Web/Mobile UI Design Trends Predictions 2020 to Watch For

Time rushes inexorably, and trends change with it. It seems that until 2020 is far. In fact, the time has come to discuss the upcoming trends. This is especially true of web development and programming. Today we will talk about what the graphic designers in the field of the user interface will bring (UI).

Biggest User Interface (UI) Design Trends Predictions 2020 are:

1. Storytelling
2. Animations
3. 3D graphics
4. Gradients
5. Placement of navigation elements
6. White space
7. UI Development for AR

Factors influencing future UI design trends

The goal of the user interface is customer satisfaction by improving the appearance, optimizing the placement of objects and simplifying the understanding of the transmitted information. Thus, the main influence factor is the user's needs. But what else can play an important role?

Appearance on the second plan

As I said, UI-design is aimed at customer satisfaction through improving the appearance of the product. It occupies an important niche in the development of the user interface, but in 2020 it will not be the initial point of the plan. To the replacement will come the speed of loading and transferring information.

The pace of life has changed significantly, significantly reducing free time and shortening deadlines. Therefore, in our days, customer orientation means not beauty, but practicality and speed of information transfer.

Maximum semantic charge

Time was the main cause of change at all times. The remaining factors of influence are the consequences of reducing the time to complete each task. And one of these consequences is the need to transfer the main idea in the shortest possible time.

UI-design will be aimed at the implementation of this idea. Minimum pictures of the general plan. Each element will be some example or possibility of using (testing) the product.

Blurred phone borders

Smartphone developers are increasingly experimenting with the visual removal of the edges of the screen. They are made more round, moving into the back panel. This creates additional challenges for web designers. After all, the appearance of the web page should adapt to any screen.

Storytelling

The first trend, which I want to talk about, contradicts the constant lack of time. As strange as it may seem, full-fledged stories instead of theses return to fashion. The reasons are as follows:

• thesis description does not provide a clear understanding of the product;
• users are forced to search for reviews on third-party resources;
• in addition to the product description, you need knowledge of the team and project history.

The storytelling is gaining momentum. You cannot be afraid to write paragraphs, even on the main page. Today, the user is ready to spend a little more time for familiarization if he sees that he receives the necessary information.

Storytelling attracts customers to the brand, makes them feel part of the history of the project. In turn, this technique keeps them from simply scanning the content, which often ends up returning to the search.

Animations

First of all, this is one of the upcoming trends in web design in general. Accordingly, animated illustrations should not be missed in the context of UI design. Today it is one of the most effective ways to transfer information.

I want to note that you should pay attention to both independent animated elements (for example, display of treadmill characteristics), and transitions, button presses, opening a list, and other similar elements.

Also, do not forget about smartphones. Users are harder to surprise. Because developers are investing more and more effort in the smallest details. If it seems to you that in 2020 there is not much to change in the interface of smartphones, then you are deeply mistaken. The market is full of competition for each client and positive feedback. Because companies will come up with more sophisticated animations for the simplest elements.

Transitions between tabs on a smartphone. Source of the image

Dynamism allows you to attract the user's attention at a glance and quickly explain what a company or brand can offer. Even the simplest animation gives the product individuality, making it more memorable.

3D graphics

3D technologies today are not in great demand, which is a bit strange for our time. Someone will say that this increases loading time. I will say that this is a way to more detailed information transfer. Accordingly, the client has the feeling that companies have nothing to hide.

Indeed, 3D requires a lot more resources for both developing and loading pages. At the same time, it allows you to transfer a lot more information on one page. Accordingly, the user will get the result faster than when switching between web pages. For persuasion, I propose to see how the Genesis car dealer decided to acquaint users with their cars.

The benefits of 3D design:

• increases competitiveness;
• simplifies the perception of information by the user;
• details the visualization of the product;
• simplifies the introduction of new design trends;
• eliminates the need for physical prototypes.

