“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.”
This famous quote by Robert L. Peters, a well-known Graphic Designer, accurately sums up how UI/UX design can potentially change the future of a business and how we will use technology in the future.
If your business wishes to maintain an edge over its competitors in the future, it must keep up with the latest UI/UX design trends. It’s not just about being cool anymore; it has become necessary because if you don’t keep up with the technology, your users will shift their priorities toward your competitors.
This blog will discuss trends ranging from using AI to ease the design process, incorporating micro-interactions to spice things up, using dark mode as the default mode, and grooving with touchless interaction.
Designers and entrepreneurs can use this blog as a checklist to design their next project or make audits on the existing one.
We at Yellow Slice have been following a four-stage process for nearly two decades, which we call STEP (Soak, Think, Execute, and Proof) for designing UX design. The four stages are further divided into a seven-step process that we swear by, as it has delivered fantastic results in the past with brands that can vouch for us.
Keeping up with trends is not just about trying to fit in and do what everyone is doing. In the current space with product design just offering a good user experience is not sufficient. What sticks with users if you offer something unique, fresh and interesting. So keeping up with trends helps you to do that. Although make sure that you assess a trend well before jumping on to it, because not every trend is here to stay. -Anthony Fernandes
UI/UX Design Trends and Tech that Will Shape Tomorrow
Below, we have divided the UI/UX trends into different categories; join us as we discuss them briefly to know how they can change the landscape of your business.
User-centered Design Trends
Users are an all-time trend that can never be outdated. You can’t afford to forget about them.
- Tailored by Tech: Personalization Powered by AI and Machine Learning
You must have encountered an app or website that offers a personalized experience designed just for you, such as Instagram’s Explore page, TikTok’s For You page, or Netflix’s movie recommendation page.
You can’t deny that personalized UX design is undeniably the most efficient design in the digital world. Thanks to the advent of AI and Machine learning algorithms, it quickly adapts to users’ individual needs, preferences, and expectations.
However, many designers don’t use AI directly, but AI is still a significant part of their creative process as it bases its functionality on user behavior.
Adaptive User Interfaces (AUIs) are one such personalized feature. They can adapt to different display sizes and configurations to provide a great user experience on all types of devices. In today’s digital world, where every business is competing for user attention, dynamic user experiences can be your best bet to win this competition.
Real World Application:
Recommendation and search algorithms are at the heart of Netflix’s services. Personalized entertainment suggestions align with the preferences of users because they track customer behavior using AI and machine learning.
It is based on an individual’s viewing history. Viewers get recommendations based on the titles, genres, and sub-genres they usually watch and are interested in.
- Speak to Connect: The Rise of Voice-Driven Interfaces (VUI)
First came touchscreens because people were tired of pressing keypads, and now came voice-driven interfaces because people want the systems to work without even touching the screens. The idlers are conquering the world in the name of efficiency.
Hence came voice-driven systems such as Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, etc. You can command them, and they will do your desired tasks.
Hands-free operation improves accessibility for people with disabilities, too, while accommodating people who don’t like to work hard in their day-to-day business. Voice-driven interfaces are created using artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, including Speech Synthesis, Name Entity Recognition, and Automatic Speech Recognition.
The convenience of using voice commands to search for something on the internet when your hands are dripping with food, to make a purchase when you’re walking on the road, or to find directions when you’re driving is unmatchable.
Real World Application:
Virtual assistants are, arguably, the best, most used and most efficient examples of voice interfaces that surround us. Technologies such as Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Siri, and Cortana have taken the world of voice interactions by storm.
A voice assistant can control devices in a smart home and integrate with several other devices, such as smartphones or wearable applications, thus making the phrase “the Internet of Things” (IoT) a reality. These devices can recognize and understand human voice commands and give feedback in voice output.
Visual Design Trends
The world is shallow, and that’s a fact. Whatever appeals to the eyes is the real deal; hence, you can’t afford to ignore visual trends while designing the UI/UX of a digital product.
- Less is More: The Power of Minimalism and Simplified Interfaces
As Albert Einstein famously said,
“Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”
Instead of going all wham with all the visuals you find trendy, try experimenting with a minimalist design, as it is timeless and never goes out of style. Nothing screams simplicity louder than clean layouts, ample white space, and focusing on essential elements that are necessary and don’t include any distractions.
