TOP 10 UI DESIGN TRENDS THAT ARE SURE TO TAKE OFF IN 2023

Original post: https://straight-fire.com/blog/top-10-ui-design-trends

User experience is a vital tool in promoting a brand. Where a company’s website creates a positive experience, a brand’s website or app will lead to more sales and customer retention. Poor user experience can spell doom for the brand. Forrester’s research shows that for every $1 invested in UX, there is an ROI of $100, and a good UI can increase the conversion rate by up to 100%.

Therefore, companies must devote a significant portion of their budget to developing the user interface of their website or app. One important way is to utilize UI trends for a more updated and fresh look.

Every year, new trends in UI design emerge. These changes reflect the tastes and desires of people in how they communicate with the digital platform of a brand. 2022 brought trends such as Minimalism, Holographic/Neon, Brutalism, Wild typography, etc. Some of these trends will continue their dominance in 2023, and some new trends will emerge.

These designs will impact consumer behavior and user engagement with a website or application. UI designs are useful marketing tools to draw attraction to a brand and sell its values to a wider audience. It is a vital weapon in a brand’s arsenal to conquer the market and stand out from the competition.

This article will discuss the importance of UI trends to your brand and the predicted trends for 2023.

Why the Lastest UX/UI Design Trends are Important

User interface (UI) is how users connect to the website or app of a brand. UX is the sum of their experiences on the website and the ease or difficulties in navigating the website or app.

UI shows what your brand is all about; when it is well-designed, users get a positive impression and are encouraged to come again. An engaging and playful UI goes a long way to making people associate the brand with fun.

Like all things human, tastes change, and people desire more memorable experiences. Knowing the trends in UX/UI keeps you updated, and you have a winning brand strategy to keep your online audience engaged.

Suppose your business depends on Internet traffic to reel in customers. In that case, you must factor in lifestyle, politics, culture, fashion, and entertainment changes when designing the UI to capture all the average user’s experiences.

Nowadays, website landing pages get stale quickly in the minds of people. They are always on the lookout for a captivating website. The user engagement of the UI feeds into the user experience of the visitor on your web platform. You must therefore keep up with the trends. It helps to boost brand reputation and build a loyal customer base.

Businesses have taken an interactive approach, and with UI/UX designs, they can follow up with customers and provide newer and better products.

However, when following trends, you must carefully analyze the trend and see which one aligns best with your brand. Some trends are great picks for some brands, while some are not.

Rocking the UI Design Scene in 2023 — Trends You Need to Know About

Some UI trends which made an entrance in 2022 will still be on top in 2023, while some newer ones will be making an appearance. Based on what people expect and what the top UI designers are predicting, these trends will be common in 2023

Extended Reality

Statista forecasts that by 2027 the augmented and virtual reality market will have amassed US$52.05 billion. It is clear that AR and VR willcontinue to cause seismic shift in the design industry.

Combining Artificial Reality and Virtual Reality, Extended Reality is set to dominate UI designs this year. The rise of the metaverse and the possibilities of Web 3.0 makes it a no-brainer for any serious business to invest in their designs.

Virtual Reality can take customers into an immersive world where they experience a product in an alternate universe. Virtual reality technology keeps getting better, and customers are increasingly likely to opt for websites or apps with VR features in their designs. You can incorporate marketing in the metaverse as one of your marketing strategies to tap into the opportunities available.

Micro games

Adding small and colorful games to the user interface makes navigating the interface fun. You don’t have to design a complex game; a simple one will do. UI/UX trends are moving away from web pages’ straight and formal looks. They are instead trying to engage users by being fun and interesting. Young adults and teenagers are the most likely users of apps due to their tech-savvy nature. You must cater to them and portray a relaxed and cool exterior.

Illustrations

UI designers favour an illustrative approach. Illustrations aim to capture the attention of users using casual and colourful imagery. Custom illustrations can make your platform memorable. These illustrations give your brand an edge over competitors.

Minimalism

UI designers have now made user interfaces artful. Minimalism incorporates the maxim “less is more” in styling and tone. Minimalism was an art movement in the 1960s characterized by using simple and fewer materials to make a massive statement.

This UI trend avoids unnecessary designs, clutter, and colors and embodies a simplistic interface approach.

You can see minimalist effects in cold lighting, white elements, plain backgrounds, and large spaces featuring small/minimum objects.

The entire focus of the image would be on the product/object you want to showcase. Check out the Minimalissimo homepage below.

Dark Interfaces

You must have come across interfaces with dark modes which help reduce eye strain, especially in low light. Dark interfaces are now a common feature in most apps due to the health benefits it offers users. Low eye strain means users can stay on the app longer than usual. The dark mode also doesn’t drain the battery much as the normal mode.

In addition, the contrast, sharp lines, and black background give the app a different kind of feel and vibe from other colorful and loud interfaces. Major apps like Whatsapp and Facebook already integrate dark modes. It is certainly a trend to watch out for.

Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions is a responsive web design trend that makes the smallest details and tabs come alive on the interface. Micro interaction gives the user the impression that every part of the interface communicates with them. They bring a human side to your website and help get useful feedback from users.

