A modern website or mobile application design can be one of a kind or a regular pop-up animation, but the latter is out of date and will not surprise anybody.
Professional UI designers are continuously working on new features to push the trends. The current design trend in UI/UX emphasizes innovation and uniqueness. It helps in attracting a new audience and grabbing users' attention. Interactivity, logical structure, and 3D, VR/AR will be popular UI/UX trends in 2023.
Below, we’ll describe these design trends in more detail.
Dark Mode
Dark mode has been around in some form or another for a long time, but it wasn't until Apple's 2018 Mojave update that it became popular. Since then, it has not only been added to iOS, but it has also been adopted by eCommerce leader Amazon, as well as Microsoft, Google, and many others. And for those apps and platforms that don't support it, users may simply download a browser extension like Dark Reader to force the switch.
There are several strong reasons to implement (or improve) your dark mode functionality. For example, it can assist increase device battery life and lessen the dreaded "blue light" that keeps our brains awake at night.
On the UI UX design side, the increased contrast of dark mode makes the text more readable. It may also be used to improve the colors and details in photographs and videos. It also relieves eye strain, making it a caring feature that is also beneficial to user retention.
However, it is not as simple as running with a negative palette change. Designers must consider the fact that black-colored text on photos may vanish if the user enables Google Chrome's dark mode
Immersive Scrolling
Immersive scrolling (see this site for an example) is closely related to the preceding point—motion design. Most designers were thinking about scrolling through webpages in terms of content order due to traditional scrolling behavior. For example, what was the ideal sequence for consumers to grasp the message, and what kind of hierarchy might be employed to tell the stories their clients wanted to share? Even with the odd animation or video, everything seemed static.
Creating smooth animations and implementing component actions on scroll is now easier than ever thanks to Javascript, animation libraries, or native implementations (such as linear interpolation techniques). Designers now have greater control over what material is shown and how it appears in front of people's eyes, allowing us to deliver content in a more strategic, narrative-centered manner. Immersive scrolling has opened up a new world of possibilities for fantastic storytelling, and I'm sure many businesses (particularly those focused on landing pages) will take advantage of this to engage their consumers. Related article: The 10 Best Prototyping Tools for Designers.
Smooth gradients
Gradients may have gained popularity as a result of social media and fashion, but it appears that the 80s and 90s are returning to the scene. This means we’ll have more groovy clothes and fascinating color combinations in fashion. This has resulted in the return of gradients, the acceptance of brutalism, and the use of colorful palettes, among other things, in the digital environment.
Gradients are a huge trend that has been widely embraced (and accepted) this year and that I feel will continue to be popular in the next years. With individuals utilizing more cheerful, multi-colored palettes—as if to combat the tiredness induced by Covid—we'll have a wonderful, colorful parade of screens, packaging, and more displayed around us.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
These two technologies will undoubtedly become important UX design trends in 2023. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) bridge the gap between the real and digital worlds. They allow users to visually interpret information in the same manner that they experience the environment. Related article: Top 7 EdTech Trends for Kids.
Now you may visualize the IKEA Place selection of furniture sitting at home or discover if the Sephora Lipstick is appropriate for you. AR is an excellent tool for bringing the product closer to the consumer and clarifying what it is. It is excellent for usage in eCommerce projects.
The news of Metaverse, a new project from Facebook, boosted the popularity of VR. To underline its links to this initiative, the corporation changed its name to Meta. Metaverse is a three-dimensional representation of the universe in which individuals may construct their own 3D version and interact with other users online. This strategy, for example, may be utilized for meetings, conferences, and lectures. As a result, the project's purpose is to assist individuals in communicating, working, and growing their businesses.
Voice User Interface (VUI)
Voice search is another UI UX innovation to keep an eye on. The scope of User Interface Design extends beyond visual displays. It begins to include additional senses.
Voice user interfaces (VUI) have already entered the mainstream, owing to the popularity of Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Nest products. The speech and voice interface industry is expected to reach almost $25 billion by 2025, according to the "Markets and Markets" research. However, by 2023, voice will be much more important.
It's not difficult to understand why. People want speed and convenience, and Voice User Interface enables that without ever touching a device, let alone spending time browsing to a certain app or typing out a message. Anytime, anywhere (although, maybe not in a loud voice at the back of the bus). This is especially true for younger users, who are not just accustomed to but also anticipate VUI. Related article: AI in eLearning: The Importance of Chatbots.
