As a UI UX design company, we understand that a good user interface is generally based on solid user research. A UI/UX developer can’t just take a few concepts and copy them onto their project. However, that doesn’t mean that you should not listen to what the experts have to say. You need to think critically about the trends in the industry and use that learning to make your project better. The objective of keeping a track of the trends is to stimulate the discussion in your UI/UX web designer team about what will work best for the project, given the current scenario.
Here are some trends that will rule the market in 2017.
- Less Walkthroughs: There are many apps that have relied very strongly on offering an onboarding walkthrough to the users. This is like a tutorial, explaining the various interactions as well as features of the app. There is a major problem with this strategy. The problem is that there is too much information for the users to consume right at the beginning. In most cases, these instructions will be forgotten soon. Even worse, some users can skip the walkthrough and go straight to the app. Therefore, an expert UI/UX web designer should now focus on removing walkthroughs by putting more focus on user flow. There are a couple of things that you can replace that with:
- Gesture interactions are generally hidden from the user. However, gesture hinting can be a good process of training. You can show the intended action or have them briefly appear on the scene at the point of interaction. This will help the users know what they are expected to do.
- The other way to do that is progressive disclosure. As the name suggests, you provide instructions when the user is about to perform a particular task on the app.
- Anti-Apple: No; Apple phones are not going out of trend. They are still extremely popular. However, we are talking about the Apple UI here. Apple always focuses on white, flat, ultra-minimal and thin-font convergence. Because of this, everyone has been using the same form of user interface. However, this has meant that there is very limited innovation in design. That’s where divergence has started taking place. In 2017, people will continue to walk away from the standard Apple UI. They will let their branding play a more important role in the decision. Moreover, stronger designs will be made use of.
- User Choice: There is complexity associated with choice. This is because if there are many options with the user, they will be confused about which is the best option for them. However, apps are getting smart and they can take decision on the user’s behalf. This will minimize the number of choices as some of the decisions will be taken by the app itself. Therefore, there will be room for more anticipatory and automated experiences with apps.
- Flat Design Rejection: This is a trend that has been visible in 2017, and will continue to lead the industry. This means that the elements of UI will continue to become simple. However, they will now be more obvious to the end users. A UI/UX developer will now have to focus on just the key functionality of app. This will mean that clutter is being avoided. What will also pick up is original photography. Having original photos, instead of stock photos, will affect how the users perceive you.
All these trends will play a crucial role in the coming time. If you have more questions about the topic or are looking for a UI outsourcing partner for your project, contact us.