Voice services are very sensitive to delay, delay variation (jitter) and packet loss. The most important aspects that influence the outcome of these parameters are:

• Bandwidth requirements
• Security requirements
• Quality of Service controls
• Method of voice and data traffic separation
• Network resilience and high-availability

You really need to understand each one of the above aspects, so take this opportunity and learn about them in this article. When you hire us at Phonewire to join your project team, we will consult with you in each of these areas and their relationship with your business objectives.

How to Estimate Your Bandwidth Requirements for VoIP

A proper estimation of bandwidth consumption is very important and necessary for proper planning of needed connection trunks to accommodate VoIP traffic. Your bandwidth calculations should be based on the VoIP codec used. If more than one codec is used then you should consider the “worst-case” codec during the busy-hour where the number of concurrent voice calls is about one quarter of all the users in the network.

Let’s take a look at this example:

Worst-case codec in terms of bandwidth consumption: G.711
Packetization interval: 20 ms
Total VoIP users: 100

Using G.711 with a packetization interval of 20 ms, results in bandwidth utilization of about 90 kb/s per voice conversation. To calculate the bandwidth consumption under the above circumstances, you should multiply one quarter of the users (¼ *100) with the 90 kb/s, which results in bandwidth requirement of 2.25 Mb/s during the busy hour.

There are techniques that can further minimize the amount of bandwidth utilization. Voice activity detection (VAD) for example, is known to conserve about 30% of bandwidth by not transmitting packets during silence periods. In our example, if VAD is used the estimated bandwidth calculation would be 1.57 Mb/s.

Do not rely on this calculation alone. As many in IT know, bandwidth inconsistencies can often lead to a great difference between a provider’s quoted bandwidth and actual speed achieved consistently at all hours of the business day or insist on a provider with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) guaranteeing a consistent speed regardless of demand.

Security with VoIP

VoIP is susceptible to the same vulnerabilities as the IP data network. You can read more about network threats and vulnerabilities in articles on preventing network attacks and dealing with DoS attacks.

Two suggestions I have for you, regarding VoIP security are:

• Allow only specific IP addresses and transport layer ports for both Voice signaling and media with the use of access lists and restrict as much as you can the usable addresses and ports on the network.
• Use a dedicated internal firewall to monitor the traffic flow and secure your network from application level sophisticated threats.

Voice and Data Traffic Separation in VoIP

You should consider separating your data traffic from VoIP traffic. To accomplish this task, you will need to apply dedicated layer-2 VLANs to each traffic category. This way you can achieve traffic classification and you can easily apply different QoS profiles to each traffic category. Besides, layer-2 tagging of packets, voice packets can also be marked at the network layer. Nowadays, most IP phones support Differentiated-Services bit-marking. Therefore, traffic categorization can be achieved at the very beginning of the voice packet generation. This way, service quality can be maintained end-to-end. Of course, your VoIP provider if not trusting your QoS marking, should at least apply similar traffic categorization and prioritization to your VoIP traffic.

Quality of Service with VoIP

If your network is used to carry both data and voice packets, then you should definitely consider Quality of Service (QoS). For protecting your Voice streams and to prevent data traffic from overwhelming your voice conversations, policing and traffic shaping should be applied. Of course in small networks layer-2 tagging of packets is usually enough to provide highly acceptable level of quality. It is your VoIP provider’s responsibility to apply sophisticated Quality of Service methods to offer better service to you.

Network Resilience and High-Availability with VoIP

VoIP service cannot tolerate any kind of interruption. You must make sure that you have adequate uplink physical links to carry all your VoIP traffic even in case you lose one of those links. It’s even better if you have an alternative way to carry your traffic in case of losing your primary path. Hardware malfunction should also be considered.

