Engaging with your Audience: Top UX/UI Trends for 2022

 

After 2020 and 2021, it shouldn’t be surprising that the world is still adjusting to the new norms. The internet is no different and we will have to adapt our digital presence to be more impactful as people spend more time online.  Here are some of the trends coming in 2022.

 

Simplify

People are more tired and overwhelmed than ever. They no longer want to spend time looking at boring cookie cutter sites with content they don’t actually want or need. In 2022 we should all be aiming not to overwhelm users with too many choices and annoying pop-ups. 

It’s time to take the Marie Kondo approach and cut back on complexities. Keep the navigation simple and make it easy for people to find what they are looking for. Keep text short and sweet and have very clear calls to action. The goal should be to have a lightweight website that encourages people to explore rather than putting everything up front and causing information overload. 

 

Get Their Attention

A lot of times when we think simple, we think that means it’s going to be boring, but it doesn’t have to be! By utilizing some of these design techniques, you can engage people in a more focused and interactive way.

 

Micro-interactions

Micro-interactions, such as small animations that get triggered by hovering with your cursor, or by scrolling to a particular part of the page, is a way to give your web pages life and energy. Making them subtle, but noticeable, adds a level of detail that your visitors may not be able to articulate, but will help you stand out.

 

 

Motion Graphics

Creative motion graphics and animation can be a crucial tool in catching people’s attention, and it has proven to be one of the best elements for increasing user engagement. They are especially useful for illustrating complex concepts and processes in a simple, digestible way and can illustrate your message in a way words never could.

 

 

Dark Mode

Dark mode and/or dark themes are making a comeback as one of the top UI/UX trends in 2022. It not only looks very captivating and sophisticated, it brings more attention to the elements and gives a unique and modern image.

One of the reasons for its popularity in user experience is because dark backgrounds reduce eye strain and dryness, even potentially reducing blue light. On top of this, dark modes also reduce power usage for mobile phones with OLED screens.

Going forward you will see a toggle between light and dark mode which is the perfect investment if you want to bring more flexibility to the user experience.

 

 

The Internet is for Everyone

People are looking for new and positive ways to engage online and being inclusive is going to become much more important. We need to approach the design process by considering a wide range of human factors. Not only should we focus on accessibility, we should also include other diversified factors such as race, gender, religion, sociocultural background, etc. 

Successful websites in 2022 and beyond will create experiences that help people and generate positive thinking and goodwill. By incorporating themes of recovery and growth with clear messaging, along with the values found in diversified approaches, to our designs, we will allow everyone to enjoy a smooth and effortless user experience.

How We Can Help

If you are looking for ways to implement the latest trends on your website, please connect with us and we can get a conversation going. Part of our expertise is staying ahead of digital trends and creating valuable, results-driven website for our clients.

Connect with us today!

 


Sources:
https://logozila.com/blog/embrace-the-top-ui-design-trends-2022/

https://www.tacpoint.com/the-point/top-6-ux-ui-design-trend-2022

https://uiuxtrend.com/top-ui-ux-trends-2022-to-follow/

https://www.creativebloq.com/features/web-design-trends-2022

Photo by Junior Teixeira from Pexels

UI/UX Do’s and Don’ts

It’s more important than ever for businesses to spend time working on their digital presence. Your digital presence allows potential customers to find you and learn about you 24 * 7 — from anywhere! 

This digital presence most often starts with your website. It’s not enough to just have a website and expect success. You want your website to set the right tone from the moment someone finds it.  Studies have shown you have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression. 

In order to make the impression you want, and to be effective it’s critical to have a well-thought-out user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) plan. Here are some quick UI/UX design dos and don’ts that will improve the quality and effectiveness of your website.

 


 DO

Identify goals

  • Identify the overall goals of your website. Think about the exact purpose you want it to serve. Whether you are just providing a way for people to learn about your business, or selling products and services, it’s important to establish those targets and use them as a blueprint.

 

Be consistent in your designs 

  • The overall look and feel should be consistent throughout the site. Maintain the same navigation placement, color schemes, and fonts for each page. This will avoid confusion or frustration as people search for information.

 

Create balance

  • You want the best-looking site possible, and often less is more. Avoid using lots of textures, too many colors, and too many fonts. Select decorative elements that make sense and are consistent with your brand. And keep them to a minimum. Use white space; it can be a great tool in getting your users to focus on specific content.

Make your website responsive

  • People now access the internet more from their smartphones than desktop computers. 85% of adults think that a company’s website should be as good or better when viewed on a mobile device than its desktop website.

Invest in good photography and graphics

  • Good quality photos go a long way. Try to avoid using generic clip art and stock photography. Be specific and purposeful with your photos and graphics. In general, photography depicting people gets more traction than those without. Keep graphics clean and easy to understand.

 

Optimize your site —

  • The amount of time it takes for your site to load has a huge impact on not only user experience but SEO and conversion rates as well. Resize and compress images and other large files. Only load scripts that are necessary. Limit your fonts.


DON’T 

Overload your navigation

  • Don’t overwhelm your users with too many choices. Your navigation is going to be your main source of interaction on your site. It can make or break your site usability. Make it easy for people to use. Stick to standard sections that someone would expect to find on your website. For example, About Us, Contact, Products/Services, etc.

Sacrifice usability for design

  • It’s important to remember that design takes a back seat to functionality. Choose easy-to-read fonts. Avoid overcomplicating your site with decorative elements that can distract your visitors. Use calls-to-action to get your users to do exactly what you want and make all interactive elements easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to use.

 

Overwhelm the page

  • Don’t overload your page with large blocks of text. Break up your content into easy-to-read chunks or bullet lists. Create a hierarchy using subheadings and make it easy to scan the pages for content. People read left to right, top to bottom.  Layout the content to follow that natural pattern. 

Forget that content is king

  • Your site copy is just as important as design. Be sure to have effective writing on your website. Take the time to make sure your content is clear and easy to understand. Ensure your copy is free of spelling or grammatical errors.

 

Aggressively over-promote

  • “Calls to action” are great tools — but don’t add so many that they overshadow the main content of your site. This can make it harder for users to accomplish tasks. Sensory overload will ultimately affect your bounce rates.