Trends are rapidly changing, but the best ideas always stay relevant, no matter the time. The most effective design ideas are the ones that work well both for business owners and for customers. In 2016, mobile usage outnumbered desktop usage. Since then, the mobile-first principle has been dominant in software development. Let’s see what’s popular and what you should focus on if you decide to build an app.
Minimalism
The main features that designers pay attention to when using a minimalistic approach are:
- Ease of development and use.
- Clarity. The user understands everything and does not have to search for the needed feature for a long time.
- The visual hierarchy is intuitive.
- The proportions of the design elements are maintained and well perceived by users.
- There are no empty spaces, tabs, or sections.
- Every functional element is carefully thought-out and does what it is supposed to.
It is easy to conclude that minimalism creates aesthetic pleasure for visitors (as it looks very neat) and provides them with maximum convenience. You bring to the attention of users the most significant elements of your website and provide them with an intuitive search of useful information.
Neomorphism
This trend is similar to skeuomorphism but with a few distinguishing features. The neomorphic design has the following characteristics:
- Monochrome colors.
- No flashy elements (using shadows and lights instead).
- Subtle contrast.
The neomorphic design perfectly meets the requirements for product page UI with numerous components and hundreds of windows. These are mobile applications with product cards, pop-ups, sliders, etc. Thanks to visual simplicity, neomorphic design has simplified designers’ work regardless of the level of complexity of UI, and created visual uniformity of all company’s products.
Among the disadvantages are potential accessibility problems and difficulties with the identification of symbols. For example, low contrast can confuse users as to which button is active and which one was pressed.
Depth Through Shadows
2022 will be the year of 3D technologies and that will be its best time. This trend, which was affected by the development of design software, is an excellent example of the joint work of design and technology.
We are witnessing the rise of 3D technologies everywhere from typography to imagery. 3D creates the feeling of being completely immersed in the environment. The use of gradients, shading, and shadow effects in material design improves functionality and adds realism.
With the addition of other technologies, such as motion and animation, websites become more and more hypnotic. This trend can be implemented in any element, creating a hierarchy of objects on the screen and helping the user navigate the application more easily.
Dark Mode
The developers provide the ability to choose between standard mode and dark mode in applications. Dark mode makes the background of the interface black/dark while fonts and other elements, on the contrary, are light/white. This reduces eye strain and helps save battery power. Thus, users can choose what they like best.
This is one of the most popular design trends and is already widely used. A lot of top brands set dark mode by default.
Geometric Art
Realism in modern design is still relevant. This trend is particularly influenced by the development and availability of 3D technologies that feature spatial effects of the highest quality. At the same time, the popularity of strict abstract forms is growing rapidly. Geometric style is the best solution for the design of mobile app startups.
Geometric art focuses on the functionality of the application. Lines and shapes guide users as they navigate the website. They also frame important content, thus highlighting it for website visitors. The geometric trend makes your site look more appealing to the eyes without overloading the interface.
Geometric art offers an unlimited number of interesting options, balancing between simplicity and intricate elements. Designers simplify complex abstract images, trying to have exceptional harmony in the user interface.
How to Select a Design for a Mobile App?
The worst thing would be to follow your own preferences as long as you are not a professional designer. Otherwise, the better option would be to find a specialist with enough expertise and an impressive portfolio. Together, you should discuss the vision of your application, listen to the opinion and suggestions of each other.
If you want to choose right, monitor the design trends of major world online services (Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc.) They have hired the best developers and designers, so you can be sure that they don’t make a costly blunder. Once you decide on the final result, arrange the deadline and price for completing the task.