Augmented Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has become a mainstream phenomenon but arguably the biggest changes to web design will be brought about by Augmented Reality (AR).

Also referred to as ‘mixed reality’, AR has been handed down to consumers through a number of products in recent years, most prominently via smartphone apps. The future of web design will be reframed in light of AR’s ascent.

Users will need software experiences to go along with the headsets they’ve snapped up and the smartphones they buy that are AR-ready.

With AR, users could walk down a typical high street, glance at a retailer and get instant offers from their website. They could stroll past a restaurant and see what’s on the menu, with the data pulled down from the internet via their wearable device.

This will force sites to become more flexible and minimalistic, or at least adaptable enough to be displayed over the top of the world around visitors, all without being obtrusive.