But why are minimalist designs preferred?
Scott Belsky, who is a Chief Product Officer, said,
“ Rule of thumb for UX: More options, more problems.”
Minimalist designs reduce cognitive load, which makes it easier for users to process and navigate the digital product. The app or website improves when designers focus on eliminating too much unnecessary information.
When the layouts and workflows are organized, users feel a sense of control and are confident navigating the interface. Its nonchalant features bring aesthetic pleasure to the human brain.
Real World Application:
Apple’s UI design follows all the minimalist design rules and excels at it. Its sleek, uncomplicated interface has clean lines and intuitive interactions that are easy to understand. All Apple products, like the iPhone and iPad, have prioritized uncluttered layouts. It pays close attention to typography, spacing, and colour to create a cohesive visual experience.
- Embracing the Dark Side: The Rise of Low-Light and Dark Mode Designs
Who uses light mode throughout the day? Well, except for your grandpa. Our guess is no one.
Dark mode is the new trend for more than one reason. The low-light environment offers visual comfort, reduces eye strain, and saves battery life on OLED screens. Thus, dark mode is no longer a trend but a necessity. A 2021 survey shows that users may use dark mode in almost 90% of well-known programs. The study also shows that nearly 83% of users shift to dark mode after 10 p.m.
Real World Application:
All the UX designers are designing for dark light nowadays; it’s a given. Many social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, and others have introduced dark mode options that users love and use.
- Words That Pop, Colours That Flow: The Future of Typography and Gradients
If you’re a writing or font enthusiast, you know what we are discussing. The latest trend in typography can be explained with three simple words: Big, Bold and Capitalized. Not only does it grab attention, but it conveys the message in the most efficient way possible. UI designers also mix typefaces and styles to emphasize words that need to be focused.
Typography is not just about readability; it’s about the brand image, character, and connection it wants to form with the consumers.
Real World Application:
Awwwards, a global web trends website, uses capitalised bold and in-the-face typography for its homepage, which also compliments the hot red colour they use in the background. On the other hand, if you want to go for a more subdued and serene feel, use thin, compressed and condensed fonts like this Aussi-based creative initiative, Hip Opera.
Emerging Technologies in UI/UX Design
A few trends are fairly new to the UI/UX design field, but it’s also considered good practice to include them.
- Swipe, Tap, Wave: The Future of Touchless Interactions
Do you remember the time when phones with touchscreens came years ago? It created such a big revolution.
Gesture-based features allow users to interact with the digital product using gestures and movements of hands and eyes. This intuitive interaction makes the app or website efficient and enhances user engagement, giving you a competitive advantage.
You can swipe, pinch, zoom, tap, and even move your eyes to navigate. Designers are searching to create more touchless interactions as they cater to the natural flow of human interaction within apps and websites.
Real World Application:
The Back Tap feature, introduced in iOS 14, is available on iPhone 8 or later. It allows users to perform certain actions by double- or triple-tapping the back of their iPhone, such as opening the Control Center, taking screenshots, triggering accessibility-specific actions, and running shortcuts.
- Bringing Depth to Life: The Rise of 3D Design and Dynamic Animations
You must think that three-dimensional design is not a new UX design trend; it has been around for many years.
However, more design tools have made it easy for designers to create new content based on 3D without using heavy programs. Previously, there were only static objects on the screen, thanks to emerging tools tailored to WebGL.
WebGL is a JavaScript API that produces interactive 3D and 2D graphics directly on web browsers. It allows the generation of 3D illustrations, animations, and interactive 3D objects, and 3D designs are aesthetic and realistic.
These tools are available for amateurs and professionals and have been promising for the resurgence and evolution of 3D elements. Adobe Illustrator is one such UX design tool that generates 3D designs within a few clicks and under a few minutes.
Animations save most UX designs, especially in e-commerce and gaming applications, as they provide intrigue, engagement, and interaction for the viewers.
Real World Application:
E-commerce websites like Spotify allow its merchants to include 3D models of products that potential buyers can rotate and zoom in on pictures to decide if they want to splurge their money on a particular product. Mobile apps like 3D games take advantage of 3D design and are all over the internet.
