Understanding the current most successfully used practices in User Experience for desktop and mobile devices

User Experience has transformed a lot in the recent years. Undeniably it has become an indispensable practice, for any online (and not only) product. Trying to identify trends is fun but merely impossible to understand what’s here to stay.

Below is an observation of trends that has a wide spectrum on both desktop and mobile usage.

The Scroll

We love to scroll. We love it x-times more than clicking. Users are now accustomed to that. They expect it. And the challenge here is to create a storytelling that can make the scrolling experience more enjoyable.

Examples are already out. With performance always in mind designers try to find the balance in the best scrolling interaction for the user.

Adaptive Design

Small phones are so cool and they fit in our pockets. And also… they are not small anymore. Even iPhones. Ever heard of the term phablet? Yes that is somewhere in the middle, but they do exist. So design should be adapted for those devices as well, because size matters.

Minimalism

Trend-setters like Google and Material design, shift design to more clean and flat features.

Typography, colors and use of “white” space become the center of this trend and (finally!) we observe the death of Skeuomorphism.

Microinteractions

I hope I am not the only one who is super excited about animations. As users, with technology everywhere in our lives, we become more demanding to what we want to experience from a website or an application.

Motion graphics and microinteractions, add a level of gamification and perhaps it is time we see more enjoyable experiences and interactive stories rather than good ol-boring sites.

Typography

Sometimes a great user experience does have the minimum amount of design. Maybe just colors and typography. Typography is a very popular subject, and by itself can be a really masterful UX experience.

Performance

Designing for cross platform is nice but performance plays a huge role. A website that takes too long to load, or even just a few images can crumble the experience of the user that might lead to abandoning the website.

-How do you optimize for different devices?

-How fast is a website?

-How about on the phone?

Gestures

Trends are creating experiences for users but also expectations. It comes naturally for a mobile user to expect a website to have basic interaction patterns. Scroll through the content, or use a key to navigate down.

Privacy

What does that game access through your Facebook? What about a website that you login with Twitter?

Trust & personal data are a challenge to balance; How to stay online while also protecting your data. We are already tech-savvy. We value apps that clearly state how we are going to use our data.