Everyone is trying to predict what 2015 will bring. To save you the trouble of reading all the end of the year prediction posts, we sifted through a pile of them and pulled out those we found the most intriguing. Enjoy!
The Top UX Predictions for 2015
The folks at UX Magazine asked their contributors to make predictions for UX in 2015. As you might expect from this brainy crew, they came up with some good ones including the rise of "slippy" (as opposed to "sticky") design, the death of web design ("High-quality templates are everywhere…the value of 'custom-built' design is no longer evident…Web design patterns are already mature..."), and the "ascent of user experience as a business strategy."
2015 Trends and Predictions for Web Design
Collis Ta'eed of Envato made some predictions about web design in 2015 that, in part, echo those made by the UX Magazine folk. For example, he also predicts the rise of "AI driven design," but doesn't believe this will lead to the death of web design. Instead, he believes that these tools will make it easier for more and more people to get into design, while insisting that "we’re a long way from tools that replace the human emotional intelligence and problem solving that a professional designer brings."
4 Calculable Mobile Marketing Predictions for 2015
Andre F. Bourque, formerly of Technorati, and Melissa Thompson of USA Today, begin their predictions by pointing out that Americans now spend more time on their mobile devices than they do watching television (and I wouldn't be surprised if other parts of the world have passed this milestone as well). Against this backdrop they predict that we'll see more geomarketing (marketing based on someone's specific location), more mobile video, and, interestingly, "enhanced mini-moments of user experience."
10 Predictions for Content Marketing in 2015
Shafqat Islam, co-founder and CEO at NewsCred penned this list for Mashable. His most interesting prediction: "Brands will rebel against social algorithms continuing to push branded content from organic to paid, and instead, build off-platform content experiences and owned channels to grow their audience on their own terms."
The Future of SEO and Google's Search Algorithm in 2015 and Beyond
Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion starts with the premise that "the day will come when search engines will be a better judge of content than humans themselves." In order to get closer to that ideal, he sees Page Rank and Site/Domain Age decreasing in importance. What will be important? Based on the idea that search engines ultimately strive to give people "the most specific answer to a specific question/search query," Sheridan believes that specificity of content and whether or not it has the goal of "communion with the reader/searcher" will assume increasing importance.
Have predictions of your own for 2015? Share them below!
Image Source (Creative Commons): The Red Hare