Additionally, they help your brand stay long in memory due to the attention to detail provided by micro-interactions. A good example of micro-interaction is the swipe feature on websites. Users are unconsciously guided to a particular place on the app.

It is a UI design template that creates gestures that force users to change their behavior while interacting with the app. Try this cool feature on your interface. Call to Action and animated buttons are other examples of micro-interactions.

Voice UI

Touchless interactions with apps or devices are not new and are a common mobile UI trend. With voice assistants like Apple’s Siri, people are used to voice-activated interactions. With the integration of voice interactions in the UI, users can navigate the pages quickly. Voice UI reduces the necessity of a Graphic User Interface as products on offer are well explained by the Voice UI.

There is a massive shift in voice-enabled apps due to the convenience it affords all classes of users. A Google survey found that 27% of the online population use voice search on their devices. Voice UI means users can do other things while navigating the app and give commands through their voice. With the continued development of voice search technology and the integration of AI in voice recognition, Voice UI is going nowhere soon.

Designing for 5G

Next-generation mobile communications technology, 5G, has finally become operational after years of development. 5G still needs to be more widespread and is still in its infancy.

However, the possibilities of 5G in design mean that UI designers in 2023 must factor in 5G when creating interfaces. The speed of connection and better download speeds means that web pages will load faster. Innovations such as adaptive and intuitive interfaces which predict user behavior will have to be the trend this year. 5G will also make AI technology more visible, as well as IOT devices.

One plus side to the 5G rollout is how much leeway it provides designers to make more appealing, fresh, and modern designs. Changes in font style, graphics, animation, and color shades will bring more stylish interfaces.

Accessible design

Accessibility is a buzzword that will trend in 2022. It is a word that emphasizes the need to make products and services more inclusive. In other words, people living with conditions, disabilities, and the visually impaired must be catered to when designing a product. An accessibility-focused interface will draw in more users and give the app a reputation for being inclusive. Accessible designs can be gesture recognition, voice-activated interface, intuitive designs, etc. if you want to draw in more users, you must be accessibility-oriented in your interface design.

Inclusive designs

Inclusivity is a current UI trend that was prominent in 2022. This UI trend aims to use visuals that highlight people of different races, gender, nationalities, ages, etc. Group photos on Web pages now show the diversity of the human race to bring inclusivity to the front burner. UI designers must use inclusive illustrations and images while designing the interface this year.

Neubrutalism

Brutalism is not a new trend, but keen watchers of UI designs would have noticed a rebirth of Brutalism in the form of Neubrutalism in 2022. Known for contrast in colors, large fonts, shadows, and gridlines, Neubrutalism is a fresh design template.

It incorporates minimalist features and runs on the principle of readability. The bold and colorful fonts against a contrasting background jump at the viewer. Imagine large yellow fonts on a navy background. Yes, Neubrutalism is all about grabbing attention in no holds barred way. An example is Figma’s website.

Fun cursors

Some years ago, cursors used to be a simple arrow shape without any frills. Well, that’s no longer the case. Cursors are now more playful and fun to use. Depending on the brand, they take different shapes, forms, colors, and sizes. The cursors are sometimes intuitive and change when it is clicked.

All these are geared towards making the user interface a fun place to be and identifying the brand as a chic and enjoyable one.

Why is Understanding and Employing UI/UX Trends in Design Essential?

Your website is a peek into what your brand is all about. It is usually the first contact a user has with your business. Ideally, your website should create a lasting impression on your customers. The latest trends in UI design helps you achieve this goal and more. Let’s look at some other reasons to employ UI/UX trends.

Stand Out from the competition

There are an estimated 252,000 websites created daily globally. That certainly is a huge number to contend with. Although you are not competing directly with all those sites, you can be assured that there are competing websites with you in your field.

Incorporating new trends makes your website different and puts you in a class of your own. Using the same style and designs as your competitors may mar your chances of outstripping the competition. If your brand is new, it helps to make a bold new statement with your entrance into the scene. For instance, micro-interaction features show users that you care about the little details.

To attract more customers

Like social media marketing, the good thing about having a website is that it makes your business available to the world. A website can turn a corner store into a global business with a single click.

A stylish website with modern features will help you reach more people and open your business to many more opportunities. For instance, an accessibility-focused website can accommodate all classes of users, which makes it a powerful marketing tool. Don’t limit the brand with stale designs. Go further and improve it with modern styles.

To boost user engagement

The longer users spend on your website, the more business they will do with you. Putting micro games, for instance, means that users don’t get bored on the site and are kept in longer or dark modes, which doesn’t strain the eyes. These design trends keep users glued to you, and you get valuable feedback to improve further and meet customer expectations.

Keeps your website updated and fresh

Your website always looks new whenever customers visit. A fresh website design helps in customer retention. Following design trends is a valuable strategy for growing your business.

Wrapping up

There you have it, the new UI design trends for 2023. To increase sales and boost your brand’s performance, you must invest in your UI and UX. It is an important aspect of your business, and you must not joke with it. The year 2023 promises to be a great year looking at the predicted trends on offer. You must step up your UI design game to keep up with your rivals and keep your customers on your side.

Straight fire can help you supercharge your UI with our expertise and help your brand retain customers. We are a digital marketing company with the know-how to reposition your brand for greater success.