a completely different idea about web development. Trends are not just turned upside down: a new trend has appeared.

Every company today is entering a "new era" of programming. To stay on top of the game it's important for developers to be aware of any updates. What will be the key points of large corporations in web development?

Most influence Web Development Trends Predictions 2020 are:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
2. Neural networks
3. Internet of things (IoT)
4. Single Page Applications (SPA)
5. Static site generators
6. Chat bots
7. Javascript and Python
8. Adaptability and saturation
9. Progressive web applications (PWA)

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

How well are you familiar with this technology? At a minimum, each of you have heard that artificial intelligence makes the basis of most modern developments. But nowadays there are still users who believe that AI is just starting to gain momentum. Here is a small list of what developers have already done:

• copyright protection in social networks is made through a neural network;
• customers receive offers from online stores based on previous purchases;
• voice search optimization;
• automatic selection of the most optimal elements of web design (gamma, fonts, button shapes, etc.);
• analysis of user emotions by comments.

The era of "robots" has already begun. Companies around the world are increasingly inclined to use the capabilities of AI. This market is growing and setting the pace in any industry.

Generally, it takes several months to develop a functional website. Today, many can cope with this task in a few weeks. But the fulfillment of such a task is a strong brainstorming. In addition, the developer needs a lot of resources to achieve the goal. It comes to the aid of artificial intelligence, which can create the site itself. Check out the following video about design trends to know while you develop apps:

AI is still far from the high-quality development of Motion design or informative gif-animations. It is able to do not just a layout, but 80% of all work, that allows web developers to concentrate on the usability and design of the site. In other words, AI will provide an opportunity to develop skills. Therefore, it will be the main trend for many years to come, dictating trends in other components of web development.

Neural networks

A small part of everything we used to call "artificial intelligence." However, the neural network does the lion’s share of the work. The above-mentioned copyright protection is achieved thanks to this technology.

The principle of operation is to search for matches and dependent relationships, as well as monitoring the weights (if the action is successful, the scales go in his direction, using this experience in the future and vice versa).

The first implementation of the technology in the project is the zero point. A small flaw in the neural network is that it needs time for “self-learning”. In other words, it must perform the actions to remember the correct ones and use them in the future. But such a principle gradually eliminates the possibility of an error.

How to implement a neural network in the field of web development? One option is to “show” thousands of finished projects and feedback about them. Thus, it will understand what is good and what is bad and will be able to create its own website. According to this principle, the neural network:

• wrote the music, listening to world bestsellers;
• painted a picture, analyzing the masterpieces of fine art;
• wins professionals in challenging games like Dota 2 and GO.

If you follow the trend of using AI, you should first of all turn to the neural network. It will be the basis for most web development solutions.

Internet of things (IoT)

An extensive concept that is undeniably applicable in web development. The Internet has a huge impact on all areas of life. Almost everyone depends on the Internet in one way or another. Business organizations, service providers and other corporations cannot exist without it at all today.

The idea that the use of the intellectual potential of devices and their sensors will bring “business” to a new level is gaining more and more popularity.

Continuous interaction of technology and applications will play a key role in service delivery and web development.

As seen in the Statista infographic, by 2020 almost 31 billion devices will be connected to the Internet. This has a huge impact on further trends in web development. Indeed, with the growth of this indicator, the efficiency of device synchronization increases.

Today, there are not so many websites, smartphones and applications that have IoT integration. Among them are Google Home and Uber. For example, you can call the car through the application, and confirm the completion of the trip with voice commands on arrival home.

But the concept remains the center of attention. Web development is moving into a “new dimension”, of which the Internet of things will be a part.

Single Page Applications (SPA)

Not a new trend that is not losing popularity yet. Typically, this technology is used to create websites that interact with the user by dynamically rewriting the entire page, instead of fully loading new pages from the server.

Somehow this principle can be compared with the development of computer games. The computer has at once all the information about the gaming environment. However, only the part in which the camera is turned is displayed on the screen. All that "outside the lens" has no appearance. But when transferring the camera, some textures are loaded, while others are cleared from memory.