More than one VoIP components should be used where appropriate either in load-sharing mode or even in active-standby mode. Moreover, configuration settings on your network devices should also be upgraded to adhere with VoIP service requirements. For example, Spanning Tree should be removed or upgraded to Rapid Spanning tree because of Spanning Tree’s 60 seconds of inactivity during connectivity changes. Also, an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) unit should also be considered. You do not want your Ethernet switches and VoIP devices to go offline in case of power failure. My suggestion is to use Inline power over Ethernet switches. These switches are capable of powering up all attached devices by delivering power over the unused Ethernet wires. The switches can then be attached on a UPS, the later one being able to provide uninterrupted service for a reasonable amount of time until power failure is corrected.

Good luck and let us know if you have any questions!

When discussing the cost phone systems, wiring and installation, purchasing the actual phones, the system itself (cabinet), programming, configuration testing, optional accessories, potential cost savings, gains from increased employee productivity, and costs to maintain quality and ensure reliability must all be considered.  Thankfully, there is great way to estimate it!  Read on…

Ultimately, how much you pay for a phone system will depend on which system you choose and the number of employees you have. Phone system costs are often best estimated as the total cost per employee or user.  Call the manufacturer and ask to locate a professional who is certified by the manufacturer to ensure your purchase is protected by warranty and your installer knows the system.  As the technology continues to become more complex, the last thing you want is your installer to use your site as his on-the-job training while you miss phone calls and business!

Average Phone System Costs

Again, keep in mind that while there are average phone costs, how much you will end up paying for a phone system is dependent upon the size of your office and the features you require.  Just like all other electronics purchases, a well-known brand name does not necessarily equate to a reliable product — an when your business relies on its phones, do not risk it with someone without a proven reputation you can personally verify.  In working with a company such as Phonewire, total costs can be significantly reduced by trade-in promotional offers or special manufacturer equipment bundles.  If your business has more than 50 employees, the cost of these phone systems may be less per employee, due to benefits of a volume purchase.

1. Pure-IP phone systems with enhanced Unified Communications features start at around $350 per phone, but you will generally pay an average of $500 to $900 per employee in total for all – depending on the technology needed and required installation labor for your exact desired solution and integration with existing IT systems. These systems promise many features, but usually those features are locked initially and require software license keys to enable those features.  Make sure you discuss exactly what functionality you can use immediately and what features you must pay later to “turn on”.  At this cutting-edge level, an annual maintenance agreement is usually proposed to make sure that all of the software which powers the phones and phone system are always kept up to date and bug free.

2. Most of the more-traditional KSU phone systems with optional Voice-over-IP capabilities such as SIP trunking and integration with mobile or home office “teleworkers” can cost anywhere from $250 to $500 per employee. Any specific features or integrations needed by your business will require play a major role in the pricing for this type of system and usually must be added as add-on options or licensed feature upgrades.

3. KSU-less systems — that is, phone systems which do not require a controller box in the back room connecting all the phones together —  like our AT&T SynJ wireless phone system, are usually the least expensive type of phone system because the only things you will be paying for are setup, installation, and the telephones themselves. Telephones for this type of system usually range from $100 to $200 per phone depending on the quantity bought at once.

Don’t Forget About Installation

The cost of installation is often included in the overall cost of a phone system, and, in some cases, installation fees can be just as costly. Phone systems, VoIP, and Unified Communications systems are very complex, and require professional expert installation, so paying installations fees will be necessary. Look for a company with a reputation in telecommunications who will provide a flat-fee installation bid.  Be suspicious if they are a young IT company trying to “expand” into telecommunications or quote you a per-hour installation rate as most businesses that primary provide IT services and install phone systems on-the-side may be learning the technology as-they-go and using your business as their “guinea pig” risking the financial success of your business on their lack of telecom knowledge.

Wiring costs are usually your second-greatest expense.  If you are building a new construction building, putting in more wiring before the framed walls are enclosed will always be less expensive than trying to add wiring later.  You may also be required to pay additional charges if your existing wiring is not compatible to your new phone system.

