UX/UI currents for 2024: a look into the future of design
INDUSTRY TRENDS
APRIL 23, 2024
2024 is well underway, and UX/UI design continues to progress at a rapid pace. With so much evolution in a short amount of time, designers face the unique challenge of keeping up with innovations, incorporating new technologies, and establishing new trends. Here are some of the key shifts shaping the UX/UI landscape in 2024, and what they mean for desingers and creative teams.
What Are Currents?
Currents are Somnio’s proprietary categorization of trends in technology, design and marketing that we’ve identified as key drivers for establishing resonance between brands and consumers. While a trend can be fleeting, transitional and impermanent, Somnio currents are long-term indicators of a deeper and more permanent shift within our industry. Identifying and understanding these currents not only allows us to help our partners and customers, it allows us to achieve scalable results for more predictable success.
What Impact Do These 5 Currents Have?
As you may have noticed, the currents we’re paying special attention to in 2024 are all rooted in AI deployment at scale. This is especially impactful because the correlation between technological advancement and scalable solutions is not always a 1:1 game. With these five currents, we see technological trends that directly impact the way we’re able to work for and with our clients, allowing us to deliver optimal results that are as predictable as they are repeatable.
Let’s take a closer look at the 5 currents we’re keeping an eye on in 2024, and how these currents are set to impact our industry.
/ CURRENT 01
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Experiences
AR and VR technologies are now easily accessible for designers, and their applications are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. While this marriage creates new possibilities for immersive digital experiences, there are still design limitations that need to be taken into consideration. Technical constraints like processing power, memory, connectivity, accuracy and latency can all negatively affect the AR/VR experience, leaving users feeling disappointed or underwhelmed.
Even with its inherent UX risks, large and small brands alike are utilizing AR and VR concepts. Two of our favorite examples include Ikea’s “Giving Bag” AR concept and The World Of J.Crew VR shopping experience (complete with gamification!).
In 2024, we expect to see an increase in AR and VR interfaces that seek to captivate end users by creating immersive experiences through a myriad of interfaces. From gaming and entertainment to education and healthcare, AR and VR are now staple technologies for those designers interested in delivering modern content.
Pro: Designs that effectively incorporate AR/VR have a significantly higher engagement rate.
Con: Compatibility across diverse platforms and multiple devices, callibration limitations and AR/VR content shareability constraints.
/ CURRENT 02
Voice User Interface (VUIs) and Conversational Design
The integration of VUIs into mainstream applications has been spurred by the popularity of this extremely practical technology. Voice User Interfaces have transcended simply dictating to our phone or listening to a robot read a web page...real interaction between man and machine is now an industry norm!
Voice-based interactions, like those found in this video of Google Assistant successfully interacting with local businesses to make appointments, is a strong example of how Voice User Interfaces will be a necessary component for design moving forward. While AI is making conversational design more fluid in terms of adapting on the fly, the predictive anticipation of AI is still lacking the sophistication needed for consistently flawless interactions. In order to combat these shortcomings, designers should take measures to plan for common errors and miscommunications and how to overcome them.
In 2024, designers will need to pay more attention to conversational design principles, ensuring that interactions with VUIs are natural and engaging. Designing for voice requires a special focus on language clarity and effective feedback mechanisms in order to ensure happy users.
Pro: Interactive content like VUIs can generate 2x more conversions and 5x more engagement than static content.
Con: Background noise, privacy restrictions and even certain accents pose a legitimate challenge for designers hoping to reach a broad, public audience.
/ CURRENT 03
Digital Sustainability and Ethical Design
2024 has seen a strong push from businesses and consumers to incorporate a more conscientious approach to material choice and energy consumption of digital products, all of which culminate in arena of design. AT&T’s efforts to utilize tech to drive sustainability is just one example of how large companies are now prioritizing this new digital shift.
Similarly, ethical design, which is the focus on users and their well-being, is an ever-evolving concept pushing brands to help their users enjoy a positive experience regardless of limitations. For example, the ADA guidelines for helping those with disabilities recommend using high-contrast options, avoiding common colorblindess combinations and relying on elements other than color to create an engaging experience.
Ultimately, the shift toward digital sustainability and ethical design means that designers need to be familiar with best practices for providing protection to individuals interacting with their work.
Pro: There is an extensive palate of design techniques for integrating ethical UX design.
Con: Familiarizing yourself with ADA compliant guidelines requires additional effort and active consideration.
/ CURRENT 04
3D and Dynamic Interfaces
Thanks to advancements in technology, 3D and dynamic interfaces are now prevalent feature in the world of design. In 2024, we can expect to see a strong shift in websites and applications employing additional 3D elements because of their ability to engage users in a way that traditional 2D media is unable to do.
According to the Adobe blog, “[using] built-in AI and ML features...automates a difficult step in the compositing process,” allowing designers to do in seconds what used to take hours. Just take a look at what BumpTop is doing—their ability to turn any Mac or Windows desktop into a working 3D interface in mere moments is nothing short of incredible.
In order to effectively implement advancements in 3D and dynamic interface tech, designers will need to utilize new tools to create these immersive experiences in a way that effectively maximizes user engagement.
Pro: 3D experiences are highly effective for increasing engagement and driving deeper connection.
Con: The constantly shifting abilities of 3D in design require a time investment in regular education regarding new design tools and their capabilities.
/ CURRENT 05
Lively Interface Design
Finally, as AI technologies continue to evolve, personalization will play an increasingly important role in UX/UI design. Designers now need to create interfaces that adapt to users’ preferences and behaviors, providing them with more relevant and meaningful experiences.
There are a vast number of designs that employ some version of a live activity interface; effectively integrating them requires designers to think about placement, prominence and proficiency to ensure that the interface adds value rather than detracting from the overall experience. Creating an interface that is truly effective hinges on a designer’s ability to test multiple variations, which could take up valuable design time.
Context-aware design has already become a new staple for designers, especially in regard to live activity interfaces, giving a creative edge to those designers committed to enhancing a user’s end experience. By creating a visual connection between an app or site with the Live Activity design, designers will be able to create enhanced brand recognition and promote higher levels of engagement for their brands.
Pro: Live Activity Interfaces encourage users to interact in a unique manner that directly impacts engagement time.
Con: Perfecting a Live Activity Interface is still a trial-and-error type of process that sucks up a lot of design time.
The bottom line
With all its digital shifts and technological accelerations, 2024 promises to be an exciting year for UX/UI design! As new technologies and emerging trends reshape the way we interact with digital products, designers are are free to explore and innovate like never before. Designers who are aware of these trends, and adapt their skills accordingly, will be well positioned to create innovative and impactful experiences for users. Our dedicated team is fully immersed in these exciting advancements. Are you ready to join us on this innovative journey of growth and success? Join us in unlocking new possibilities!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR / CARLOS MALDONADO, UX DESIGNER
Carlos Maldonado is our dedicated UX designer and a valued member of our Latin American team. With expertise in user research and interface design, Carlos excels in refining processes and pushing the boundaries of design storytelling, consistently delivering exceptional results. He infuses each endeavor with a unique blend of creativity and strategic insight. His passion for self-learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement fuels his drive for innovation.