In the case of sites, the common code will be permanently extracted, displaying key elements of the service (navigation bar, background, registration window, etc.), and the rest will be loaded and added to the page as necessary (in response to user actions).

To understand the technology, I propose to read the Hacker Rank report on the development of developer skills and upcoming programming trends.
This approach will avoid interrupting user interaction between consecutive pages. SPA spared from difficult navigation and swirling menus. They perfectly adapt to any device. That’s why they will be relevant in 2020.

Static site generators

Motion design is rapidly developing web development. It increases the interactivity factor, providing the user with a more comfortable way to get information. But despite its effectiveness, it is not always appropriate. That’s why I want to draw attention to the static site generators.

Development of such sites from scratch takes time that programmers can spend on learning new technologies and designers new trends. But in some cases it’s preferable to make static web pages:

• postal services;
• news portals;
• second-hand stores;
• government sites.

In all these cases, the user needs the highest speed of loading text data. Adding dynamics will slow performance. Moreover, the Motion design of such sites will not bring special benefits.

Therefore, statics comes to counterbalance animation trends. Developers are easier to use generators like Hugo and Jekyll, making the necessary edits after generation. This saves time by allowing you to create a website in 24 hours.

Chat bots

This technology has been added to most applications and sites for a very long time. But its quality left much to be desired. Many bots could give incorrect or not at all relevant answers.

Already mentioned neural network has made its own adjustments. Now chat bots are not limited to the preloaded base. They can learn by remembering the most unusual treatment. This makes it much easier for users to work with the site and with the application.

Some bots can not just answer questions, but even perform some functions. For example, the bot of a mobile bank can change the credit limit or create a template for paying utility bills (if requested by the user). Thus, the work of applications becomes much more efficient and faster.

Javascript and Python

Web development is impossible without a programming language, because I want to highlight the two main trends of recent years, which do not leave the top. Javascript is widely recognized as the best in all indicators. This is supported by Github, Pypl-index and Stackoverflow. Back-end programming language Python breathes in his back.

Their popularity is due to such advantages:

• highest performance;
• easy integration of toolboxes;
• high safety of end products.

Among the shortcomings, as a rule, there is only the difficulty in studying. Although Python is characterized by low efficiency for developing mobile applications.

If you want to work as a web developer in a large corporation, then these two languages are required to learn. Statistics show that despite the high competition, Javascript and Python will occupy the top of the rating, which means that the relevant specialists will be in demand.

Adaptability and saturation

For the past few years, web development has focused on simplicity, functionality and performance. But the development of technology has allowed to expand the boundaries and add more elements to applications and sites without loss of quality. That’s why the new trend is adding more images and animations.

This approach is much more practical because it increases the completeness of the transmitted information. Moreover, animations make apps and sites more interactive, which improves user experience.

At the same time, the content should look aesthetically pleasing on any device. Thus, adaptability is a trend that goes along with the trend of increasing the amount of visual content.

These two areas allow you to reach a wider audience. First of all, this is due to the fact that users are increasingly visiting services via mobile phones. If the site looks unnatural, interest will significantly decrease.

Progressive web applications (PWA)

Progressive web applications are web sites that have functionality similar to a mobile application. Their task is to increase conversion and simplify the use of sites on smartphones.

Among the features worth highlighting:

• adaptability;
• the ability to use offline;
• synchronization with other devices thanks to IoT;
• easy installation (no need to go to the Playmarket or the Appstore).

One of the successful examples of such an application is Starbucks. The company has created a PWA ordering system that is identical to a mobile application. Thanks to its offline mode of operation, it allows customers to:

• view the menu;
• customize orders and preferences;
• add products to cart.

Having connected to the network, the user can find out the location of the nearest cafeteria where his favorite drinks are. He can also view prices, confirm orders, just to pick them up when he comes to Starbucks.

Such applications are increasingly gaining popularity, since they do not take up space on the device, allow you to work with the service at any time, regardless of access to the Internet, and provide an interface that is identical to convenient mobile applications. That is why more and more companies are starting to implement this technology.