The Panasonic NCP 500/1000 phone system is rack-mountable and is equipped with a built-in main processing card. This card makes it possible to incorporate virtual SIP trunks along with IP phone extensions on-site or remote workers using VPN. KX-NCP products work with complete IP solutions and include voice-mail as well as computer telephony integration (CTI). It is simply necessary to utilize the main processing card and/or optional VoIP DSP cards.

For use with KX-NCP series, you are sure to appreciate Panasonic’s own Communications Assistant (CA) software. This software lets phone users use a graphical user interface that features point & click to operate telephone features, chat messaging with other office users, and presence for use with Outlook and TAPI-enabled CRM desktop tools. When you purchase the Communication Assistant Software, you will receive a license that includes free use for up to five users. If you need to have more users added to the license agreement, you can do so with a simple upgrade. In the event more features are needed, Communications Assistant Pro can be added, bringing greater presence functionality, call logging features, and increased contact list capacity.

Here are some of the features that the main processor runs: EVSM – Enhanced Simplified Voice Messaging, Two-Port Simple Voice-Mail that supports a hundred and twenty-five audio messages, 64 outgoing messages and has a storage capacity of a 120 minutes. You can integrate additional servers or use optional feature cards to add more features and storage as needed. Among the add-ons are support for ESVM4 4-port voicemail, remote programming & door phones. With the KX-NCP series phone systems, you will be able to integrate the KX-TVA voice processing system in order to provide advanced features like call screening, email integration, live recording, as well as greetings set according to Caller ID.

Avaya and Cisco are not as popular as you think — Panasonic is the #1 leader worldwide for phone systems of small businesses with less than 50 extensions. Panasonic has years of experience that other phone system manufacturers can’t compare. Panasonic hasn’t changed it’s name to hide from its questionable reputations like AT&T… Lucent… Nortel… Avaya… Comdial… Executone… Western Electric… Vodavi… Vertical… 3Com… just to name a few! Think about it: if these other companies made high quality products, why do they keep changing names and running from supporting past customers with older systems? Why do all these other manufacturers constantly sell new systems that are almost never compatible with their previous desk phones, expansion devices, or voicemail systems?  These other manufacturers may claim great ROI but engineer planned obsolescence to make it impossible to achieve long term return!

The Panasonic phone system can support it’s own wireless and wired handsets, a broad variety of IP phones, a good assortment of digital and standard analog wall, desk, and cordless phones. It is the easiest to use IP phone system on the market and it is also a perfect system for use in call centers, where phone usage is quite intense, and third party software can be operated along with KX-NCP series.

So, here are the Top Six Signs That You Need to Upgrade Your Business Phone System:

1. Your existing business phone system is becoming technically obsolete. The compatibility and interoperability of your phone system doesn’t always support existing upgraded IT/networking equipment.

2. Your phone system doesn’t scale to meet your evolving business needs; you can’t add phones without adding significant cost.

3. Your phone system doesn’t support multiple business offices or mobile users. It should be able to manage and remotely administer extensions at those locations — or home-based offices — as easily as if they were on-site.

4. Your business phone system can’t effectively handle the increasing number of incoming and outgoing calls. Network congestion is increasingly common, with packet latency a growing problem. Data packet latency, when you’re transmitting email, is frustrating enough; when it happens with voice, it makes the calls largely unusable.

5. Your phone system doesn’t support VoIP telephony. Transporting your voice calls among branches via an IP network, which you already use for email and data transfer, can reduce inter-branch telephone costs. Other cost savings can be realized using VoIP.

6. You find your business needs specific “must-have” features and requirements. Companies increasingly find they require features like “find me/follow me” or an “auto attendant” to manage their incoming calls more effectively.

These are all valid points that we use to determine whether your business can benefit from a phone system upgrade. It’s especially true when dealing with a more mobile workforce; for them, enhanced connectivity is a requisite operational feature.

At Phonewire, we can provide the latest in either on-premises or cloud-based technologies. Our smart solutions can help solve your challenges, offer the flexibility to choose the features that best suit your needs, and help you consistently expand your capabilities at a fraction of the cost of doing it yourself.

