Eva-Maria Dinwoodie
30 March 2022
User Experience and User Interface design trends change every year. Some trends build on top of one another, some are the opposite of previous trends, and some trends become timeless methodologies that are looked at over and over again. As designers, we look towards these trends for inspiration. Therefore, we must know how to use these trends to improve what we design. Here are some of the 2022 UI/UX design trends:
2022 UX/UI design trends:
- Minimalism/Simplification
- Brutalism / Neo-Brutalism
- Dark theme/Dark mode
- Rounded organic shapes
- Depth in graphics with gradients, shadows, and blurs.
- Aurora backgrounds
- Transparent elements
- Glassmorphism, Neomorphism and Claymorphism
- 3D Graphics and animations
- Holographic / Neon
- Retro / 90’s style
- Large Typography
- Optimistic colours, themes and illustrations
- Comfort layouts
- Real photos combined with illustrated designs
- Conversational Design
- Biometric Authentication
- In Application Gestures and swiping
- Augmented / Virtual reality
- Eco-conscious
- Micro animations/interactions
- Storytelling
- Data visualisation
- Native Desktop Applications
- Personalised Experiences / Emotive Interaction Design
- Seamless Experiences
How to incorporate 2022 UX/UI design trends
When asking the question “how do I incorporate the 2022 UX/UI design trends into my designs?”, a good place to start is looking towards industry leaders of design for inspiration and understanding how they make use of design trends.
Start by researching successful companies or applications that make use of design trends to elevate themselves, their products and how users interact with their products. These companies already tried and tested the design trends with real people. Additionally, this will help guide you on how to incorporate design trends into design systems.
How Netflix uses design trends
Firstly, let’s look at how Netflix makes use of design trends. When a user first creates a profile on Netflix they are prompted to choose shows or movies they enjoy. For example, Netflix creates a list of content similar to what the user has chosen and has downloads ready for each user. Additionally, Netflix uses a dark theme, a trend that has become industry standard, which makes content easier to see at low brightness.
Netflix also uses storytelling, by categorising content to meet the user’s taste with categories like “mood boosters” and “Fantasy TV based on books”, this helps users find what they want to watch. Storytelling is another UX Trend that can make or break a design. Try to build a narrative that engages users.
How Headspace uses design trends
Secondly, we look at what Headspace is doing with its designs. Headspace makes use of many trends designers are gravitating towards, mainly animated illustrations and emotive interaction design. By using emotive interaction design, Headspace is designed for mindfulness. Similarly, they use optimistic colour themes and illustrations. Additionally, they use the trend of animated illustrations as a seamless experience.
For example, one of the quick exercises on the application is breathing with a cat. The cat breaths in and out with the user, the user following the minimalist text description and animated cat movements. Here Headspace is thinking about the functionality when incorporating visual trends, becoming a leader in the animated illustration design space. Through these animations, they are creating mindful storytelling.
Using these trends to elevate user experiences
The term “form follows function” was coined by architect Louise Sullivan. This is something UX and UI designers can keep in mind when using design trends. This includes stylised trends this year like transparent elements. These 2022 UX/UI design trends can look amazing, but if not incorporated into enhancing a user experience, they can take away from the usability of a product. Thinking about how a user will engage with an app is important when incorporating these stylistic UI elements, and using these trends to improve user interaction with the product. When using UI style-based trends like transparent elements, make sure these components are designed to drive attention to certain elements.
Trends are a fun way to experiment with design
At Integrove we believe in functional, user-friendly design that incorporates the latest UX/UI design trends. Our design team has a range of skills that branch across User Experience Design, User Interface Design, and Front-End Development. Above all, we focus on designing according to your needs. Contact us today for skilled designers that can improve user engagement with your products.