Research suggests that the average attention span of humans is less than 8 seconds. Hence, it becomes crucial for product companies to cut through the digital noise and craft experiences that are fresh, inspiring, and engaging for their users.
Product designers must stay on top of the latest technological trends in UI/UX design such as minimalism, scrollytelling, neomorphism, etc. This way you can drive meaningful digital experiences while keeping your users hooked.
Let’s explore some of the most talked about UI/UX trends of 2024 in the blog today and deep dive into how you can make the most of them. Also, get a peek into what’s more to come in the future of design.
The modern design playfield is a highly dynamic one with demands now more focused on personalization, inclusivity, and diversity. UI Trends such as brutalism, glassmorphism, 3D animation, biometric interactions, dark mode, etc., are taking center stage in new-gen digital products.
Why check out these UI/UX trends? It's because by incorporating these trends into your applications or products, you can ensure a future-forward, highly functional, and user-centric product that anticipates user needs and elevates user engagement.
Here’s a roundup of the top design trends that are shaping the UI/UX landscape -
When it comes to design, minimalism is one of the top UI trends, that revolves around keeping things simple, clean, and uncluttered. Embracing this design trend ensures a more focused user journey, fewer load times, and better cross-platform adaptability.
From clean lines and composition to utilizing white space effectively, a minimalist design is most suited when you want to focus on functionality instead.
Take into account the simplistic appeal of brands such as Apple and Louis Vuitton which are known for clean interfaces, straightforward designs, and highly functional products.
Minimalist Websites: Apple
Also popular as new skeuomorphism, neomorphism (or neumorphism) brings flat design principles and three-dimensional effects together, to create tactile interfaces. In other words, it makes the elements on the interfaces appear as if they are popping out or are pressed down.
How does it help? Well, the soft edges, gradients, and shadows in the design give users a feel as if the elements could be touched. Neomorphism uses light, pastel colors, and gradients that add to the inviting appeal of the interface.
Neomorphic Website: Solomid.Tech
Glassmorphism blends modernity, minimalism, and a futuristic appeal to designs. It creates captivating visual elements that look like they are hovering in space. To add further effect, the top layer appears to be merged with the glass.
Here's how payment services provider 'Stripe' showcases a 3D feel with a shadow effect, vibrant background, and translucent boundary to give away the feel of glass.
Glassmorphism: Stripe
Scrollytelling is a great way to make web content more attractive through images, animated typography, 3D models, charts, infographics, and audio.
It helps to make the user experience more immersive with every scroll, improving readability, and actively involving readers in the story.
Scrollytelling on websites: The New York Times
ALSO READ: What is Scrollytelling and How to Tell Immersive Stories with Design
Neobrutalism is a design trend that captures user attention with the use of unconventional, bold, and vibrant text and images.
Neobrutalism Design Trend: Figma
It aims to set apart the brand or product from its competitors with its bright, distressed, and sometimes asymmetric look and appeal.
Neobrutalism Design Trend: Floom
3D design elements add more depth to digital interfaces. These are great for showcasing the benefits of products in the real world.
Utilizing animation, GUIs, and 3D objects can not only help businesses capture users but also enhance their buying journey. The accessibility of new-gen 3D tools has further made it easier for designers to create and impart immersive experiences.
Take a look at how Tag Heuer incorporates 3D onto its watch configurator page.
Motion and 3D Objects Application: TAGHeuer
Today, users are much more aware and aligned on seamless experiences that don’t sacrifice their security. Design leads can incorporate biometrics such as fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and voice authentication into the applications to streamline user experiences. Here's how Apple integrates seamless user authentication with iPhones.
Seamless user authentication: Apple
This would enable quicker access to applications and services without the hassle of remembering passwords.
Dark mode offers a more comfortable viewing experience, especially for users who spend a lot of time on screens.
The dark mode also contributes to saving battery life. With a toggle mode to switch between light and dark mode, users can pick what mode is best for them at any time of the day. For instance, Cred and Spotify App opens up to its users with a default dark mode
Dark Mode: Cred
This trend is not limited to mobile devices but is also a popular one on desktop applications and websites. Designers should consider this feature to enhance accessibility and user experience.
Default Dark Mode - Web: Spotify
UX writing involves writing a comprehensive set of content for user interfaces, focused on user's needs and behaviors. This includes everything from pages, menus, push notifications, guides, microscopy, and even error messages.
UX Writing: Intuit Mailchimp
UX Writing: Pixar
Microscopy is a part of UX writing that involves the little texts you see all around the website - from placeholder text to tidbit copy below the labels to text on the CTA button. Offering cues into the functionalities of the application, these little clusters help to guide users throughout the platform.
Microscopy on Websites: Disney
Microinteractions are small functional animations or response mechanisms that enhance user experience. These ensure users get the feeling of satisfaction and an emotional nudge each time they are triggered.
