Technology is a field that is constantly evolving and changing. This means that trends that were important a month ago are no longer relevant. This applies to software development as well, which is a field that focuses on the creation and maintenance of software and applications, frameworks, and various other components.

Considering the year that was 2020, industries are hopeful that 2021 has more ups than downs. For software developers, the year will be more or less dependent on these top software development trends for 2021.

01. Progressive Web Applications

Developing websites is one of the key services offered by any software development company and the technology used in web applications has improved significantly over the years. Despite this, some websites are slow to load on mobile devices, with certain features getting disabled. Mobile applications are developed with the limitations of mobile devices in mind but native applications are rarely a carbon copy of web applications.

Progressive Web Applications or PWAs are the middle ground between the two and software developers can create an application that caters to both desktop and mobile devices and platforms. PWAs are equipped with several features, like being able to run offline, accessing phone censors, and supporting push notifications.

PWAs mean that visitors to a website need not miss out on most of the features and content because they are on a mobile device, but the benefits of PWAs also affect software developers as the applications are easy to develop and maintain.

While PWAs have been around for years and several organizations have switched to this type of application, they are expected to spend more time in the spotlight in 2021, with more improvements made to the technology.

02. Low-code Development Platforms

The impact of 2020 and the pandemic will be felt for years to come and software development trends for 2021 are definitely shaped by the past year. One such trend is an increased popularity of low-code development platforms or LCDPs, which swap traditional hand-coded programming with graphical user interfaces and configuration.

An LCDP makes it easier to create applications and some software developers resist the technology as it simplifies the method and does not use a process that software developers spend years learning and improving.

However, the pandemic changed the way businesses operate and the shift to working from home increased the demand for IT departments. With the increased use of digital platforms in 2020, organizations realized that low-code development can be as effective and efficient.

Due to this, in 2021, software development services may need to focus on low-code development platforms is they are to cater to the needs of various organizations and industries.

03. Mixed Reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality were trending technologies in 2020 and are expected to improve further this year. Focus will also be on mixed reality, which is a hybrid of reality and virtual reality.

Businesses that integrate these technologies with existing systems to improve both employee experience and customer experience will find that embracing these technologies sets them apart from competitors.

Beyond this, however, the use of virtual reality will widen to other industries and sectors as well. Education is one sector that will see significant improvements made to the way material is taught to students, with virtual reality making the learning experience more engaging and impactful.

04. Internet of Things

The need for increased connectivity has never been this urgent with remote working arrangements demanding more secure networks and connections between devices and systems to share and exchange data.

The Internet of Things or IoT will play a key role in this regard, with businesses investing more and more in the technology. Healthcare is one of the main industries that will be required to embrace more of this technology in 2021, with other industries like manufacturing also being required to increase their investment in IoT and similar technologies if they want to remain ahead of others in the industry this year.

While other developments, like the expansion of 5G networks and edge computing, will improve IoT technology, security concerns will definitely rise alongside these advancements.