Ready for this trend? Then do not make the main mistake, namely - do not overdo it. I repeat: 3D significantly slows down the loading time. Select the most basic elements, which will take a lot of time in 2D and make them bulky. For the rest do not forget about 2D.

Gradients

One of the key appearance trends is the use of gradients just choose tasty colors in web. In fact, it already exists. But by 2020, this trend will not lose its relevance. A very simple technique that adds a vibrancy to the design.

Apple is one of my favorite examples of visual use of key design trends. What can be seen on the current main page:

• gradients (except for the black and white iPhone);
• minimalism;
• empty space;
• monotony of fonts;
• use bold header with increased size.

So, about gradients. The ruler of any iPhone has several colors (besides black and white). And even in this variety, a technique of similar shades is used (in the case of the iPhone, the XR is red, orange, yellow).

The fact is that a sharp change of color, as a rule, negatively affects the perception of information. At the same time, monotony is considered boring. Gradients look very unobtrusive but give a unique and external aesthetics to the product. The next 5 years it is a guaranteed trend.

Placement of navigation elements

For a long time, one of the main principles of web design and user interface was direct access to the navigation bar. But today, this trend is slowly changing (but it all depends on the device and the specific application).

The sites recommend hiding as many buttons as possible. One example is to hide the key tabs behind the “Menu” button. Thus, the user will always have access to the navigation panel, but more necessary information will be placed on the screen.

Any movement and reduction of buttons will have a positive effect on the interface. They can not fully comply with the basic design. Because such inaccuracies must be hidden. As a result, instead of a huge button with a conditional caption "Categories", most sites already use a small icon.

The same goes for phones. Apple, Huawei and Meizu already get rid of the buttons, transferring everything to the sensor. At the same time, there is no separate “Home” button. Any transitions are performed with conditional gestures, like slides or multi-tapes.

In the end, the compression of the navigation bar is a trend for the designers themselves. After all, it is necessary to work out a high-quality, so that it corresponds to the main appearance. It is much easier to develop a small panel and a few key gestures, rather than select a separate user interface element.

White space

Any marketer knows that attracting attention depends on how the developer highlights the main elements. This can be done using animation, color, or certain patterns. But the effectiveness of most methods falls if the information is located close to each other.

White space is one of the key components of minimalism, which for several years has been creating trends in design. Remarkably, it is gaining increasing popularity. Today you can find a lot of sites where on the main page there is only a slogan.

There is a misconception that white space makes the site less effective due to lack of information. But in this way, the developer draws much more attention to his product. The bottom line is that the key element must be the foundation behind which the details are hidden.

UI Development for AR

Instead of screen interfaces, users increasingly prefer to work with interactive applications. They greatly facilitate familiarization with the product. But even such applications are impossible without a certain appearance and placement of work items.

Augmented reality adds the effect of immersion in a digital product. Its main goal is to speed up the acquisition of information and the execution of tasks. Accordingly, it should have a simple form.

It should be understood that augmented reality at the dawn of development. That’s why many applications are poorly optimized. Accordingly, the development of UI-design for AR will also be one of the main trends of 2020.

One of the key advantages is that customers themselves do not yet understand what they want to see this technology. It is too new for them, which delights them. Therefore, today in this direction all roads for imagination are open. In other words, you can even impose certain desires on customers.

Summing up

Any market today is very wide because for a long time companies have been fighting for the attention of users. Today each company knows how to attract them. Thus, customers are very confused and spend a lot of time on a simple choice. As a result, many return to proven options, even if they do not follow the trends of UX-design.

Accordingly, the main trend of 2020 is the saving of user time. The key task is to develop unobtrusive, easy-to-read products.

One example is Instagram. Not so long ago, they added a feature that allows the user to find out when he viewed the latest new publication.

By adding a very simple element to the UI design of the application, the developers have eliminated a waste of time. On the one hand, this reduces the usage time of the application as a whole, which should be bad for developers. In fact, Instagram ratings have risen after this update.

No matter what the trend is, it is aimed at saving the client’s time, not at attracting it. Remember this when you develop your product's UI design.