The past few years have been a roller coaster ride for the digital world. As the plethora of other things in the virtual world, UX/ UI design trends in 2022 also saw a major shift.
There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW!
Milton Glaser
Wow is the one to aim for.
Aesthetic Minimalism
Probably one of the most underrated UI design trends in 2022 but a very important one is using aesthetic minimalism. There’s nothing more pleasing to a user’s experience than an aesthetic, simple, readable, and menial UI. Not everyone necessarily needs a fancy or wow-factor-like design. Some simple well thought designs can be quite astounding if curated well.
Unique illustrations
Branding with hand-drawn or digital, 2D, 3D, or any custom illustration has and will likely trend in the coming year. These not only help platforms in standing out from the regular/generic but also create a warm and inviting environment. Add to these illustrations a complex motion design, & they come to life; which is bound to catch any user’s attention. This trend works because it gives your websites a unique personality, making them memorable in the user’s mind.
Mobile-friendly approach
Nearly half of the search queries take place over mobile devices. From movie ticket booking to finding a place to eat, everything is searched on smartphones. It’s no surprise therefore that a mobile-friendly approach is on this UI design trend in the 2022 list. Both UX/UI must be developed by developers keeping this in mind. End-users must enjoy coming to your website regardless of the device they are logging in from.
Glassmorphism
Glassmorphism is gaining popularity and is the latest trend in user interfaces. It refers to giving a transparent, glassy king of look for users to see through the layers. This style works great when giving multiple layers emerge over a colorful background & the layers introduce hierarchy in the structure. Both iOS14 and macOS are examples of this but the trick lies in carefully choosing the background. A blurry background can create the perfect see through the glass look and let you feel all elements.
Using 3D for E-commerce
3D has been a top trend for a few years now, but now is a time to improvise on it. Now is the time to practically implement 3D into digital products for eCommerce. With everything shifting to the online world, brands have to get clever with their product promotion. We no longer have to be restricted to 2D and the traditional 2 axis approach. The animation will change the game for eCommerce and grab customers’ attention at once by giving experiences that are closer to the real world through the third dimension use.
Real-life photography
Soon animations and illustrations will be everywhere. Real-life photos and high-quality product photography will then be a big differentiating factor. They’re certain to make a strong comeback in the design trend world. Both in the recent years and the years to come, they will be around for creating a credible and unique impact for end-users. Illustrations & animation might not be right for every account/brand, therefore relying on real photos might be a great idea.
Complex Typography
Choosing the right font for a website, app or product is an integral part of every designer’s work. Big brands are so consistent with their particular font, that customers begin associating that font with the brand. Google using Roboto is the perfect example of this. After all, people do not read as much on the internet anymore, we instead scan and scroll a lot more. This is exactly why fonts are such an important UI design trend. Using complex typography, web designers try to bring attention to important information that needs customers’ attention.
Simplification of the UI/UX process
Complicated interfaces with unnecessary extra actions required from the user’s end are not a good idea. More and more product design ideas are becoming overly complicated lately and that does no good to anyone. Complicated designs end up being complicated and confusing for the end-user. There’s a great need for change in this direction and it’s beginning to happen slowly. Simplified yet unique and creative UX and UI design trends are emerging and will continue to be in trend and rightly so.