The current scenario of website development concerning IoT is ever changing. The internet of things has made it possible for devices to be connected and communicate with one another, which has also given rise to the need for web developers who are specialized in this field.
Today, we will discuss what an IoT development company needs to look out for when developing a website that connects with the internet of things.
What is IoT?
IoT is the inter-networking of physical devices, vehicles (also referred to as “connected devices” and “smart devices”), buildings, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to collect and exchange data.
What is IoT development?
IoT development is designing and implementing an IoT solution. It requires in-depth knowledge in several disciplines, including devices interfacing with one another, cloud computing to store data generated by the connected devices (also referred to as “sensor analytics”), connectivity among various devices (cloud), mobile applications for end-users (GUI interface), security protocols that ensure privacy between interconnected networks, integration with existing systems if needed, etc.
How do website design and IoT connect?
A web application always has a frontend user interface built using HTML pages visible when you open your favorite browsers such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. However, it also needs a backend system where all transactions occur, which you can easily access through APIs available on the internet.
IoT is a network of physical objects such as appliances, vehicles, gadgets, etc., that are embedded with electronics and software to make them accessible on an electronic network (internet) such as– web browsers (smartphone). These devices/objects exchange information over networks, making it easy for humans to control these systems remotely with no human-to-human or human-to-computer interface.
How is IoT transforming the landscape of Web Development?
The growing adoption of IoT has led website owners and website designers to look at their standard practices in development from scratch; some new trends have emerged along with this transformation:
-
Back-end communication
IoT has introduced the concept of smart homes, where all appliances are connected to a network.
The development in this field has led website owners and developers to have more secure communication channels with their backend servers. This is done through IoT-specific protocols that allow for easy integration between devices without compromising security measures enforced by standard practices like SSL certification, etc.
-
Mobile user interface
With the rise of mobile usage over desktop browsing, it has become necessary that websites be responsive enough to function efficiently on different screens sizes; this trend is further stressed when dealing with IoT, as not every device will support multiple screen resolutions or aspect ratios. So, having an optimized UI can make developing easier both from backend server perspective and frontend design standpoint, i.e. UI/UX design in general.
-
Page loading speed
We cannot stress the need for faster page load times enough, especially in today’s age where people have less patience than ever before, so keeping the load time down will play well with user satisfaction levels, helping your website’s SEO rankings
-
Optimize development on-the-go
As mentioned earlier, it is a known fact that the landscape of web design and development has shifted from being static to dynamic, with more emphasis on frontend UI/UX designs. This requires a constant need for updates in terms of design and features that can be highly cumbersome when done manually without proper automation tools at your disposal. With IoT making its way into this domain, things are bound to become even trickier because of variations in devices available.
-
Conquer coding challenges
With more and more businesses taking their business online, websites are becoming the focal point of all transactions. Gone are the days when having a website was enough for your customers to take notice of your existence or even purchase products/services from you. A good, responsive web design has become mandatory if one wants to stay relevant in this highly competitive market.
-
Realize requirements and buy the right talent
One might think that with ‘just’ HTML, CSS and JavaScript under his belt, he can build himself an impressive site, but it takes much more than just these three technologies to create magical internet experiences; especially on IoT devices that have limited computing power available due to low battery life, etc.
-
Privacy and Security
IoT has also been a driving force in “device security”. The concept is that once an IoT device is connected to the internet, anyone with a connection and a few lines of code can take complete control over it.
-
Speed Measurability
The speed at which websites load can have huge effects on how much your customers engage with you. According to Google, 47% of people expect sites they visit will load within two seconds or fewer. Anything longer than three seconds has been proven frustrating for users who may leave before seeing what you offer them! To achieve high performing pages that meet user expectations, we need to ensure our web pages are lightning fast by optimizing images, minimizing requests, etc.
-
Power Management
Many IoT devices are battery-powered or require low power consumption, which means they need to last for months without recharging. This has implications in terms of how we build our website and apps and what technologies we use too! We may have to forego things like animated GIFs if their heavy processing takes its toll on batteries. In terms of the latter, we could opt for a connected device that uses less power if you will not constantly use it.
-
Intuitive UI
There’s no denying that the mobile app boom has had a massive impact on our daily lives. Most of us use apps for work, play and personal life – but what about IoT devices? Their success depends heavily on how intuitive they are to operate. If someone can’t get it to do what it says on the tin (so to speak), then there’s little point in them having one! For this reason, we’ve got to be sure that our UI is top-notch when developing for this sector or risk losing out entirely.
Conclusion
Technology is still in the beginning stages of its development. It’s hard to predict what will come next, but it seems like we are heading towards a future where everything has an internet connection and can communicate with one another.
With so many open-ended possibilities for how this technology could develop, prepare your website design for anything that may happen over the coming years.
If you want help designing a site that develops alongside IoT trends, you can start by searching online for “website designer Columbus Ohio”.Alternatively, you can contact us at Janszen Media today! We have a team of website designers, Columbus Ohio, who have experience helping companies make their websites flexible enough to grow as new technologies emerge.