User interface (UI) design and user experience (UX) design are both essential areas of digital design, as they both have a common goal of meeting a user’s needs and expectations. Each of these specialized areas has its own set of tasks that work together to create a functional and visually appealing experience for the user. These creative professionals must stay up to date with trends in the industry to ensure their content meets all project/client goals. 67% of users say that a poor website experience negatively affects their opinion of a brand, highlighting how important it is for UI and UX Designers to stay current with design trends.
What Trends Were Big in 2021?
UI and UX trends in 2021 focused on minimalism, seamless and simplistic interfaces, and storytelling. While 2022 will feature bold fonts and more responsive designs, many of this year's anticipated trends build off the ones from previous years. Forbes cited glassmorphism as one of the major trends for 2021, but this is expected to change in the coming months. Some of these areas that will continue to shine this year are 3D imagery, virtual reality, and branding animation, though these areas may have more bold typography and color schemes.
Incorporating VR and AR
One of the most anticipated trends for 2022 is incorporating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into designs. Most consumers are familiar with VR headsets for video games and 3D movies that allow viewers to completely immerse themselves in a computer-generated setting. With UI and UX design, VR is often used for virtual office spaces and allows for greater engagement for users.
AR is similar to VR but does not create a fictional world or virtual setting for users to enter. Instead, AR combines our physical world with virtual elements on mobile devices or specialized headsets. One popular example of AR is the game Pokemon Go, where users could use their smartphone camera and location services to search for characters. VR and AR will be used in the design field to create virtual workspaces and allow consumers to have an enhanced experience connecting with brands, products, and companies.
Custom 2D and 3D Illustrations
The use of custom designs and 3D illustrations will continue to grow in popularity through 2022, especially with the growth of VR and AR technology. Both 2D and 3D elements will be used in designs for nearly every industry, as they are versatile and customizable. 3D illustrations can bring a design to life and grasp a user's attention more than a flat or standard element. Working and becoming familiar with 3D illustrations and animations can help make integrating these elements simpler and more seamless.
Bold and New Fonts
While previous years saw standard and minimalist-style typography, bold and unique fonts will dominate the design field in 2022. It’s clear that bold fonts grab a user’s attention more than a generic font or pastel color scheme, regardless of the platform. UI and UX professionals can expect to see bold, italics, and underlines in designs and serif and vintage fonts. While legibility should still be the main concern for designers, unique and vibrant font choices will be prominent throughout the year.
Advanced and Customizable Cursors
One way that UI and UX Designers can help a website to stand out and promote interaction with the user is with a custom cursor. These advanced cursors affect both these areas of web design because they need to be functional and unique enough to boost the overall user experience. Software like Figma provides options for cursor customization for different interaction experiences.
Dark Mode
Dark mode is a design trend that has grown in popularity over the past years. Essentially, dark mode is an interface with a black or gray color palette. Dark mode not only provides a more minimalist appearance, but the white text on a dark background can help with eye strain. With many people working from home and spending increased time on their devices, having an interface that helps reduce screen glare and makes text easier to read is a great choice.
Scroll Animation
Utilizing scroll animation is an excellent way for UI and UX Designers to tell a story and engage the user throughout their entire experience. Scroll animation helps websites become more interactive and help users feel truly immersed in the brand’s story. It’s important to note that typography can also be animated and featured within the scroll-triggered animation on a website. Scroll animation may not work for every industry, but there are specific areas that can benefit from this trend.
Formatting for Large Screens
With how fast technology changes and develops each year, UI and UX Designers must be able to create interfaces that can fit every size of browser screen. With the wide range of browser sizes and formats, having a responsive design that is adaptable and versatile will help with overall consistency. This is especially true with all the different-sized mobile browsers and foldable screens.
Animation with Branding
While animation with branding elements has become more popular over the last few years, animated logos will be prominent in 2022. These eye-catching logos help grab the user’s attention, build a memorable face for a brand, and even assist with improving SEO. Even if a brand has an established logo, it’s possible to take the static image and add motion to the design elements. Another benefit of animated logos is that they support storytelling and brand awareness.
Whether you are new to the UI/UX design field or work in the industry and want to stay up to date with the latest trends, there are classes that can help you to keep your skills sharp or even make a career change into the industry. UX design classes or the UI & UX design certificate course are excellent options for those who want to learn all the necessary software to get started in the field.
If you currently work in UI or UX design, live online UX design classes allow you to refresh your skills from the comfort of your own home. These classes are a great option if you want a convenient way to take continuing education classes that fit in with your career and current responsibilities. Try searching for UX design bootcamps in your area to get started.