Think of the Instagram double tap, celebratory confetti when you win a reward - or subtle animation when opening an app - these are all micro-interactions. Experienced designers can leverage micro-interactions to give users a feeling of contentment each time they interact with the app. Check out how GoDaddy utilizes micro-interactions to the fullest.
Microinteractions on Website: GoDaddy
ALSO READ: The Role of Microinteractions in Delightful UI/UX Designs
Instead of pure white - designers are now switching to warmer shades such as off-white, cream, etc. that do not strain the eyes so much. This touch of warmth adds both modernity and a sense of timelessness to the entire website look.
Off-White Website Background: Birchandbind
The cursor is the one thing that is always there, but we do not pay attention to it most of the time. However, by elevating its functions with an additional degree of interactivity, designers can make the cursor both useful and delightful.
Make the cursor change shapes while hovering buttons, switch the background color, enlarge certain elements, etc. to elevate the user experience and uplift the entire design of the project.
But, keep in mind, the key is in moderation. Avoid overwhelming effects, select cursor options thoughtfully, maintain consistency across the entire project, and keep the design user-friendly. For instance - here's the Myriad website utilizing the cursor effectively.
Reinventing the cursor: Myriad
Voice user interfaces, also known as voice-activated interfaces, are widely utilized across industries. Think of an in-car voice assistant or YouTube's voice search.
Voice User Interface: YouTube
These VUIs help users perform tasks while multitasking and enhance convenience and accessibility. By integrating voice technology with devices, designers can impart life-like interactions on the platform and enhance engagement.
ALSO READ: The Rise of Voice User Interface (VUI)
The hero section is the first greeting your users get when visiting your website and making a good first impression that is out of the ordinary can leave a lasting impact on their minds. Here's how sites like Runway, Playground, etc. utilize a deconstructed hero section.
Deconstructed Hero Section: Runway
The deconstructed hero section trend will take center stage in the coming times, pushing the boundaries of conventional approaches. Designers are reimagining hero sections by incorporating content snippets, bold typography, and unaligned images, fostering an environment of intrigue and curiosity.
Deconstructed Hero Section: Playground
By questioning the conventional, designers can create unique entrances that not only grab users' attention but also set the tone for the entire user experience.
One of the key growing trends in UI/UX design is AI-powered personalization. Personalized experiences resonate more with users, instill a positive perception of the brand, and foster loyalty over time.
By leveraging advancements in AI and machine learning, designers can craft tailored experiences for their customers, which in return would lead to better retention, longer time on the app, and higher engagement. Here's a glimpse of Canva's Magic Design tool leveraging AI personalization.
AI Personalization with Canva
"Nearly 60% of Internet Traffic Comes From Mobile Devices" - Statista
While not new, responsive UI will continue to be one of the top priorities for designers. With more than half of traffic coming in from mobile devices, it becomes even more imperative to focus on giving users a seamless on-the-go experience.
Cross-platform designs will remain to lead so users can switch between devices without any usability issues.
Responsive UI: Dropbox
ALSO READ: Designing for the Subconscious: How UX Elements Shape User Perceptions?
Super apps integrate multiple services onto a single platform - that means users won't have to switch between multiple apps. These offer a seamless experience across functionalities such as banking, booking apps, shopping, or messaging. Popular examples are Paytm, Tata Neu, MyJio, PhonePe, Grab and WeChat.
Super Applications: Grab
Designers must take a deep dive into this trend and offer users a cohesive experience that doesn’t overwhelm them with too many choices.
The UI/UX trends are reshaping how we interact with digital products and applications. From minimal aesthetics to AI-driven interfaces, neomorphism to neobrutalism - each trend highlights the growing emphasis on user-centricity, blurring lines between predictive user experience and personalization.
In 2025, we will see more of immersive scrolling, sustainable design, 3D and animated visual elements, etc.
Emerging UI/UX trends to keep an eye on are - live feeds, kinetic type designs (moving text), bento box home page designs, gamification elements, and Gen AI designs.
Bento Box Design: Depict.AI
Advancements in technology, changing user behaviors, cultural influences, rise in remote working culture, and awareness towards sustainable design practices, are some of the few reasons that are impacting design trends year on year.
Brands today are focusing on making user experiences even more personal and intuitive, which is why, their design language is customized according to their brand offerings, in sync with user's preferences and likings.
Lastly, user feedback is a prime factor influencing the shift in UI/UX trends.
By keeping a tab on the latest trends, product teams can create solutions that not only engage consumers but also foster trust in the long run. However, designers must approach these trends in a balanced manner merging technological proficiency with a deep understanding of human factors.
To say the least, the future of UI/UX is much more advanced, immersive, intuitive, and interactive - pushing boundaries of innovation, one element at a time.
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