This is what the frontend Mpyans are excited about in 2024
Our frontend development experts Matilda Trodin and Nils Andersson explore the trends shaping web development in 2024: from the rising importance of accessibility to the versatility of web components, the surge in server-side rendering (SSR), and the latest CSS updates. As the digital landscape evolves, frontend engineers are adapting to meet the demands of a more inclusive and dynamic web environment.
Accessibility
Prioritizing accessibility has always been important for us frontend engineers. However, with the upcoming European Accessibility Act set to take effect in June 2025, the accessibility of digital products will likely be elevated to the top of companies' priority lists in the coming year. According to Crowd Collective, 20% of the population faces challenges accessing digital products due to disabilities such as color blindness, limited mobility, and age-related impairments.
By embracing a user-centric design philosophy and adhering to standards such as WCAG, we can ensure that our clients' websites and applications cater to users of all abilities, aligning with the upcoming regulatory landscape. As frontend engineers, we play a vital role in sustaining accessibility, emphasizing our ongoing commitment to creating a digital landscape that welcomes everyone.
By embracing a user-centric design philosophy and adhering to standards such as WCAG, we can ensure that our clients' websites and applications cater to users of all abilities, aligning with the upcoming regulatory landscape.
Web components
Web components exhibit several strengths that make them versatile tools in web development. Their reusability as components similar to modern frameworks allows them to be employed across diverse projects, fostering modular and maintainable code. The encapsulation feature, facilitated by the Shadow DOM, prevents styles from interfering with the global CSS, simplifying the management of complex UI structures. Additionally, with web components being framework-agnostic, they both support integration with various JavaScript frameworks or libraries, but also enables it in plain HTML. This flexibility promotes collaboration between teams and products using different technologies and ensures compatibility across browsers as it is built upon web standards. We look forward to seeing the further development of them as well as how their power could be utilised for future distribution.
As a closing note for this section; Here are some exciting recent and upcoming updates for web-components in 2024:
Declarative Shadow DOM (DSD): Is not supported in major browsers which allows creating a Shadow DOM in HTML without any Javascript.
Scoped element registries: Potential addition that will allow for scoped shadow DOM associated registries, outside of the global HTML.
ARIA-Mixin: Allows overriding of default aria settings on components.
Server-side rendering
Server-side rendering (SSR) has been in the spotlight for a while now and we are predicting a surge in 2024, driven by the escalating demand for swift and dynamic web experiences. Frameworks like Gatsby and Next.js are becoming more and more popular, with businesses recognizing SSR's pivotal role in achieving superior performance.
In the competitive digital landscape, SSR ensures rapid page loads, providing a crucial edge. As we progress through 2024, the adoption of SSR is set to become a standard practice, with its benefits extending beyond speed to encompass SEO advantages and enhanced accessibility, making it a cornerstone for high-performance, user-friendly digital experiences. Embracing SSR is not just a trend; it's a strategic move for businesses seeking to deliver optimal web experiences, and we are excited to be on the SSR-train together with our clients.
:has and other CSS news
Many of us probably have a love-hate relationship with CSS, but you can't deny how much the language has evolved over the years. This new year is no exception to that development, and we are excited about the upcoming CSS feature updates in 2024. Here are a few of them:
:has selector: This new selector in CSS allows developers to apply styles to parent elements based on specific conditions met by their descendants. It simplifies code and enhances performance by reducing reliance on Javascript, pretty neat huh?
Container queries: Container Queries let components change their appearance based on the available space in their container. This is different from older methods like media queries, which only considered the size of the viewport. It's handy for making responsive designs adaptable to more contexts and use cases.
Nesting: CSS has introduced native support for nesting rules, a functionality that was previously exclusive to pre-processors like SASS. By nesting child selectors within their parents, you eliminate redundancy and make your stylesheets easier to write, read and maintain.
The writers are working as frontend development consultants, helping some of the most cutting-edge tech companies in their development of new products and features.