Should We Follow UI & UX Design Trends?

Ever since I got my first UX job in just three months, I’ve noticed that people are a lot more excited to talk about starting UX design than willing to admit why they left their old career. I’m all about positivity, but there’s something to be said for honesty too, right?

So you know I told the truth about why I left graphic design at a recent speaking opportunity I had on a panel at Design Service Atlanta. Because I’m not going to sugar coat just how glad I am to be out of graphic design and on my UX design journey! It was a cool opportunity and I felt honored to share my story (check that story out here if you haven’t yet).

Looking forward, I’d love to do more public speaking about UX design, and maybe eventually host other people. Whether it’s the experts or someone just starting out, learning is a two-way street.

The Most Important Shout-Out

One of the biggest reasons I decided to get out of my comfort zone and start a new career? My wife.

My wife has stuck with me through thick and thin, and our dedication to each other is no joke. She’s the one who really encouraged and empowered me to switch careers. It would have been a LOT scarier of a decision to make without her love and support.

And now I get to show her that same support because (this is kind of ironic), she is just getting started in the UX field herself. I’m super excited about this for her, because her background and experience in psychology is going to give her great insights into user experience.

So shout-out to my wife for all the ways she’s helped me over the years, and for taking this same step that she encouraged me to take way back when. I can’t wait to see where her own UX journey takes her.

Figma: What’s Poppin?

In other news, have you been paying attention to Figma lately? I’ll be the first to admit it, I’ve been sleeping on Figma and the recent upgrades. So while I’m not really a big promoter of any one UX tool, I’m telling you: you need to go check Figma out.

Heck, I wish I was a brand ambassador, because I’m so thoroughly impressed. Some of the updates are for mobile and desktop buttons, a design system for different button states.

You can really slim down the components as much as you want without a lot of hassle, very different than with Adobe XD where you have to make individual states for each button. Your naming conventions have to be on point, but if they are, this feature will prove itself. Honestly, it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve seen on the internet.

A Less Sexy Internet Thing

But you know what’s not sexy? Not even a little bit sexy? The whole issue surrounding Google’s logo and icon redesign a little while back.

People don’t like change and they tend to freak out over changes they can’t control. Okay, fair enough. But that doesn’t mean that Google’s redesigns were objectively bad.

Here’s what probably happened: as a giant company with almost unlimited resources, Google probably tested multiple sets of new icons. They would have tested the performance of each set, how they’d respond on different applications and how users would be able to distinguish between them. Especially compared to previous icons.

And they would have run a bunch of preference tests, with this collection of icons versus that collection, on and on until they had a winner.

Then the new collection comes out and most users can’t usually say that it looks aesthetically “bad.” They just see some differences and sense others that aren’t as obvious.

The features of the old collection that look outdated are clearly not what Google wanted anymore, and they designed away from that. So what? I simply don’t have a lot of patience for these drama blogs that try to make updates and evolution seem so nefarious. At the end of the day, who honestly gives a damn about a minor logo redesign.

What Trends Really Are

There’s a lot of trash talk about certain design trends lately. But not everything that people call a trend is really a trend. Sometimes it’s just a big company or two making certain choices!

When enough people follow along, sure, that’s a trend. But not at the point where it’s just followers doing what followers do. There are some companies and individuals out there which aren’t interested in innovating, and don’t take any more risk than necessary. The fact that they hitch their wagons to other company’s creative choices doesn’t signal a trend, it just tells you they’re trying to make low-risk decisions.

But hey, you know what is a trend? A craze or a wave of short-term commitment to a choice that goes outside the norm. Like… (Lord have mercy) MC Hammer pants. That’s a trend that came and went and good riddance! Some trends are cyclical, others deserve their early deaths.

Animated Illustrations Trend

Animated illustrations are being called a trend right now. But they’ve been around for a while. I used to do a lot of animated illustrations several years ago. 

So, are they a good trend? It depends. I always asked questions about how heavy each new animated SGV would be. Back-end performance matters, and it’s so important to plan that as a priority. Not just for the average user, but for those who have slightly older phones. If there’s no larger purpose for the animation and it slows down performance, then it’s just not worth it.

Micro-Interactions Trend

I just can’t get over the fact that some people seem to think micro-interactions are going away soon. Nah dude, micro-interactions are here to stay.

Why? Because users need feedback. This really isn’t complicated: micro-interactions provide useful feedback and that is not going to become less valuable or less desirable.

3D Graphics Trend

The choice to use 3d graphics in mobile or even desktop UI? I always have questions.

A big question would be, how does this impact application speed? And not just in mockups, in the real world. The impact is usually more negative than anything else. So I definitely agree this is just a trend, and thankfully it’s on its way out.

Virtual Reality Trend

Is VR really a trend? Not in my book. The new ways we’re changing virtual environments, experiences, and user behaviors is really a cultural change, not a trend. With enough people on board, virtual reality will be part of the norm.

The biggest aspect of this is VR gaming, because that is such a different experience to sitting on your couch playing Xbox. Some other aspects of virtual reality will be harder to integrate into culture than others. There are a lot of hardwire developments that will impact how in-VR design has to evolve. We already have that for games in a way that we don’t yet have in other sectors.

But truly: going into VR, becoming a part of the environment? I don’t think that’s going away. So instead of a trend, virtual reality is more like a long-term shift that everyone in design needs to be thinking carefully about.

Augmented Reality Trend

Confession time: Eric Abram loves him some augmented reality. I really do. And I actually don’t think this is a trend now, either.

Like VR, augmented reality is a new part of life that will be more and more integrated over time. Our cell phones, our computers, our iPods and other devices ALL have cameras, and that’s going to allow us to add even more augmentation into everyday experiences.

Neomorphism Trend

One word comes to mind when I think about neomorphism: trash. Harsh, right? But I just truly dislike neomorphism design.

It’s connected to skeuomorphism design, which I get, but I just have no patience for this trend at all. And if you aren’t familiar with this one, (a) don’t feel bad, you’re not missing anything, and (b) Google it so you can join me in hating this.

This better be a trend that dies fast! And I guarantee you that anyone who uses this is just going to have a lot of redesign time on their hands, very soon.

Other “Trends”

Are things like asymmetrical layouts a trend, or just a design choice that makes sense in certain situations? Is storytelling a trend?

I had to laugh when I recently saw an article calling storytelling a trend. I wouldn’t call it a trend, I’d call it a basic necessity of design! The point is, not everything is a trend, or new, or going away after a period of popularity.

How Closely Should We Follow Trends?

There are new trends all the time. Do you redo the existing work to fit these new trends? Watch out for getting stuck in a trend loop. Once you get in the loop, it’s almost impossible to get out.

I don’t expect someone brand new to design or to UX to automatically know which trends are worth learning from. Sometimes it takes trial, error, and even some outside guidance. So don’t feel bad if you’re not quite sure how to tell the difference between good and bad trends and how that affects UX.

A few takeaways:

• You’ll never be able to fully catch up with trends, no matter how hard you try.

• Not everything that is popular or widely-used is a “trend.” It could just be a staple of design, or even a change in how society handles something!

• Change isn’t good or bad: it’s what you choose to change and how well it works that matters.

• Trends come and go, but good design works. Even if it needs an occasional refresh.