1. The Digital 2020 Survey Says Ecommerce Growth Will Continue Post-Coronavirus
Obviously, everyone is paying close attention to COVID-19’s impact on the world. For the purposes of the work you do as a web designer, you should be clued into what it’s doing to the business and marketing fields. Because, if those opportunities dry up or companies begin to pivot, you need to be ready to adapt. The Digital 2020, a joint monthly report from we are social and HootSuite, brings interesting news about the state of ecommerce thanks to COVID-19.![Digital 2020 - consumers more likely to shop online after COVID-19 - statistics](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/08/digital2020-shop-online-stats.png)
2. eMarketer Shares Data on Social Listening
When conducting research at the beginning of a design project, what kinds of sources do you turn to for quick and reliable information? Your client provides you with information on their business, industry, and the competition, of course, but what else? You can conduct user surveys and interviews, but those take time and resources. It also usually means working with clients who have existing businesses and user bases to tap into. Unless you’re working as a UX designer where that’s a big part of the work you do, you might not have the ability to do that level of research. As reported by Gartner (via eMarketer), leading marketers are now learning about their target audiences through the following channels:![eMarketer data - leading marketers source market research from new channels during pandemic; 51% now using social listening tools](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/08/emarketer-market-research-sources.png)
3. Upwork Reports Increasing Numbers of Freelancers Entering the Market
The main focus of the Upwork 2020 Future Workforce Report is on how employers are changing their approaches to hiring now and in the near future. And the basic premise is this:- It’s long been predicted that more and more of the workforce would be allowed to work remotely.
- COVID-19 has escalated those predictions to the point where most of the workforce is remote right now.
- Businesses see the value in remote work arrangements, especially if it enables them to get work done more quickly and cost-effectively by freelancers.
![Upword survey reveals that 64% leading professionals have gone freelance and that marketplace freelance numbers have risen 50% during the coronavirus](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/08/upwork-2020-future-workforce.png)
4. NNG Says That PDFs Are Unsuitable for the Web
While I don’t have statistics to share with you from the Nielsen Norman Group’s post on why the PDF is “Still Unfit for Human Consumption”, I do have a ton of usability arguments against them that are worth summing up here:- PDFs are written in the style of print documents, which means that strategies we use to design content on websites — like making a page scannable and accessible — don’t apply.
- They’re not designed to be as concise or attractive as a web page.
- They don’t operate like a website, which disrupts the seamless experience you’ve worked so hard to create when one is opened up from your site.
- The website navigation disappears and any sense of orientation (besides the browser “Back” button) goes out the window.
- There’s no way to build an internal navigation in a PDF document, save for internal linking or a table of contents.
- If they’re formatted for paper sizes, scrolling through them can be difficult for mobile users.
- They load more slowly the bigger they get, so unless it’s something like a small and optimized menu, expect visitors to wait for the download to appear.
Wrap-Up
Thankfully, the research for web designers and marketers is finally starting to move away from the confusion and speculation we saw a lot of earlier this year. Just as with anything we do on the web, the more time you give it, the more data you can collect. And, luckily for us, the data suggests that there’s a pretty positive outlook for web designers if they position themselves the right way now. Featured image via Unsplash.Suzanne Scacca
Suzanne Scacca is a freelance writer by day, specializing in web design, marketing, and technology topics. By night, she writes about, well, pretty much the same thing, only those stories are set under strange and sometimes horrific circumstances.
Read Next
15 Best New Fonts, July 2024
Welcome to our monthly roundup of the best fonts we’ve found online in the last four weeks. This month, there are fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, July 2024
Welcome to July’s round up of websites to inspire you. This month’s collection ranges from the most stripped-back…
Top 7 WordPress Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Site's Performance
WordPress is a hands-down favorite of website designers and developers. Renowned for its flexibility and ease of use,…
By WDD Staff
Exciting New Tools for Designers, July 2024
Welcome to this July’s collection of tools, gathered from around the web over the past month. We hope you’ll find…
3 Essential Design Trends, July 2024
Add some summer sizzle to your design projects with trendy website elements. Learn what's trending and how to use these…
15 Best New Fonts, June 2024
Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found online in the last month. This month, there are notably fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, June 2024
Arranging content in an easily accessible way is the backbone of any user-friendly website. A good website will present…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, June 2024
In this month’s roundup of the best tools for web designers and developers, we’ll explore a range of new and noteworthy…
3 Essential Design Trends, June 2024
Summer is off to a fun start with some highly dramatic website design trends showing up in projects. Let's dive in!
15 Best New Fonts, May 2024
In this month’s edition, there are lots of historically-inspired typefaces, more of the growing trend for French…
By Ben Moss
How to Reduce The Carbon Footprint of Your Website
On average, a web page produces 4.61 grams of CO2 for every page view; for whole sites, that amounts to hundreds of KG…
By Simon Sterne
20 Best New Websites, May 2024
Welcome to May’s compilation of the best sites on the web. This month we’re focused on color for younger humans,…