5 Cutting-Edge UX/UI Design Trends to Set Your Sights on for 2023 and Beyond
There are few more valuable components in the digital realm than User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI). As technology races ever forward into the future, we are seeing new visual innovations that continue to push the envelope on what is achievable and what is delighting and engaging customers seeking satisfying experiences. This article will highlight some of the top UX and UI design trends blasting off in 2023.
Advancements in AI
Consumers are no longer content to merely ask Alexa to play their favorite mix of music in the morning or see what the weather will be like during rush hour. We want conversations with AI-powered chatbots to feel as authentic as talking to a real person because when technology struggles to understand us, we get louder and angrier until we give up. Machine Learning has long been at the forefront of AI-powered technologies, pulling out patterns and trends that might have taken human data analysts a lifetime to find. New apps are now in place that will make this data easily accessible to anyone, not just those with data science backgrounds - making data visualization much more of an accessible gateway to turning suggestions into actionable insight.
Augmented Reality
For all the bluster about the metaverse and Virtual Reality (VR) that has driven conversation in recent years, Augmented Reality (AR) is the technology that is really taking off and rapidly becoming more widely used in everyday activities. From contractors using cameras and laser-guidance tools to automatically measure the dimensions of projects to the remarkable creativity displayed with lenses and filters on social networks like Snapchat and Instagram, AR is becoming commonplace for a big part of the population. The likelihood of a VR-based metaverse is still the big talk surrounding Web 3.0. Still, the less-than-glorious debut of Meta’s Horizon Worlds, with its cartoonish avatars and small movements, drained some of that enthusiasm. The platform debuted with 300,000 users early last year, but that number dropped by one-third in short order. AR currently has VR beat in every way that matters to most people - it’s easy to understand, easy to use, and has lots of practical uses in everyday tasks and entertainment.
The Return of Qualitative UX Research
It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions changed many ways that business gets done worldwide– including qualitative research. Qualitative UX research has suffered over the past three years due to safety precautions and general uneasiness about working in close quarters. No matter how advanced our technologies get, we can’t improve on them just by engaging with machines. It’s time to get back to learning from the people we’re building them for.
The Need for Personalized, Engaged UX
As the workplace gets increasingly digital, we need systems that make our tasks more engaging and immersive. An app featuring your logo and a few pictures isn’t going to cut it anymore. People expect their tools and systems to fit seamlessly into their routines and to be an immersive part of their user journey. Users want to feel like the time they spend on a site is delivering them what they wish - answering questions, giving them enjoyment, and finding solutions. Companies around the globe have started ramping up in anticipation of the forthcoming metaverse by diving into creating rich, immersive websites and apps that aim at customization and personalization. However, this trend can backfire if your customer segments aren’t using lightning-fast connections on all their devices. If you know your audience has less sophisticated Internet protocol or mainly uses mobile tech to access your site, consider a more traditional option to avoid being kicked to the curb when your fancy site moves at a snail’s pace.
Designing for Micro-moments
First of all, what are micro-moments? We all know them too well, even if we haven’t heard the term much. Google, who else, coined it for the moment people reach for a device, typically their phone, because they want to do something, buy something, watch something, learn something, or discover something. Whether looking up a part number, matching POs to invoices, or getting to the next step in their workflow, customers are on the hunt for something. They go from exploring to evaluating and purchasing a product or service. So how do UX/UI designers account for capturing that rapid ascent from middling interest to “I want to buy now”? By identifying the touchpoints in our apps and systems where these micro-moments can be identified and swiftly moved to the next stage of the process. It’s also crucial to make it easy for users to access what they’ve bought or discovered and frame it on their social media platform of choice so that they can assist your brand in organic advertising.
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These five trends are just the tip of the iceberg of what should be an exciting year for UX/UI design. You can keep ahead of the competition by finding ways to start incorporating them into your work today.