Interaction Design Trends
There are unique ways a user can interact with a product apart from the traditional ways. Have a look at them.
- Small Moves, Big Impact: Elevating UX with Micro-Interactions and Motion UI
Micro-interactions are small, interactive elements in digital products that respond to user actions with visual or audio cues. They make products more intuitive, engaging, and interesting to use.
These moves may look small, but they have a huge impact on the user’s overall experience. They transform the design from static to dynamic, giving it a more up-to-date vibe that will work in the fast-paced internet world.
Real World Application:
A few examples of micro-interactions are the revolutionary “like” button on Facebook, scroll bars on Instagram, the swipe feature on dating apps, and the hover feature on YouTube to play a video. Google started a trend by making buttons enlarge when users click on them.
It was apparent that in the Wix Editor, the users need feedback from icons. Small animation and colour changes make Wix users feel that elements talk to them when creating a website.
LinkedIn’s animated reactions are also another example of micro-interactions. Readers can put animated reactions on posts and messages instead of the basic like button.
Sustainability and Digital Wellbeing in Design
Considering the future generation and the resources we will leave for them is thoughtful and considerate. You’ll be surprised, but there are UI/UX design practices that can help save the planet with any small contribution they can.
- Designing for Tomorrow: Sustainable and Eco-Friendly UX Practices
Reducing the environmental impact of digital products. Sustainable and eco-friendly UX practices take part in activism towards a more sustainable future and add to aesthetics.
Planet-centric designs have a positive environmental impact, and while considering user satisfaction, they also consider the ecological footprint and global sustainability that the design will leave.
You are mistaken and oblivious if you think digital products don’t consume real-world resources. For lightweight UI components and energy-efficient interfaces, the designers need to develop systemic thinking, transparency, and accountability while designing with a significant shift from traditional user-centric models.
Real World Applications:
As mentioned above, dark mode is one feature that contributes to a greener digital ecosystem. It uses less battery power and eventually less electricity.
How Yellow Slice Helped Golden Porch to Ace their UI/UX Design
Golden Porch is a Casino Management Brand known for years in Goa and India.
The Problem: Golden Porch came to Yellow Slice to improve the experience of its website by clearly displaying its services. Most people in India would love to experience a Casino, but they could not, so the portal had to be planned accordingly to give the closest experience to a physical casino.
The Solution: Yellow Slice designers visited a Casino in Goa and noticed that we could fit the entire casino in a simple panorama effect, which would help skeuomorph the casino experience.
We called in photographers who were best at doing panorama shots and shot the entire casino 360 degrees, keeping the camera at the center of the room.
Then, photo editors merged everything and created moods; some frames were modified only to enhance the visual appeal.
This is how Yellow Slice was able to visualize and create the experience of a casino on a digital platform.
Let Your Business Experience a Slice of Excellence
We have worked with big names like Make My Trip, NPCI, Axis Bank, and Croma (and the list is long) and have picked up the best UX design practices. We take pride in advancing the human experience and deriving results for business with intuitions and facts.
Ready to get a slice of digital experience? Visit our service page, and let’s start designing your success today.
FAQs
1. What are the top emerging UI/UX design trends for the future?
Some top emerging UI/UX design trends that will take the internet by storm include:
- Crafting digital interfaces that are mindful of digital well-being. For example, it includes screen time reminders and focus modes within a minimalist UI.
- Including gamification to transform user experience as it encourages user engagement with rewards, badges, and achievements. For, e.g., Duolingo’s reward system and fitness apps.
- Creating smarter designs faster with AI and Automation. AI-driven tools like Figma AI and Uizard for faster prototyping and UX testing. Incorporating chatbots that automate customer support.
2. What technologies are reshaping UI/UX design tools?
Technologies are at the forefront of reshaping UI/UX design tools; some of them include:
- Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) enable immersive experiences, which are significant for designing spatial interfaces.
- Voice User Interface (VUI) tools facilitate voice-driven interfaces which allow users to give commands and receive feedback in audio format.
- No-code/Low-Code platforms like Webflow and Framer make it easy for designers to design workflows.
