Biggest UX designs trends in 2021
UX works best when it flies under the radar because the functionality is so flawless. You want to totally immerse your users into your app, website or even email. Although it is always important to stand out, using trends to your advantage can be a useful tool for growth. 2020 was a strange year but brought out a lot of peoples creative side, the following trends suggest the creative flair will be carrying into 2021.
90s retro UI/UX
This one has already been a success in 2020 with many brands opting for the retro style, a notable example is the glass animals website, the retro style paired with the new functionality features is a great combo and has a great nostalgic feeling. This style is using emotions to gain more clicks and support, often people spread this through word of mouth/ sharing online because of the unique look and style, people feel comfortable with the familiar aesthetic. In the past few years, brutalism has been a huge trend for low-end eCommerce shops, however, this trend is now evolving into a nostalgic masterclass aimed towards the 90s kids. Many brands (who have excess money to build a unique website), especially in the music industry want to show off their flair online with a retro look.
AR
Augmented reality (AR) has been around for a while, however, it is only recently that technology has finally caught up to the forward-thinking idea. It has been unused within mainstream digital media however 2021 is where things are looking better for the gimmicky tech. There’s so much untapped potential with this tech, the most common use of this right now is Snapchat and Instagram filters but this year many apps are looking to make AR more functional. AR is being applied to a huge variety of apps such as property rentals, museum tours and nature walks, this is just the start of AR there is limitless potential to integrate AR into your everyday life.
Live collaboration
Productivity and efficiency are essential for any workplace and with many offices closing forcing teams of people to work from home mean the contact is harder and unstable. Teams of people need to work together – pandemic or not. This is where live collaboration apps/ websites come in so people can contribute instantly (with live feedback) to a group project. Live viewing, editing, commenting, messaging and tagging are all commonplace for the online workplace and has no sign of slowing in 2021.
This is just a few of the trends we expect to see in the UX design world. We’re really looking forward to 2021 and what it holds for us as a company and creatives. For a lot of people moving towards online working is the workplace norm, for now, so whatever UX can do to make the little things just that little bit easier I’m sure we would all appreciate it. Let’s embrace UX change as it is helping you navigate through the online world – you shouldn’t even notice the UX design if done correctly.
