9 UX/UI Trends in 2024 to Keep an Eye On

Overview of leading UX/UI practices that’ll spark ideas to boost your digital product’s performance and functionality.

UX/UI trends come. UX/UI trends go. Some stick around longer than the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Others have a shorter life than shelf-stable milk. But you know what? Whatever the trend’s nature, it’s not about blindly following them. It’s about picking the ones that actually make sense for the business, just like we wrote in our last rundown of UX/UI trends.

If you don’t know how to jazz up digital products, Human UX and UI designers put together a list of trends and good practices that will crystalize your view of the digital landscape and spark improvement ideas for your app, website, etc. Take a better look at the list and reach out if you’d like to discuss which UX/UI trends make sense for your digital product.

1. Personalization (AI-driven and machine-learning solutions)

It’s under our skin, and it feels good. Netflix, Amazon, Spotify and the likes have set a high standard for creating personalized UX, spoiling us into expecting similar levels of customization from all digital experiences.

Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning are making the implementation of sophisticated personalization increasingly cheaper to pull off, and it’s starting to show. Reaching that competitive edge is closer than it used to be for many businesses, with holy grails like user satisfaction, loyalty and retention closer to their grasp. A personalized product recommendation is more likely to result in a purchase than a generic one. That means higher conversion rates at the end of which awaits hard cash. The end. For instance, improved predictive analytics allow for anticipatory design, where user needs are magically met before users explicitly express them.

In the not-too-distant past, we’ve nibbed into this tech with the Taste Machine, an algorithm we developed for Coolinarika, a go-to place for food lovers in Croatia. It’s an algorithm that continuously learns about users' preferences, such as ingredients, preparation time, and seasonal availability. It adjusts its content suggestions based on these factors, ensuring each user receives relevant and tailored culinary recommendations. That’s the next level.

2. Voice User Interfaces (VUIs)

Advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) continue to make Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) more accurate and user-friendly, understanding and responding to a wider range of natural speech patterns. Do they still sometimes make us frustrated and angry by “just not getting it”? Yes, they do. Are they improving at a warp speed rate? You bet.

VUI design makes technology more accessible, especially for individuals with visual impairments or physical disabilities. But apart from that, we’ve all noticed the growing popularity of smart home devices. Shilled by Hollywood in the 80s and with miserable attempts at implementation in the early 21st century, the home robots have returned with a vengeance, and this time, they are packing a punch: they get it. Voice interaction is finally a more ubiquitous feature.

Turns out we get it too: as people become more accustomed to interacting with voice assistants, the tendency to use voice commands increases. Taking it a step further, VUIs can be personalized to recognize individual users' voices and preferences, providing an even more tailored user experience. And in a world where contactless everything becomes ever more valued, VUIs offer a hygienic alternative to touchscreens and keypads. Goodbye Human Company. Hello, Isaac Asimov dystopian future. What can you do.

3. AI integration

No getting around the elephant in the server room, huh? The time is now, and it is everywhere. Just because it’s currently the mother of all buzzwords doesn’t mean we can ignore it in this overview of 2024 trends. Let’s give credit where credit is due: AI is transforming how we interact with familiar applications and platforms, enhancing their functionality and user experience.

In applications like Google Docs, Microsoft Office and many, many others, AI-powered assistants help with tasks like grammar checking, content suggestions, and formatting assistance. They can offer predictive text inputs, summarization of documents, and of course, everyone’s darling – generate content based on user input.

When it comes to Advanced Communication Tools like email platforms and communication apps, AI is hard at work with smart replies, email sorting and spam detection. AI helps manage and prioritize communications more efficiently, saving time and enhancing productivity.

Predictive User Interfaces integration allows for a smart, adapting UI, where the system anticipates the user's needs based on their previous interactions and behaviors thereby offering more relevant content and suggestions.

A super interesting next level spinoff of this technology is Enhanced Personalization: We’ve already mentioned a more advanced level of personalization in UI design. It involves dynamically adapting interfaces based on user preferences, and browsing habits. Now (and you are going to love this one) it will recognize emotional states through user interaction patterns detection. Yup. Already happening. It is a bit scary and it makes one feel invaded. But it’s also unbelievably cool.

4. Augmented And Virtual Reality

These two made their splash a few years ago, with various levels of success. It used to mostly depend on how ingenious their respective implementers were at any particular project.

But now, modified realities are making a comeback because AI is just what was needed to take it all to the next level. A symbiosis from digital heaven, one could say. Remember that time when James Cameron showed us what the inside of Terminator’s head looks like? What that puppy sees, and how it decides who to whack right there, on the spot? Like that.

In all seriousness, this more immersive and interactive experience in apps and websites is currently revolutionizing the way we interact with digital products, moving beyond traditional 2D interfaces.

Contextual information overlaid upon the real world is darn useful. That AR-enabled shopping app that shows what any piece of furniture would look like in the user's living room? That’s actually great stuff.

It is mostly a try-before-you-buy proposition, but the numbers say users like it, a lot. To top it off – it is surely a good idea to introduce some AR and VR elements of gamification into everyday apps and websites, making mundane tasks more engaging and enjoyable.

