UX and UI design trends

We humans use digital platforms every day. UX/UI design is what lets us navigate those platforms painlessly. UX and UI are about shaping and improving the total experience a user has when meeting a product or service. A positive user experience and a good interface are key elements of success in digital solutions.

Appearance, usability, navigation and technology are elements that have to fit together. With relevant, well-made content you can stir feelings and interest in the target audience of the business. Put simply, UI designers handle how the service will look, and UX designers handle how it should work.

UX design concerns the overall user experience. It deals with how all the different systems and design elements interact with each other and how that feels to the user. The goal of good UX design will always be an intuitive experience.

A simple example that makes this easier to grasp is Tinder. Tinder gives users the choice between rejecting or liking the person shown in the app. Two different options that could easily be handled with two simple buttons. But instead of buttons, Tinder uses a far more interactive approach reminiscent of gamification. Swiping makes the experience completely different. Not only is it a fun way to get users navigating through other users, the design also stops the app from having too many symbols and buttons in the way. The result is a clean app with far more room for pictures of your next potential match.

UI design, or user interface design, covers the graphic elements of the product or service. That can be anything from buttons, text and images to shapes. It is up to a UI designer to make sure the look of the product or service is attractive, visually stimulating and themed correctly to fit the rest. They make sure all the visual elements align, both aesthetically and functionally.

We keep seeing established apps implement this feature. It can be argued that services with a dark theme are more comfortable to use. There are also documented effects showing that people with reduced vision find readability better.

The 3D trends have evolved into a simplified version of what we have seen before, which has led to a new style trend within 3D UI elements: claymorphism. The elements look as if they are made of clay, an effect achieved by setting both inner and outer shadows for depth. They appear as more fluffy 3D elements than in another popular trend called neumorphism.

This trend is everywhere. The purpose is to create the illusion of a glass-like panel sitting over the background. The trend is used in macOS Big Sur, for example.

A rising trend we see no immediate end to is sharply personalised content. An interesting example is Netflix, which shows different films and series based on gender, age and other information that lets the service target the individual user.

Gamification means taking elements from the games industry to make other platforms more interactive. We find examples of this at McDonald's and their app. There they have mini-games you can try weekly, where your performance can earn you discount coupons on different items they offer.

Not necessarily a new concept, but we are seeing new trends and creative ways of using data visualisation. Users love getting insight into their own data and comparing it with others. Look no further than Spotify Wrapped, a huge success that gives users better insight into their own listening activity.

Did any of these trends sound interesting to you? We can help you or your company identify areas for improvement and design a better solution together. Get in touch and we will gladly help you along the way and to the finish line.

Written by Vegard Kallhovd