The latest innovations in the field of mobile apps UI and UX has rocked the world of mobile users. App developers and designers are utilizing their sense of creativity and innovation to produce fascinating user interfaces for their apps.
It is of paramount importance for app designers to keep abreast of the existing and upcoming mobile app UI trends. These trends mostly highlight the tastes of the people interacting with the specified designs. So, if you aren’t aware of what the users like in terms of app design, you cannot succeed in the fiercely competitive mobile app landscape.
In this post, we have compiled a list of innovative UI trends that are currently leading in the arena of mobile apps. But before we begin with the trends, here is a brief note on mobile app UI and its importance for users and developers.
User Interface:
The user interface or simply UI refers to the interface design of an app. It is the face of a mobile app and provides a graphical layout with which the user interacts while using the app. UI gives an overall look to the application and contributes heavily to the visual appeal and user experience of the app. It includes all the GUI components, buttons, banners, slides, and everything on the face of the app.
Closer to UI is something called UX, short for User Experience design. It is the user’s emotions and attitude while using the mobile app. The purpose of UX design is to provide better experiences to the users on the user interface.
Based on our research, here are the top 10 UI trends that are dominating the app industry in 2020 and beyond.
1. Simplicity and minimalism:
It is said that beauty lies in simplicity, and it is certainly true for user interfaces. Keeping your app UI clean and simple is an evergreen feature that will never go out of trend. A minimalist design means that the app interface is kept simple, with minimum stuff on the screen. This keeps any kind of UI complexity out of the equation when designing the app.
2. Dark Modes:
The dark mode is a hot trend that has gained significant attraction in 2020. From Facebook and YouTube to Instagram and even Google Chrome, it is everywhere. The mode offers a softer look on the eyes, and hence, it is loved by the users.
In Dark Mode, the background of the app is kept dark while the text is light in color. This is contrary to the normal mode where the dark text is painted against a bright background. It improves battery life and also protects eyes from the strain of brightness in a dim light environment.
3. Interactive 3D Elements:
3D user interfaces have been dubbed as the UI of the future and for the right reasons. Among the hot mobile app UI trends, 3D graphics, animations, and elements are on top of the innovative experiments. They are getting more and more presence in mobile and web applications.
3D elements offer the users an opportunity to view objects with 360-degree presentations. Although the integration of 3D elements in the mobile app User Interface is still a challenge, the results are rewarding. 3D interactive UI not only enhances the visuals of the app, but it also improves the user experience by providing users an interactive front.
4. Customization and Personalization:
2020 also saw an emerging trend of customizable apps. This feature allows the users to make necessary modifications in the app features. With customizable apps, the user controls the features and content of the app.
5. AR/VR:
Augmented Reality and Virtual reality combine the imaginary digital components with real-world objects, giving an exciting look to the interface of the app. These features have been used mainly in the gaming industry, which is at the forefront when it comes to innovation and creativity.
6. Transparent Elements:
Mobile apps look attractive when they are equipped with transparent elements in it. This feature enables the users to see right through the app and gives them a glimpse of what’s behind the curtain. It feels like you can even touch what’s behind the interface of the app.
7. Rounded corners and shapes:
Rounded corner displays and shapes is another fascinating theme that is seen around in 2020. The design looks cool and has gained much attraction in the last few years. In fact, many apps that provide a modern look with rounded corners have garnered thousands of users within no time.
The conventionally square corners and objects have been replaced by rounded corners to meet the growing desire of users. The trend has found enough audience in 2020 and is not going to fade away anytime soon.
8. Bold Fonts:
The use of bold fonts is another hot trend in the present time. Designers are using bold fonts to highlight important content and parts of the app. In fact, fonts also play an important role in games as they convey a certain feel and inject some personality to fascinate the users. AirG MiniMe, for instance, is smart enough to use bold and eye-catching fonts to attract kids and keep them hooked on the screen for hours.
9. Voice Interactions:
Voice interaction may not be an entirely new trend, but it has certainly gained ground in 2020. Voice interactions have added more value to the features by allowing users to interact with the app through voice commands. This trend will likely stay and improve even further in the future.
10. Buttonless Designs and Liquid Swipes:
You might have observed that the number of buttons has either decreased or disappeared entirely from the screen of the app. This has become trendy as it provides space to designers to add more features and make their apps more productive. Many apps also support gesture-driven designs where most of the scrolling and operations are handled by swipes and finger gestures.
Final Note:
Like previous years, we have seen plenty of innovation and creativity in UI designs in 2020. Regardless of whether these UI trends will make their way into the coming years, as a designer and developer, you need to stay creative and innovative all the time. Grasp your users’ needs and follow these trends to design distinctive interfaces and ensure an excellent user experience.