But softphones are not ideal for every person in every situation. Whether you get one will depend a lot on what kind of work you do and where you do it.

A Growing Market

A new Frost & Sullivan report finds that softphone use in North America is growing rapidly. Sales rose to 416,000 units worth $18.9 million in 2007, a 30 percent increase in dollar terms over the previous year. In 2014, sales should reach 4.2 million units worth $135.1 million, according to research analyst Alaa Saayad. The percentage of the total IP-telephone market that softphones represent will increase from 5 percent to 20 percent in that time, Saayad added.

Who’s Using Softphones

Four categories of workers are most likely to end up with softphones, Saayed stated. The first is telecommuters who split their work time between home and the office. Softphones let them access corporate phone features even when they’re working from home. The second key category is mobile users who make calls through their laptops, for reasons of savings and convenience. A growing subset of this category is mobile-phone users with client software on their handsets, which also lets them access corporate telephony features while away from the office.

The third category is those with telephone-centric jobs, such as customer service or sales representatives. By providing such workers with softphones, companies may be able to save money by not buying them desk phones at all. The fourth category is SMBs that need to save money. Buying IP desk phones for employees can be a major expense, so such companies can cut costs by using softphones almost exclusively.

The Benefits

The savings can be considerable, Saayed noted. Softphones from third-party developers such as CounterPath Corp., IP blue Software Solutions and Nuvoiz Inc. may run from $25 to $50, he said, while those from major IP PBX vendors such as Avaya Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. can cost from $50 to $150. Low-end IP desk phones, by contrast, can start at $140 or $150, with more expensive models approaching $1,000. In addition, softphones are easier to upgrade, because getting the latest capabilities doesn’t require buying new hardware.

The Drawbacks

The biggest disadvantage of softphones is, of course, that they depend on a PC. That means you can’t just sit down at your desk and dial. In addition, many workers have trouble getting comfortable using headsets, preferring the feel of a handset when they’re talking. Some workers and companies also continue to worry about the quality and security of IP telephony. Because of such issues, Frost & Sullivan expects softphones to remain for the most part a supplement to rather than a replacement for desktop phones in enterprises.

Future Trends

An increasingly powerful trend will be the addition of unified communications capabilities to softphones, according to Saayed. “As we see more unified communications come into play, uniting different services under the same GUI or umbrella, softphones will be the path to more complex unified communications clients,” he explained. Those services can include IM, video conferencing, text-to-speech translation, advance scheduling of conference calls and Web conferencing. To make such unification possible, softphones will have to access the capabilities of unified communications servers, especially their ability to detect availability or presence across multiple services.

Whatever form future softphones take, one thing is certain: top executives will have the most innovative features first. While technically they may or may not all qualify as power users, they definitely have all the control.

How to Implement

At Phonewire, we have designed PBX phone systems that combine PC softphones, mobile wireless, and a network of physical desk telephones connected digitally and by IP. Call us at 1(877)877-9473 to consult with an expert and discuss what systems configuration might work best for your new communications system upgrade.

Consider the Total Lifetime Cost of Your Phone System, Not Just Low Initial Purchase Price

Avaya’s IP Office Overview

Avaya’s IP Office is a communications system (IP PBX) designed to address the Small-to- Medium-Business customer. The Avaya solutions are positioned to be simple to use and collaborative by design. However, compared to Digium’s Switchvox, Avaya’s licensing model is very complex and costly to customers.

Avaya has three main software editions to address the SMB market:

• Essential Edition (~ 25 users)
• Preferred Edition (~ 250 users)
• Advanced Edition (~ 250 users)

And then, 7 main users profiles to provide the functionality needed for each edition:

• Power User
• Mobile Worker
• Office Worker
• Teleworker
• Receptionist
• Customer Service Agent*
• Customer Service Supervisor*

*Supported on Advanced Edition only.

Avaya’s licensing model does not provide the flexibility to easily add individual features to a solution. Integrators also note that the Avaya’s systems are complex and hard to setup and configure.

