By OLIVER ANDREWS
How Will 5G Affect Web Designers?
How Will 5G (fifth generation wireless cellular network) Affect Web Designers?
The roll out of 5G – otherwise known as fifth generation wireless cellular network – has promised to see a massive increase in the transfer of data speed, with claims that 5G is almost twice as fast as the current 4G. This means users should see a significant improvement in latency rates, a vital point for web designers. In layman’s terms, latency refers to the time it takes for data to transfer. Loading times can be a huge bone of contention amongst website users and creators alike, so this increase is likely to have a big impact on how long it will take for data to arrive between different platforms, for example from online website to smartphone app. This is perfect for users of WordPress, for example, who are already updating their firewalls to be able to protect against any 5G backlash.
But what does all this mean and how specifically will 5G affect web designers?
Well, with faster date transfer times and an increase in download speeds, now the door is open for web designers to create even more visually complex and appealing sites. Sites which contain complex, image heavy content can be great for any business as it can mean different avenues for promotion, for example more opportunities to use video files and connections to social media. If 5G is actually as fast as it claims to be and lives up to the hype, it may even see the opportunity for 4K technology to be imbedded into websites by designers. Until now, 4K videos have been relatively unused online as their data heavy loading times have made them prohibitive for many sites. However, with the roll out of 5G, this could soon see video content and even YouTube videos themselves become a direct part of the background of the website’s design.
Another important change for website designers with the arrival of 5G connectivity services is the chance to use more PWA technology. PWA refers to Progressive Web Apps and allows a web designer to use this kind of software to create a more diverse and ultimately memorable app based experience. WordPress offers a super easy to use PWA plug-in which offers web designers an even greater range of customisable options for their online content. This level of innovation is really exciting and could see web designers revolutionising the online marketplace.
Along with helping web designers to expand their horizons in terms of the type of content they can now bring to sites and apps, 5G is also a great cost saving measure too, with businesses promising to use more software rather than hardware, thus passing this saving on to those users of 5G. It also means even greater flexibility of working environment and schedule, one of the great perks of working in web design. By improving the speed and access of connection, 5G means it is now even easier to work remotely. This provides web designers with the opportunity to create an even more diverse working schedule and to quite literally work from (almost) anywhere. Less commuting can only be a good thing!
So, 5G promises to improve the type of content web designers are able to produce and also promote a better working environment for those in the profession too. But surely this much hyped, 5G roll out must come with more perks than just this? Well, along with better and easier streaming of videos and other media rich online content, 5G also promises to help give a major boost to augmented and virtual reality too.
On the cusp of becoming more mainstream, virtual and augmented realty experiences are a stream of media than 5G plans to help revolutionise. Already a staple with video gamers, AR could see the way web designers create apps and sites for businesses and consumers also harness this technology. Now when you shop, you could have the opportunity to virtually ‘try on’ items via an app, or use AR to create a user friendly experience across a number of different industries where users are able to see and experience a product virtually before committing to purchase. Why not stroll around a hotel virtually before making your booking, or see your new home before it is even built? With 5G, the AR opportunities could be endless.
Without the speed of 5G technology, these types of developments would just not be possible, so it is an exciting time for web designers to completely rethink the way they are approaching online design and find even more opportunities than ever to reach new customers, build business relationships and ultimately create the most interesting, exciting and revolutionary content the online community has seen so far.
