Which factors are influencing the UI trends in 2020?

The current technological ecosystem always influences the trends of the upcoming year. Can you think back to what has happened in 2019 so far? 

The design-first approach for digital products became a secondary attribute this year. Why? These designs should improve people’s lives and also help meet business goals. In 2020 the trends will match these requirements more than ever before. They prioritize speed, simple page designs, mobile-first approach, and most importantly, spiced up with artificial intelligence.  These are the top 5 trends we will cover:

1. RESPONSIVE DESIGN

Responsive web design has been around for a couple of years now and is ever-improving.  Sites are visited from an increasing range of devices, including mobile browsers, netbooks, tablets, and desktop computers and it’s important that a website functions well on all of these.

To keep ahead of the curve companies are increasingly adapting to the new browsing habits of their audience, anticipating and responding to user’s needs. The responsive design considers usability across a variety of modern mediums, making sure the layout is flexible and adaptable for every device users could be viewing a website or email on, with a variety of possible browsers.

This keeps continuity in the design and means that designers and developers only have to work on one version of a website, instead of multiple ones for desktop computers and mobile devices.

2. LASER FOCUS

Laser-focused user interface means drawing the visitor’s focus to a single, obvious task to do as they open a page, instead of providing a variety of options. This makes it easy for the visitor to see instantly the purpose of the site and what it provides, instead of confusing them about where exactly they should be clicking.

This approach is ideal for a site that has a single, important function it centres on – for example, a search engine or hotel booking site.  The Google homepage is, of course, the most obvious example of this.

3. SKEUOMORPHISM

Skeuomorphism was originally popularised by Apple. The concept is that real-life, familiar objects are imitated - for example, displaying a range of ebooks in a wooden bookshelf, with book cover representing the digital content, or a notes app with the appearance of notepaper. It is most commonly used for mobile applications, as these devices are touch screen and tactile.

While imitating a familiar object may be fun and easy to use for users, it can also be argued that skeuomorphism is restrictive, as it means accepting the limitations of the object it’s based on.

A lot of the best UI elements imitate physical or mechanical elements from everyday life, however: pushing buttons, turning a dial or the pages of folders, so many see skeuomorphism as just the next step on from this.

Take a look at bagigia.com, where you pull at the zip of one of the brand’s bags to scroll through images of the bag itself as well as the manufacturing process. This really brings the bag and its story to life.

SINGLE PAGE SITES

example of a single page site

Creative and visually appealing one-page sites are now flourishing, with big background images, animation and stunning illustration. Ignoring the limitations of traditional website architecture, they allow for simplicity without being dull.

Although once frowned on for the scrolling they require, for certain sites single page may be the best option. As we have all become so used to scrolling, some see it as easier to keep scrolling than to split the content over a number of pages, which visitors will have to track down.

This style won’t work for everyone, but looks great when done well. It is best used for telling a story, or presenting product features and benefits. Take a look at this amazing example: http://jessandruss.us/

When considering user experience in your next website redesign, why not think of these interface trends and explore how they can work for your business?

As a leading digital and web design agency, we're always experimenting with new trends and tricks; all designed to get your website working for you. Speak to us today, and see just how we can transform your online presence.

3D Graphics

One of the hottest trends of the recent year is the integration of various 3D graphics into mobile and web interfaces. Applying this kind of graphics to UI is quite a challenge that requires specific skills and artistic eye to be crafted well. In addition, it’s time-consuming. However, it is definitely eye-catching and users will never pass by not noticing it. The 3D renders often look photorealistic which is a big advantage for user interface design. This kind of graphics may save the game in cases when photo content you need is impossible to get or highly expensive.

Full-Screen Video

While more words can lead to richer stories, videos also tell an impactful story while not requiring the user to scroll down or read. Full-screen videos immerse the site visitor, leading to more involvement (and hopefully) better metrics. As more sites seek to combine experience with metrics, this trend is likely to grow in 2019.