Why Web Design for Desktop Will Never Go Away
The internet has become a mobile first zone. With smartphone and tablet devices living well among us, the need for desktop web design appears to have gone down. Many have speculated that it is very possible that desktop machines will slowly die out. Desktop computers are not seen as convenient as mobile devices.
People are now walking around with a mini computer with loads of power and information on a regular basis. Experts are saying that the desktop computer is dying off, so what does that mean for web design?
It would make sense that desktop devices would disappear with the rise of mobile devices. Is the desktop computer really doomed?
Are people really not looking to desktop computers for information? With all things considered, it is possible that web design for desktop will not disappear, and will continue to thrive and evolve for years to come. There are many reasons why desktop is not as dead as many people think.
Desktop Advantages
The most obvious advantage that desktop has over mobile devices are screen sizes. Large screen sizes allows people to multitask and get work done at a much quicker pace. Desktop monitors that are currently being rolled out are typically at a much higher resolution since they have the technology apart from the CPU. The CPU in a modern desktop machine will always have loads more power than the majority of the average market smartphones.
Desktop devices can also allow for some of the high powered elements to show through. Innovations such as parallax scrolling and fixed navigation can help improve the user experience in ways that mobile cannot.
Navigating a website on desktop versus mobile can often be a bit easier. With more room to work with, users can navigate with a much clearer path than mobile. Also, people tend to prefer visuals when reading content on the web. Desktop can allow websites to showcase stunning visuals such as graphics, animations and typography.
Mobile can be great when it comes to looking up things quickly. When taking on tasks such as looking for a new car to purchase, a desktop can be a better option. Unlike mobile, it is easier to do things such as comparing information across two different sites simultaneously.
Mobile Limitations
The limitations that are placed on smartphone devices, gives the desktop more of a purpose than people think. Unlike desktop, the organization of a website is a bit different from its counterpart.
Mobile-friendly does not necessarily mean user-friendly-all-the-time. There are still people who have not hopped onboard the smartphone train and can find navigating a bit difficult. However, this could potentially be reduced in upcoming years as more people are slowly starting to use smartphones.
Desktop computers will hang around for quite a long time. They are a great way for manufactures to showcase CPU upgrades, and more. We are not only seeing more power from these machines, but we are also finding ways to reinvent the desktop computer. Desktop monitors are constantly going through many cycles of innovations. From curved monitors, to eye tracking sensors, the way we interact with desktop computers are always evolving.
Despite all of the talk of mobile replacing desktop computers, there is very little evidence that supports that statement. Unless otherwise, websites will continue to aim for responsiveness between the two sets of devices.
As other factors such as CPU and connectivity, desktop machines will stick around and designers will continue designing for it. Seeing that desktop has many advantages over mobile, desktop is still considered to be the strongest way to browse the web.