Conferencing, mobility, limited voicemail, and contact center features are available, but users will have to pay for licensing for all of those features. Limited voicemail ports (4) are available. Users will have to purchase a separate voicemail server for more than 4 ports. The meet-me conferencing option supports 64 ports and, therefore may not be available for every user. Finally, Avaya’s user interface or customer portal (One-X) requires a separate server (or virtual instance). Customers can also access their Phone Manager Pro management software, but must install this feature on their desktop limiting interoperability and increasing upgrades and maintenance time. Neither of these solutions offer the true third-party application support and flexibility.

In addition, any updates to the Avaya IP Office software requires all user licenses to be repurchased.

Switchvox SMB Digium Overview

Digium is the developer of Asterisk, the world’s most widely adopted Open Source communications solution. Switchvox, their commercial PBX, is built on Asterisk and provides an easy-to-use and install, yet cost effective Unified Communications system. Available in three main hardware sizes:

• Switchvox 65 (30 users)
• Switchvox 305 (150 users)
• Switchvox 355 (400 users)

However, ALL features are included – call queues, voicemail, auto-attendant, IVR, detailed reporting, mobility and more. Every user can access every feature without any extra licenses.

Switchvox allows every user to access an interactive, personalized dashboard/user interface, called Switchboard. Switchboard is supported on standard web browsers and allows for network administrators and users to customize their Switchboard panels at no additional charge. Users can access the Open API to integrate with third-party web applications to easily retrieve data with incoming calls.

Every user of the system has access to mobility (fixed mobile convergence), find-me, follow-me rules and an individual conferencing room. Switchvox is the value leader in Unified Communications solutions for the SMB market. Find out more at www.phonewire.com

ADVANTAGE WINNER: Digium Switchvox

SWITCHBOARD
Every user has access to the Switchboard – an interactive, personalized dashboard. Switchboard is supported on standard web browsers and provides Salesforce.com, Sugar CRM, and Google Maps integration.

ALL FEATURES INCLUDED
Every user has a meet-me conference room, voicemail-to-email, find-me, follow-me, mobile support, personalized greetings and more. No additional licensing or cost is associated with these features.

EASY TO USE
The easy-to-use graphical user interface allows administrators and users of Switchvox to quickly deploy and manage the solution. Switchvox includes all features in a single server, simplifying the installation and maintenance process.

INTEROPERABILITY
Switchvox, an end-to-end VoIP system, supports any standard SIP or analog telephone, reducing costs and allowing you to have the best phone for your system. Support for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms is available.

Call us at 1(877)877-9473 to discuss what configuration would work for your needs.

1) Ask your phone vendor (for example, our talented people here at Phonewire) to come by your office and set up a “virtual voice mailbox” on your phone system. It is a voice mailbox that doesn’t have a particular office phone associated with it, but still has an extension number you can use to transfer callers to it. (We use extension 404 in our office — geeks will get that significance!)

2) Record a greeting in this new voice mailbox that advises, “Hi. I am the President of this company and I can give you a definitive ‘No!’. We are not interested in your products, services, or surveys. In fact, we have received so many of these calls that I’ve had my I.T. team create this mailbox and instruct all employees to transfer callers like you to it. So continued attempts to contact our company will always result in being transferred to this mailbox. Therefore, I ask courteously to be removed from your calling list. It is in your best interest to contact another number on your list instead of wasting valuable time with ours. Thank you and have a great day.”

3) Instruct all employees who may answer calls to transfer these kind of callers to this new voice mailbox extension number. Sit back and follow the plan — in about 2-3 months you won’t be receiving telemarketer calls ever again.

Business phone lines are therefore a vital component needed for all businesses, both big and small. These will differ to standard phone lines by offering organisations a number of additional features and services. This will help to ensure that they get the best possible service for their communication tools, ensuring that the service of correspondence which they offer is of the highest possible standard.

