Readers:

Today I am sharing Roman Bord’s top 5 user interface design trends for 2017. Mr. Bord had originally published this on Inspirationfeed.com.

Enjoy!

Best regards,

Michael

Top 5 User Interface Design Trends in 2017

By Roman Bord, Inspirationfeed.com

Mobile market shows a huge growth every year. It’s not a secret that more and more people get involved in smartphones and tablets. And some mobile design trends get a tremendous attention of the media or can even change our lifestyle.

The latest ZenithOptimedia’s Media Consumption Forecasts predict over 250% growth of the mobile internet consumption during 2014-2018, leaving desktop computers far behind. It’s impressive, but more incredible discoveries are yet to come!

Mobile overtook desktop in the global internet consumption

However, users’ requests also grow. There are plenty reasons why users can dislike a mobile app – it’s too slow, too boring or has a too poor design. Lucky for you, we will tell you about the latest UI trends in mobile, which will help you to avoid a failure.

Why is UI design so important?

There is enough information on the internet about the value of a good catchy design. We won’t load you with complicated data or long researches. Just take a look at this 2 statistics by Adobe:

• 59% of mobile users prefer beautifully designed content over simple design, even when they having a lack of time;
• 38% of people are likely to leave if they find layout unattractive.

See? A mobile app design is a first thing users interact with, even before they become really engaged with your app. It’s like a digital first impression which can greatly improve or, let’s be honest, reduce UX.

A poor design can “kill” any app.

That is why it is so important to be familiar with the new trends in UI design and to consider them while building your mobile app. Our team has reviewed the most popular of them for you!

Top 5 trends in user interface design you should definitely follow in 2017

This year promises to be even more exciting and intriguing than 2016. We are going to see both completely new user interface design trends and the ones remain popular since last year. Here they are:

• Animations;
• Videos;
• Cards;
• Hidden navigation;
• Experiment with colors.

Animations: proven way to attract users

It’s cool to have beautiful images in your app. Back in 2010 it would be even cooler. But now designers have a wider range of tools to catch users’ attention. And one of them is animations.

Animation in Text a Letter | By Stormotion

Yes, it’s not an innovative mobile design trend in 2017, but definitely one of the most popular. Animations make an app look more user-friendly and intuitive. Through animation you can direct users’ behavior, give visual feedback, highlight changes, show system status or just entertain them while they’re using your app.

One of the usability principles by Jakob Nielsen states: keep your user informed about what is going on.

Due to the updates in the mobile coding technologies, we are going to see new ways to create the fascinating visual user experience.

Videos: move from static to dynamic

Like we have already said, people prefer all dynamic. It makes them feel that an app is “alive” and really communicating with them. Hopefully, the internet speed and access precipitously grow, making it possible to watch videos almost anywhere. Just have a look at the data below.

Share of video data in the mobile traffic

Use videos as you want, but just do it. For example, you can provide your users with the important information or visual storytelling with its help. It’s perfect for catching the eye of users and making them fully involved with your app.

You also should consider immersive full-screen videos, which bring spectacular UX for the tablet owners. This user interface design trend is really going to boost this year!

Card design: stylish and laconic

Cards stay in a trend for a while now and seem to remain popular in 2017 too. You definitely have already seen the card design in such apps like Google Now, Tumblr, Pinterest, Spotify or dozens of other.

Cards (image by Aurelien Salomon)

Why is card design so popular? There are a number of reasons:

• it helps to divide and place content in the best way;
• such a design looks great on the screens of different size;
• it has no superfluous elements;
• users are familiar with the way it works so they won’t be confused.

Sounds great, do you agree? That’s why you better try it in your app!

Hidden navigation: take away all the excess

Leave all bulky menus in 2016 because this year we expect to see its sunset. Just forget about it and turn your eyes upon a hidden navigation, just like Google did. In 2017 it becomes a really popular trend in user interface design.

The Chrome app

Massive menu bars may overlay content and just be annoying. With the hidden navigation you get rid of these problems. Your users will be able to see the whole content without any obstacles.

But don’t forget to make it possible for your users to simply call a menu anytime they want. For example, with swipe or tap.

Experiment with colors to get the best UX

Every year we expect to get new advice about preferable colors. But it seems that we are never going to have a single answer. Some designers can ascribe using of bright colors to the latest UI design trends, while others suggest you to use calm pallets.

Bright colors in the mobile interface (image by Arcangelo Fiore)

Who is right is just a matter of your taste. There is only one rule that is unshakable: don’t go to extremes. Too bright colors can annoy users and too calm ones will make them sleepy. But don’t be afraid to experiment and create a unique and catchy interface for your users!

Summary

So our advice to you is: don’t ignore the latest UI design trends and your users will be thankful. For example, you can add hidden menus, videos and animations, use card design or experiment with colors. It will help you to attract new users and to boost the popularity of your app.

2017 is expected to be an exciting year for mobile app developers. So stay on a trend and be informed!

Source: Roman Bord, Top 5 User Interface Design Trends in 2017, Inspirationfeed, March 6, 2017, http://inspirationfeed.com/articles/design-articles/top-5-user-interface-design-trends-in-2017/.