With technology constantly moving forward the industry has to adapt to new UX design strategies. Here's what's hot today.
What trends are UX designers going to have to consider?
The user experience is more important than ever. If a user doesn't get the right experience when visiting a site or device then they will simply go elsewhere to get the experience they want (a decent website builder will minimise that risk).
Typically, the user experience has been based on click and gestures on websites and apps, but as web design tools progress, new technologies are becoming more and more commonplace and are changing the parameters of a good user experience. Think about how voice has changed the way that you interact with your devices and how you search the web.
Here, we take a peek at the UX trends that are shaping the now and the future, and outline what you need to know about them. Upgrading your website? Make sure your web hosting remains right for you.
Voice user interfaces (VUIs) allow the user to interact with a system through voice or speech commands. Virtual assistants, such as Alexa and Siri, are common examples of VUIs today. The way users interact with voice user interfaces is very different to graphical ones, so you may quickly find yourself unsure of how to create great user experiences for VUIs.
The intricate nature of user’s conversing with a VUI means a designer needs to pay close attention to how easily a user might overstep with expectations, because individuals normally associate voice with personal communication.
02. Storytelling for a more memorable experience
From a consumer’s point of view, UX design is no longer a unique selling point, it’s now an expectation. Humans become engrossed in stories and a good story has the power to create empathy with the user. Because more brands seek new and innovative ways to stand out from the rest, we will see a growing trend towards storytelling in UX.
However, learning how to incorporate storytelling into the design process will be one of the biggest challenges for UXers this year, but it also represents a huge area of opportunity for both brands and UXers who want to stand out. If you're building a brand story, keep your resource files accessible in shareable cloud storage.
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03. UX for wearables
Think about how to design for wearables such as watches
During the past year, we’ve been witnessing the rise of a variety of wearables, from smartwatches to portable devices to monitor the quality of your sleep or your heart rate, for example. And their popularity will just continue to grow in 2019. So, it’s up to the UX designer to optimise the experience of these devices.
It’s an appealing space for designers that are intrigued by the idea of working at the intersection of fashion, technology and wellness, which adds that additional layer to the significance of user experience design.
04. AI for personalised experiences
AI plus UX = a host of design possibilites
With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, companies now have the opportunity to take a more personalised approach towards customers. AI will not replace UX designers but they can work together to give the user what they want. It’s about matching user information that AI collects with the knowledge of the UX designer.
Brands such as Netflix have known to curate content recommendations with their proprietary algorithm. This way, you’ll deliver a great experience based on the preferences, tastes, behaviours and characteristics of your user.
05. UX to drive business
Based on the trends we’ve already spoken about, UX design will continue to be the driver of business success, as more and more companies discover the return of investment when designing great products. The potential for design-driven growth is massive in both product and service-based sectors.
In short, a good user experience is clearly good for business. According to a study by Forester, companies who invest in UX, see a lower cost of customer acquisition, lower support cost, increased customer retention and increased market share.
Leon is a freelance web developer and trainer who assists web developers in creating efficient code for projects. He has worked on front-end and server-side web applications, having taught himself to code using an Amstrad computer in the 1990s. Leon has written an extensive selection of tutorials on web design for Web Designer Magazine and .Net, as well as introductions to programming concepts for beginners.