Interaction with Partners and Colleagues

One of the main reasons why phone lines are still important within businesses is because they enable easy and quick communication to occur between businesses and colleagues. Phone lines can be set up in order to allow phone calls to be transferred to different members of the team and internal conference calling options will also be available.

As part of an integrated phone system, this ensures that businesses are able to communicate with each other in an efficient manner – ensuring that everyone is kept up to speed on the latest information. Even in times of natural disaster, a business phone system will allow you to communicate with your workforce even when the cell phone towers are overloaded or unavailable.

Alongside this, a number of business phone providers will also offer free inter-office calls for businesses, meaning that contacting fellow colleagues will not cost you any extra cash – a great way to improve communication and save time and money.

Interaction with Customers

Another reason why business phone lines are still important is because they ensure that customers always have open access to direct interaction with the company. Business phone lines can be designed to support numerous operators and callers and can therefore ensure that customers are always able to reach businesses.

Functions for taking messages, transferring calls or putting customers on hold are intrinsic features of business phone packages and will be designed to help organisations run as smoothly as possible.

The call rates assigned to these packages will also tend to be competitive for businesses, allowing them to contact their clients and colleagues without worrying about the final cost.

Conference Call Presentations

Ever try to host a conference call with your cell phone? When giving a presentation to a customer that could be worth a $10,000 profit, this is no time to be pinching pennies. Wouldn’t you invest $50 to guarantee perfect call quality if it earned you just one $1,000 sale? Think about it: would you sign a major contract with a company that sounded like they were cutting corners? First, the speaker phone function on cell phones are horrible to use and you risk accidentally disconnecting the call if you brush the touch screen. Second, call quality on a cell phone is occasionally garbled and heavily compressed. Third, cell phones drop calls — think of how unprofessional you become when you host a conference call and you keep getting disconnected! The best Powerpoint slides in the world won’t save you from that embarrassment.

Reliable Connection

The last, and perhaps biggest, reason why business phone lines are still important is because they enable business to operate in almost any circumstance. When computer servers go down, the Internet is slow, or a natural disaster clogs the cell towers, business telephone service allows you to connect with customers and assure them you care about their business.

It is for this reason that business broadband and business phone lines are often offered to organisations as a package, allowing them to get the best possible communication services available.

Business phone lines will be specifically designed to cope with the high demands which businesses are likely to place on the service. Business broadband will offer the same type of features, making these two services the perfect accompaniment to one another.

It is therefore vital that businesses invest in an adequate business phone line in order to keep the lines of communication as varied and accessible as your customers demand. But above all other forms of modern communication, there is still nothing better to assess a situation, negotiate details, and eliminate misunderstandings than a verbal conversation.

The benefits of cordless phones are especially compelling in today’s business environment where every dollar counts and increased productivity is a top priority. Beyond the typical features expected from any standard Caller ID speakerphone, our criteria for this evaluation for the best small business phone system are:

• Initial support for 3 external phone lines.
• Ability to transfer calls to other phones and voicemail.
• Music-on-hold functionality.
• Integrated cordless phones.
• Option for adding a wired or wireless headset for receptionist.
• Private voice mailboxes for every user.
• An automated attendant to direct calls when receptionist is unavailable.
• Total budget of $5,000 or less, including installation costs.

Here’s the most popular phone systems for small business today and our reviews of each…

With this in mind, we offer up some web design basics, as well as a description of the trends and technologies that have been big in 2012:

Design Basics

 Create a Resource for your Customers

When businesses create a website, it’s very easy for them to get hung up on the fact that they’re creating the website in order to promote themselves. In actuality, all of the content on your website should exist for the sake of your customers. Never tell customers that your business is great; tell customers how your product or service can help them solve problems and make their life easier. The more information and resources you provide through your website, and the more you share through integrated social channels, the more customers will trust your commitment to this ideal.

