Top 5 UX Trends of 2017

A few short months into 2017 we’re already beginning to see the kinds of trends and developments that are shaping the world of user experience (UX). The past few years have been all about the rise of mobile design, as mobile phones, tablets and wearables exploded onto the market. This continual cycle of new developments ensure the next big thing is already on its way, pushing the forefront of design into new and uncertain boundaries.

Important indicators, such as the Consumer Electronic Show, as well as global technology and economic trends, can indicate what we can expect to come next. In fact, technology is often seen as the biggest driver of new UX trends, as new technologies bring about new experiences to design for.

UX also continues to be pushed forward by the move towards “experiences” over products. In a more sophisticated market it’s not enough any more to simply have a product. Embracing this thinking enables us to discover new opportunities to empathize, and ultimately improve the experience of users, which will become vital in maintaining a competitive edge in the long run.

So here’s what we at UsabilityHub have identified as the top 5 UX trends for 2017 based on what we’ve seen so far.

Conversational Interfaces

2016 was a standout year in the development of the “conversational” interface, driven by developments in voice-commands and chatbots. Voice commands became popular with virtual assistants such as Siri and Cortana, but have truly found their place outside the mobile phone, with items in the home such as Amazon Alexa drawing praise. Chatbots, on the other hand, have found popularity in mobile apps, with popular chat clients such as Facebook Messenger and WeChat starting to offer support and increasing adoption.

So where did this sudden activity come from? Voice control has been on the rise for years, however a key limiter has often been the processing power and technology behind it. Increasingly smart technology and speedier processing have increased its usability, which coupled with some smart design choices have popularized it like never before. Chatbots have also benefited from these improvements, along with an increasing range of smart integrations and tools to make development easier, making them more accessible for businesses and consumers.

While the graphical user interface is not dead yet, the rise of alternatives presents a number of opportunities in UX. In the coming year, we will begin to see increasing business application for these technologies, in addition to the consumer-focused products we’ve seen so far. This will require even more thought be put into how users will handle interactions.

UX will also be grappling with some of the issues raised by the rise of these controls, such as context of conversation, environmental uses, and finding best practices and standardization between platforms.

VR & AR Experiences

On the 6th of July 2016 the world of Augmented Reality (AR) changed forever, as Pokemon GO was released to consumers, for the first time bringing a relatable and popular AR experience to everyone with a mobile phone.

Not to be forgotten, Virtual Reality (VR) has also seen increased growth. With a range of consumer products entering the market, and a significant push into the corporate space that saw it gain increasing traction in many big spending industries such as tourism, building, education and gaming.

The driver behind AR and VR growth has been the better availability of supporting devices. While VR headsets still remain unwieldy, they are constantly improving, dropping in price as they scale. AR is benefiting from better mobile technology, particularly in cameras, transforming your phone into something new and forgoing the cost of additional technology.

However, the user experience for both AR and VR is still in its infancy. In a fractured ecosystem, there are as yet very few “best design” practices to draw on. The challenge for the UX specialist is determining how these new experiences are adopted by users as they continue to develop. We often see that unintended uses come into practice, and this technology lends itself to that like no other. Identifying new uses, finding ways to subtly lead users, and improving usability will all remain key challenges in 2017.

Personalized Interfaces

The last decade has seen the slow rise of responsive design as a response to the increasingly diverse ways people access information, on computers, laptops, tablets or mobiles. However, this trend largely evolved around changing the content to suit the device.

Personalized interfaces can be seen as the evolution of this trend. Whereas responsive design revolved around changes to fit technology, personalized design is all about changing to suit the user. This could range from serious usability cases, such as an interface adapting its coloring to make its content easier to use for a color-blind user. It could also be more minor, such as adjusting text size or themes to preferences based on previous usage.

There are two drivers of this trend. Firstly, the increasingly large amount of information becoming available about our preferences. On a mobile screen this could be the font size, or brightness we use. On a website it could be the type of content displayed to us. Secondly, we are seeing increasingly diverse users adopting technology, each bringing their own expectations and experiences.

We all like to think we understand our users, but the rise in personalized interfaces will push this knowledge to the next level. Having to incorporate potentially new design issues and uses for individual users and ways to pair this with information will create in-depth personas like never before. At the same time, it presents amazing opportunities for accessibility options that can allow us to reach new markets and benefit niche users.

Connected Devices

From apps, to computers, to home devices, technology is becoming connected. The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing means that there are more connected devices than ever before.

The rise of cheaper, smarter technology has been driving this trend. As computer, wireless connection device, and development costs have come down, the opportunities to place them have increased. Development is also easier than ever, with a raft of tools and standards being developed to ease the process.

For UX professionals this creates challenges, as seamless experiences between devices, sometimes with very different interfaces, creates a visual nightmare. Ensuring devices are simple and usable for the user will be a large focus, along with centralized control systems to enable easier interactions.

The best products and services are rising to this challenge, not only avoiding a fragmented experience, but offering a seamlessly unified experience that is greater than the sum of its parts.

UX Beyond Digital

It’s easy to get caught up in a digital world, but the core of user experience often extends beyond the screen. From the “Norman door” to the user interface, the same focus on usability is required.

The rise of experiences has also been the rise of UX transcending digital design alone. As companies find new ways to incorporate into people’s lives, it’s only natural they look beyond the screen for possibilities. For years, many car manufacturers have been teaming up with technology makers, as together their experiences become complimentary and seamless.

This trend is exemplified by a 2016 creation — Snapchat Spectacles. By moving the experience off the mobile phone, and into a physical item, Snapchat have shown that they understand the experience users crave behind the product. This type of user-driven thinking allows fantastic insights about both your own product and its users.

As these continue to develop, identifying opportunities and showcasing empathy and understanding of users will be more important than ever to UX professionals.

Conclusion

Nearly 2500 years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote “change is the only constant in life.” Standing the test of time, this sentiment is just as true today. Increasingly swift changes in technology have shown us that the next big development in UX could be tomorrow, and we might not know it.

While we can expect to see many of the trends identified today grow and develop, there is no telling when the next iPhone, or Pokemon GO, will arrive to disrupt the market. If you were hedging bets, there are more “future” trends that are already being looked at, including the predicted rise of digital education, Artificial Intelligence (AI), self-driving cars, alternative energies and even affordable space travel, each changing and adjusting current user experiences in huge ways.

As a UX professional, no matter where you’re working, it pays to stick with the basics. Ask questions, learn your users, focus on usability, create “wow” moments. The beauty of UX is that it transcends a single technology, system or language.