Microinteractions
We all know that animation is on the rise, but micro interactions will also play an important role in your UI and UX design toolbox, particularly for those working in the mobile space.
Small-scale images and animations, like loading bars, are proven to be an effective method of engaging users. Do you want to show them that you're working on their request? Include a loading bar. Do you need to lead them to a fresh message? A ringing bell notice might be precisely what you need. Microinteractions may capture users' attention, inform them, and lead them to where they need to go (or where you want them to go).
3D is everywhere
3D imagery is something you can see on social media. Still, we believe the 'friendly corporate illustration' approach that will be popular in 2022/2023 will begin to wane, paving the way for something new. Designers are increasingly attempting to discover more engaging methods to present pictures by returning to photos (but modified to be colorful and lively), imprecise artwork, or integrating 3D objects in websites or applications to embellish or supplement the content. We expect the latter will continue to increase in the coming year as it coincides with the development and acceptance of VR/AR technology.
Custom bold fonts
It's time for one of the most popular UI design trends: bold typography that lets you stand out. You must create an impression in the congested internet economy. You must introduce yourself. You must become identifiable and unique from the competitors (and everyone else online).
Custom fonts are a common technique to accomplish this. They may be costly, consuming a lot of resources developing typefaces that are completely unique to you and then applying them across your website, app, and wherever else.
However, they claim that strong branding entails being able to identify your company's assets even when the emblem has been removed. Custom fonts, whether serif or sans-serif, are a fantastic approach to achieve this uniqueness.
Motion Design
Developing animations for online applications used to be difficult since teams had to constantly make trade-offs between animation quality, site performance, and app size. A lot has changed since then. Changes in bandwidth, as well as the advent of libraries like Lottie Files, enable designers to create gorgeous animations while keeping file sizes small and operating smoothly.
With the use of these tools, skilled designers may now integrate motion design into their tool belts. We're convinced that we'll see more and more animations in the future, not just to make designs more dynamic and visually appealing, but also to provide a more seamless experience and thrill users with fantastic micro-interactions. Related article: Web Development Technologies for Non-developers.
Design systems and libraries
Previously, the system design was only significant for huge organizations, but this practice has now been taken on with everyone. Designers may develop identical components for all pages of a site or application using technologies like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch. They can also compile them into a single library that is accessible to all team members.
As a result, you may call and debate any item in the library with other members. Furthermore, even if they are far apart, designers working on a combined project may easily comprehend the structure and essence of the brand and keep its integrity.
Customization
Let's see how great it would be to personalize the websites and programs we use every day. Designers do their best to consider all of the demands of the target audience, although it is difficult to do so. One of the UX trends for 2023 is customization, which allows users to pick some design aspects for themselves.
As an example, consider Instagram messenger's custom settings. The theme and colors of the chat may now be changed. You may also modify the color theme, size, background, and even install custom languages made by other users on Telegram.
Inclusivity
First, the designer considers the demands of the consumers. As a result, inclusion helps users to feel at ease and secure while using the product.
To build a design that is accessible to everyone, it should be evaluated by a variety of people. There are four inclusive design principles:
Determine what features of the design may be unavailable to users with special abilities.
Determine what conditions may emerge in which all users will be unable to completely utilize your product.
Involve members of various communities in the development process.
Deliver several ways for people to interact with your design and attempt to provide an equitable experience for all users.
As a result, inclusivity is all about a person's unique characteristics. Physical and mental disabilities, race, cultural background, gender, age, language, and so on. As a result, while creating a design, all of these factors must be considered. Related article: Mobile App Development for Non-technical People.
As a result, an increasing number of businesses are paying attention to the diversity of their users. Sites and programs that allow you to enter a custom gender and not report it are becoming prevalent.
Twitter, for example, understands exactly how to apply one of the most essential UX design trends. Developers added a column to the site where users may not only choose, but also add their gender.
Conclusion
The UI/UX design trends of 2022 will be carried over into 2023, but with more quality content and new technology. The base will be interactive details while keeping harmony and making it simple to add to the overall style. Designers must keep in mind that the goal of UI/UX design is comfort and intuitiveness. Related article: How to Find App Developer for Your Business Requirements.
Many events and technical advances affect design trends. Following the UI and UX trends in 2023 will aid in the process of producing the items that people need.
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Anastasiia Dyshkant
Content Marketing Manager