 Design a Visually Appealing Website

Pinning down what makes a well designed site in artistic terms is something that takes talent and, often, years of experience. Whilst an agency is recommended, time and money may not be on your side. Broadly speaking, a great design builds your brand, is visually pleasing and coherent. All elements should be spaced well and properly aligned. Graphical elements should be sharp and complementary in terms of shape and colour. And you should use the design to guide the user around the page: prominence can come from the size, colour and position of each element.

 Insist on Standards Compliance

Websites are principally built in HTML and CSS, but they can also be coded with any of the other web 2.0 programming languages (e.g. javaScript and PHP). The syntax and language used in this code must be entered correctly, so that problems can be avoided as the website expands and content is added. But standards aren’t just a matter of best practice; the accessibility and usability of a website are things that are often ignored (or more commonly, simply not understood).

An example of a basic usability issue is how hyperlinks are indicated in your text. Conventionally, hyperlinks are underlined, and assigned a different colour value. Flouting either of these conventions can confuse users. More seriously, poorly designed navigation can frustrate people into leaving your website before they’ve found what they want. And failing to provide ‘alt tags’ for your images can render your website unintelligible to those who use a ‘text to speech’ device to browse the internet.

 Have a Great Logo Design

The first thing you see (usually in the upper left of the screen) on the vast majority of websites is the logo. Obviously, we have a vested interest in promoting the value of a good logo in your website design (and of suggesting where you might get one!), but believe us when we say that even with a fantastic web design, a website can be completely undermined by having a terrible logo. And if you don’t have a logo at all, how are your customers going to remember your brand? As striking as some website designs can be, they’re no substitute for a good logo.

So, what makes a great logo design? It needs to reflect the values of your brand, as well as your target audience. It needs to be striking and memorable, effects often achieved by being simple or striving to be original. And it needs to be relevant to the time in which it is created; timeless designs are achievable, but there is no harm in chasing trends. Speaking of which…

Design Trends in 2012

A quick Google search for ‘Web Design Trends in 2012’ will throw up all kinds of theories on what is big this year. These lists tend to be optimistic style guides and are worth a look if you’re stuck for ideas, but they shouldn’t ever be taken as a gospel truth. Nonetheless, there are certain general trends that need to be appraised, and often, recommended as an approach for your site:

 Consider Mobile Users

Strangely, this means something completely different now to what it meant just two years ago. Designing for ‘mobile’ used to be designing for cell-phones with tiny screens. Unappealing, low-detail, text heavy designs dominated. Now ‘mobile’ means high-resolution screens of wildly varying size. It also means designing for touch; if your website design has elements that animate or otherwise react to someone hovering their mouse, this simply will not work on a touchscreen.

 Embrace HTML5 and CSS3

While Flash was previously the medium for multimedia rich websites, it has been pushed aside by the need to design for mobile (Apple has refused to implement flash on iPad and iPhone, and Android devices provide patchy support). Its various quirks have always made it a contentious platform, and some designers aren’t too dismayed to see it on the way out. HTML5 and CSS3 are the latest technologies used in website design. And with wide support from web browsers, designers are beginning to take them up with increasing enthusiasm.

The HTML standard was most in need of an overhaul: HTML4 was standardised back in 1997, when syntax for video and audio and other multimedia enabling structural features simply weren’t needed. New features in CSS3 include multi-column layout, box shadow, variable opacity and much more.

 De-clutter Everything

If there has been a year where designers weren’t claiming a philosophy of ‘less is more,’ we haven’t heard of it. Restrict a site’s colour-scheme, employ plenty of whitespace, little imagery and a simple font and you can create an eye-catching, timeless design that emphasises function over flash. Or you can create a site that looks dull, uninspired and devoid of content. Approach this one with caution!

 Large Elements and Images

Both in contradiction to the point above, and occasionally working with it, there is currently a tendency towards website designs with full-screen image elements. Some designers are forgoing the once fashionable block-colour background for textures or photographs.  After all, the internet is speeding up for most of us… but if you’re trying to sell a product, this approach can still frustrate your customers, so be wary.