5. Attention to the mobile experience and page speed

Hey, they’ve finally done it! Google says that, after 7 years of non-stop crawling, their mobile-first indexing of everything in existence is finally complete. In practical terms, it means that designing for mobile first becomes absolutely imperative. UX/UI designers need to prioritize how content and features are displayed on smaller screens, ensuring that mobile users have a full and optimized experience. This involves rethinking navigation structures, button sizes, and content layout for ease of use on mobile devices. We know you’ve been doing it already. Crank it up a notch.

This makes sense - page speed is crucial for the handheld user experience. Mobile internet connections are less stable, and fast-loading those pages is essential. UX/UI designers need to optimize images and use progressive loading techniques to enhance page speed.

And optimizing load times isn't just about compressing images or minifying code; it's also about prioritizing content loading. Techniques like lazy loading, where non-critical resources are loaded only when needed, can significantly improve the mobile experience.

Accessibility is, once again, a big factor: mobile UX/UI design must be accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. Make considerations for screen readers, color contrast ratios and easy-to-understand content. Take a page from our book: we really took Net.hr through its mobile paces, making sure we practice what we preach.

On top of optimizing for mobile page speed, it was the implementation of the Human Content Platform (HCP) that significantly improved the website's loading times, enhancing the overall mobile browsing experience.

6. Ethical Design and Privacy

Awareness among users about data privacy and security is on the rise. High-profile data breaches and concerns over personal data usage by large tech companies, made users more conscious of their digital footprint and the information they share online.

Ethical design is about building trust with users. A tall order, yeah. But being transparent about how user data is collected, used, and protected is not going to hurt your chances. Clear and accessible privacy policies, opt-in consent for data collection and easy-to-understand terms of service are becoming essential components of UX/UI design.

User needs and values need to be at the forefront. This involves designing interfaces and experiences that are not only user-friendly but also considerate of the user's privacy and digital well-being.

Recently we’ve launched a website where all of these requirements came under special scrutiny. Innerwell is in the business of secure and private treatment for mental health through a web-based platform, where ethical design and privacy in digital healthcare were among top priorities. Our development approach was user safety and confidentiality, ensuring that sensitive health information and therapy sessions are protected, aligning with ethical standards in telemedicine and mental health care.

7. Minimalism and Simplified User Journeys

Everything is on mobile now and minimalism in UI design is crucial. Focusing on essential elements improves usability and readability. This is something we need to reiterate to ourselves constantly: reduce the cognitive load.

Presenting just the necessary elements and information leads to a more pleasant and efficient user experience. In technical terms, it is again a question of limited bandwidth. Let’s not kid ourselves, mobile service is still far from perfect. Faster load times will improve user satisfaction and contribute to better SEO rankings.

And then, we all long for some chill. Encouraging designs that reduce stress and create a more calming user experience is the way to go. Minimalism, with its emphasis on simplicity and clarity, aligns well with this philosophy.

8. Motion Design and Micro-interactions

Humans get used to fancy things quickly. You need to strive toward making digital interfaces more engaging and interactive. Users are drawn to dynamic elements, such as animated buttons, transitions, and hover effects. Over the top? Oftentimes, but it also works.

The motion design angle allows for some storytelling within the interface. Transitions and animations can guide users through a narrative, making the user experience fun and more memorable.

Another way of making the UX more enjoyable is scrollytelling. It combines animations, videos, parallax effects, and dynamic narratives to captivate users as they scroll through content. This has been around for quite some time, we know. But so have many other things. If it works...

Micro-interactions take it a step further and provide immediate feedback on user actions. For example, a subtle animation when a button is clicked confirms that the action has been registered. This is such useful feedback for the user. It enhances the sense of control and understanding and makes your app perform that much better...

And when it comes to enhancing branding, motion design can help establish and reinforce the identity. Unique animations and transitions will set a product or website apart from competitors and create a recognizable brand experience. Go for it. Engaging micro-interactions can help retain users and reduce bounce rates. When users find a website or app enjoyable to interact with, they are more likely to stay and explore further.

9. Design Collaboration Tools

As businesses continue to expand globally, and remote work (would you believe it?) becomes even more prevalent, collaborative tools like Figma, Figjam and Canva (and so many others) provide a seamless way for these distributed teams to work together, overcoming geographical barriers.

The cross-functional collaboration will remain crucial in UX/UI design. Collaborative tools facilitate communication and cooperation between designers, developers, product managers, marketers and other stakeholders, ensuring everyone can contribute their expertise to the design process.

The pace of user expectations is accelerating. Rapid prototyping is now the norm, allowing design teams to respond quickly to changing requirements and user feedback.

And regardless of how fast our tools already seem, the future of design will demand ever greater efficiency and productivity. Workflows are getting even more streamlined, reducing manual tasks and enabling designers to focus on creative aspects of their work, leading to more efficient design processes.

MATEA BAJT, DENIS KROLO / November 30, 2023