Every year the impact of visual images on our purchasing decisions is increasing, while the spoken word is losing its power. That’s why it’s crucial for brands and startups to provide a seamless user experience. In 2023, creating a website that sells is easier than ever. Here are five UI/UX design trends that you need to know.
Just like fashion trends, UI/UX design trends has its cycles. Sometimes super fun and cool features are popular. But neither of these fancy elements makes sense if it’s hard to find anything on your website and add a purchase to a cart. Sleek design definitely sells, so website navigation should be easy to make sure customers aren’t frustrated. What’s trendy in 2023 and beyond is the minimal, functional, and clean website, especially for e-commerce. According to some studies, a well-designed user interface can increase a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, and a better UX design yields conversion rates up to 400%.
The metaverse was definitely one of the top trends in 2022. But the hype turned into gloom: Meta is losing more than $1 billion a month, and the sector is now, according to some experts, the worst-performing in blockchain. Still, the metaverse dream isn’t dead. The future, I believe, is somewhere between reality and augmented experiences. Many brands are experimenting with merging the two worlds. Soon we’ll be able to try on a jacket without leaving our home, which is awesome. In 2023, UI/UX design will reflect the need for these new enhanced experiences.
As the digital divide is being bridged, new users are joining the internet. The world’s connected population grew by more than 170 million in the 12 months from October 2021 to October 2022. But there are three billion people who remain “unconnected,” and most are located in Africa, and Southern and Eastern Asia. When they eventually join the web, they’re not going to be tech-savvy and might struggle online.
The design of the future should be clear and accessible, just like for your grandma who is having a hard time clicking on the right buttons. A good example is Google’s starting page: there’s only one window. It has the basic information that you need, and you’re not in any way distracted from your main purpose.
A “crimson red tone that presents a balance between warm and cool” was officially announced as the color of the year. Once again, it’s a reference to the metaverse. Pantone, a leading source of color expertise, officially highlighted Viva Magenta as a “hybrid” shade that’s symbolic of our existence in both the physical and digital worlds. The color is now making its way into a wide array of products. We can expect that viva magenta will be incorporated into website design, too. What’s interesting is that this color doesn’t really exist in nature, but rather, only in the “magentaverse.”
The world has a huge UI/UX design gap that we, as designers, have a mission and a responsibility to bridge. While some brands are looking into the future, where AR is merging with the physical reality, many NGOs, healthcare, tax services, and digital government services are stuck in the past. The accessibility and usability of these websites are very important. We need to create a more welcoming and user-friendly experience on these websites, and this should be the next frontier in overall web development.
Websites are becoming more immersive and interactive, integrating graphic design elements and animation techniques. That’s where motion design comes into the picture, creating moving content and providing multimedia, cross-platform experiences. This approach ensures that user interaction with a website is the most intuitive.
Motion design can include simple color change while the mouse is hovering or sliding icons with some personalized suggestions. It definitely brings another dimension to the user experience, going hand in hand with the metaverse and implementing 3D graphics. For example, one recent project reinvented a website of a security gates producer with the visuals of moving metal fences. There’s no limit, really, and you can recreate any model or any fantastic creature, allowing users to look at your offer from a 360 perspective.
Nataliya Verkhoturtseva is a contributor to Grit Daily News and the founder of Verk Studio, based in New York. She is on a mission to help ecommerce companies and startups boost sales through sleek design. Nataliya has worked with dozens of top brands, including Hugo Boss, O’Neill, and Nouvel Heritage.
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