In 2021, when economies and companies’ revenues are shrinking, some businesses are continuing to grow. This is due to the type of user experience they’ve built to support the user. Successful UX experiences have, over time, aligned themselves towards a singular practice: User Empathy. Thus you see companies thrive even during the 2021 quarantine. You’ll agree that even now, we’re spending 50% of our time on apps like Youtube, TikTok, PubG, Dunzo, and Houseparty. Do you ever pause to think why these apps are so habit forming? It’s like a loop! The more we use these apps the more addicted we become. Why is that?
Apps like these are adding new rules to the user experience practices and we have picked out the top 10 UX trends that are most likely to get popular in the upcoming times.
Incorporating Interactive Animation
The common conception is that complex animation can make designs less effective. This is due to the bad reputation of sluggish website and mobile sites. What has become the need of the hour, this 2021, is actually the optimization of interactive projects. So, our community really needs some smart development teams. Hardware dependent design will become the thing of the past with classy plugins and dev tools. Thus, this decade will enable interactive animation to take center stage.
Designing for Transparency
In this era of fake news and fragmented truths, as a community of problem-solvers, we need to design products that help filter out fake content this year. UX designers must educate users and make them realize the adverse effects of unreliable sources and stop the spread of misinformation. So not only will designers rely on thorough research to create human-centric experiences in 2021, but they will also enable products to detect and annihilate any fake information which enables the spread of biased propaganda.
Human Copies
A copy can make or break a digital product. The context will begin to matter; which means, generic microcopy or descriptions or guidelines will cease to exist! We’re moving towards the merging of human-centric design and text. Therefore, copies need instantly be able to conjure a picture in a user’s mind, encouraging him/her to take quick and sorted action. The thing to remember is that clarity must trump unnecessary humor and tone of voice. In 2021, microcopies will find ways to balance brand personality with a human touch.
Overlapping Typography
The new trend of overlapping headings is becoming an alternative to sound to attract attention. It’s the extension of the existing bold typography trend. However, in 2021 it serves a different function. The typography overlay delivers a message with a specific tone. So, the presentation of text that varies in shape, size, and spacing, graphically, promises to exude an aura of attractiveness. Given the quantity of textual information we consume daily, designers must really make an effort to be vocal about things that matter. Therefore, making typography to create an effect and for them to really stand out, is the real challenge.
Domination of Data Visualization and Infographics
Organizations are turning to data visualizations and infographics to deliver important facts. One good example of this is the data regarding the COVID 19 outbreak. The hotspots, the numbers of affected patients, the dos and the don’ts of the pandemic, etc.
However, the days of cluttered charts and stale graphics are over. Designers will focus on creating visuals that deliver a sense of clarity and relatability. So do expect more infographics! Soon the usual 2D graphics will be forgone in favor of alternative methods. Some of the representational formats will be collage, 3D modeling, and animation. So don’t freak out when your infographic begins to move.
Ephemeral over Permanence
Ephemeral content is the “story” that you may have come across on social media and other portals. Especially on platforms like WhatsApp, Snapchat, FB, Instagram, and YouTube. They are images, videos, and sound snippets that members/pages post. However, they exist for only a few hours, giving them an ephemeral touch. Since people seem to have very little time and want to engage in everything going on around them, the kind of content they consume is also changing.
This 2021, savvy companies will follow the social media example, which is increasingly becoming story-based. They will ditch structured narrative formats and manicured posts for fleeting and more engaging content.
AI Integration Prioritizes User Emotion
Inherently humans are emotional beings and 2021 is the year to tap into that basic instinct. AI has already been integrated into top digital platforms to push accessibility to users. One can expect more users attracted to a humanized AI assistant online which will encourage organizations to flourish this year. Organizations integrating AI into their design process must keep empathy in mind. AI must be upgraded to handle the outsourced work of uniting, enabling accessibility and interactivity amongst users. Online users ill now look for compassion, loving-kindness, hope, and altruism more than ever.
Website Overlays, Begone!
Website overlays (aka popups) have spread like a disease to the far corners of the interwebs. So the only cure seems to be a healthy dose of reality. It is common sense that people hate to be interrupted. Therefore to have their progress impeded and to be jolted by promotional opportunities is something they’ve been disappointed by long enough. Yet, overlays remain common practice. The statistical boost of Website Overlays will be replaced this 2021 with a more innovative interface design approach.
Teamwork from Home
We know you need to stay home. The situation dictates it! But never forego the fact that you are part of a team. Therefore, you’re also responsible to create better solutions for the world. Designers usually prefer to function as isolated creatures. There are sometimes rare moments of true collaboration even within the product teams. However, this approach of design needs to change given the present circumstances. Sharing ideas, feedback, and taking inspiration from team members helps more than one would care to acknowledge. So always work together, improve together, and succeed together.
Micro-interactions to Win Hearts
Microinteractions have been around for 3-4 years now. However, only recently have they started gaining recognition for small interactive wins amongst users. So, these small wins eventually culminate into a big nod towards one digital product over another. Eventually, tipping the scale for a favorable experience.
Every time a user makes small changes to the setting, like splitting a screen to fit multiple apps on to it, syncing a mail ID to various devices, setting an alarm/reminder, scrolling through a digital carousel, or even fast-forwarding a video a user is engaging with a micro-interaction. In 2021 such short, subtle, and single-task-genius interactions will be seen embedded more seamlessly in the environments we live and work in.
Conclusion
In such trying times, organizations, industries, and companies are coming forward to help, simplify, and improve users’ lives. They’re gaining traction by creating a human-centric user experience. First impressions become a lasting impression when users feel they’re cared for and one’s design must reflect the same. Empathy will definitely be the reigning theme of the year 2021.
UX Design integrated with cutting edge technologies alongside innovative design ideas that cater to user needs will have an obvious edge over competitors in the enterprise arena of 2021.
Therefore, if you’re looking for human-centric designs that need to be transformed into reality don’t hesitate to give us a wave! With bonus features like high conversion rates and quality content, we’d happy to help.