Front-end & UX:Trends and new features

Written by Globalia | Oct 28, 2022 7:00:00 AM

Three of our front-end development team experts, Vivian, Philippe and Frédéric, took the road to New York to attend the Smashingconf event that took place from October 10th to 13th. Smashingconf brings together more than 300 people who are interested in all aspects related to the web, from interface design to machine learning. Their stay was filled with 14 conferences and a ton of interesting workshops. We can say that they came back to Quebec more inspired than ever!

Our experts share with you the next tech trends and the most interesting and promising new features they noted at Smashingconf 2022.

New features that allow components to adapt to their environment

Optimization of the management of « responsive »

The web development approach that creates dynamic changes in the appearance of a site depending on the size and orientation of the screen of the device used to view it is optimized. Components can now adapt to all screens, without requiring specific code. This is a huge improvement for the user experience.

The css clamp() function allows for fluid element sizes that will automatically adapt to the user's screen size according to established rules.
The CSS @container queries allow you to have components that react differently depending on the space they have. For example, the behavior in a side column versus the behavior in the main column will be very different.

Increased speed of development in certain contexts

Easier and faster customization of form elements

The CSS accent-color property allows us with a single CSS rule to manage the color of all form elements of a site, including some native styles that are usually defined by the browser.

Increased efficiency of project maintenance with a new tool

CSS @layer queries allow to better manage the logical order of CSS rules. In concrete terms, they will simplify the editing of CSS by avoiding various conflicts that can cause bugs.

Improved communication between designers and developers with Figma

Creation of Design Tokens with Figma, thanks to the Figma Tokens plugin

These design tokens will be used to create a bridge with development to have common variables and thus accelerate development and communication between departments.

Better management of models on Figma

Presentation of techniques to efficiently manage the different models (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc.) within Figma.

Communication and team cohesion, even when working from home

Optimizing meetings with time management

Several conferences highlighted the difficulty of creating a cohesive and enjoyable work environment, even with the rise in popularity of telecommuting. One prominent proposal was that of time management in meetings. This allows everyone to speak up, to say their piece, and different facilitators can be appointed for each meeting.

Improve project delivery through feedback

Encourage feedback and project reviews. Getting together weekly or monthly to review what went well, what went a little less well, and what can be improved will greatly enhance your team cohesion. Everyone will be on the same page, and by projecting a clear guideline, the team will be able to work in synergy towards the same goals.

The world of Font-end and UX is constantly improving, and it is by knowing and mastering the latest trends and features that we improve our practices. It's also by strengthening our team cohesion and time management that we perfect the execution of our projects. Smashingconf allowed our team to discuss with a community sharing their reality and challenges.

It's no secret that our Globalia experts are passionate about their work and are always eager to attend events related to their field. In fact, in the past few months, we've also participated in INBOUND 2022 and Dot All 2022.

Want to discuss front-end and UX further?
Don't hesitate to get in touch with our team.

View full post