Top 5 Design Trends in 2022
2020 was the emergence of innovative ways to approach User Interface (UI) and User Interface (UI) web designs such as immersive 3D elements, soft shadows and elements. If you think those were exciting, just wait and see what 2022 has in store for you. Here are the top 5 Design trends for 2022 that we have hand picked for you :
Minimalist Approach is the new king of UI
Minimalism has been a common theme in UI design over the years, but it seems to reemerge back to the top in 2022. Website visitors look for simple, sleek, easy to use interfaces - functional and without clutter. They have little time or patience for dozens of pop-up windows and irrelevant notifications – and anything that slows down their journey to the relevant information.
An effective way to establish which parts of the website you should focus on and optimize it is to conduct an eye-tracking test or a heatmap test. This shows which parts of the website users look at and interact with the most and that's where you design needs to take them to. Ensure the user journey is purposeful by going for simple and time-saving functional features so they can easily search for items of interest.
Storytelling is the focus of design
We have all seen brands delivering personalized content to their users - this also holds true for user experience (UX) designers and products since more than ever, users can relate more easily with brands that they perceive as approachable, relevant and authentic. Storytelling is the key to this approach - it makes the brand unique and less generic, leading to higher brand recall also. Indeed, creating stories around a product/service is a fantastic way to gain the attention of the user because it gives your brand the opportunity to immediately engage with the user by touching the emotional side and creating a personal connection. Some tips for Sotry telling are as below:
Personalization is key. Utilizing the digital tools currently available allows you to really understand your consumers, so take some time to deliver tailored content to your audience.
Focusing on the value that your product delivers to the consumer also increases your chances of engagement and customer retention.
One way to achieve a great storytelling strategy is through videos. It is arguably one of the most engaging content formats in the digital world.
Mobile-first design will be the way forward
The key to the future is mobile devices - Google’s mobile first indexing sealed the inevitable with its mobile first indexing. According to Google, mobile-first indexing means “Google predominantly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking.” Historically, the index used the desktop version to evaluate the relevance of a webpage to a visitor. Since the majority of users now access Google Search via a mobile device, Googlebot now primarily crawls and indexes pages via the smartphone agent. Even without Google, it is inevitable that mobile devices will become the focal point - take for example when you first wake up in the morning. What's the first thing you do? If you’re being honest, you most likely check your mobile phone. On average, millennials check their phone a whopping 150 times per day.
Dark Mode is here to stay
Remember the first time you saw something in dark mode? Seems like that excitement has stuck as chord with most users and both websites and apps seem to be working towards having dark mode options. So, what makes dark mode so good:
Feels very modern in look, sleek, sophisticated and allows designers to be creative and explore new options that would not have worked in the regular light mode. Not to mention, it does not feel generic.
The dark background allows designers to play with design elements in different creative ways compared to the white background.
It can also save battery power depending on the screen being used- light mode eats up way more battery than dark mode.
Some users prefer it because it is less harsh to the eyes at night and it may be better for people with visual impairments.
Hand-drawn illustrations add the much needed human touch
2020 has been a difficult and stressful time for all of us - having to get accustomed to working from home and social distancing from the rest. As designers, it’s great to consider ways to bring a little warmth into someone’s day- this is exactly what hand drawn illustrations do, they do not feel generic at all and give off that warm vibe. Today, with texting, emails and social media, it is so rare to get a handwritten note from someone that when we do, it feels extra personal. With this in mind, it’s a good initiative to add handwritten elements to your designs. This adds uniqueness, character and a personal touch often missing from digital interactions.
Innovations in design are not limited to these top 5 design trends only, there are more creative trends that are evolving the design areas - innovation is the key to staying relevant in design which translates to better UI and UX for the users. This finally translates to better conversions of business goals. Well it is not as simple as it sounds but it gives you an idea of the importance of design trends.
