7 essential UI and UX design trends for 2023

The advance of technology continues to dazzle, inspire, and innovate businesses and consumer solutions across the globe. At the heart of this phenomenon for brands is the application of UX (user experience) and UI (user interface).

But with design trends constantly evolving and expectations for digital experiences that “just work” now the norm, it’s never been more important to consider the UX/UI of your digital application.

In this blog, we explore what to expect from future UX and UI design, as the evolution of aesthetics, processes and consumer values shifts with the tide of 2023. 

Why you should make UX/UI design your focus for 2023

88% of users are unlikely to return to a website with a bad UX, and 90% will stop using an app due to poor performance.

In today’s hyperconnected world, lacklustre UX and UI is not merely a software or design issue – it’s a critical business problem. When done right, effective implementation of a desirable UX can create remarkable success stories as seen with famous SaaS unicorn acquisitions in recent years.

But what did all these superior UI and UX design solutions have in common? In our view, it was finding a way to beat the competition by providing valuable tools, offering simple and engaging usability features, while solving a real problem for their customers.

The top UI and UX design trends in 2023

Before we predict the future, let’s have a brief overview of what pioneered UX and UI design in 2022.

The top UX design trends in 2022

• Metaverse
• Localisation in UX and content
• Inclusive and responsive design
• Virtual reality in the B2B sector
• No code design

The top UI design trends in 2022

• Minimal complexity
• Adapting apps to larger screens
• Dark mode
• Design system library

While some of the above are still taking shape, there are some other notable additions and changes to note. Here are our UI and UX design essential trends for 2023:

1. Virtual and augmented reality

The virtual reality hype continues to excite and inspire. Many brands are focussing on how they digitise social experiences. 2022 saw the first-ever VR fashion week in March, with over 108,000 people exploring a new digital fashion experience. 

As humans, we love to alter our perceptions of reality. So, we can assume this digital VR craze will generate more technological innovation across UI and UX design solutions.

Mixed or hybrid workflows should develop in 2023 across multiple industries, with VR/AR technology expected to enhance to a commercial level.

2. Anti-design and modes

Rumour has it that the next progression for UI and UX is to focus on the immersive aspect of experience beyond what’s practical or even convenient to the user.

With 75% to 95% of smartphone users using dark mode across certain apps and interfaces, we believe users will gravitate away from tradition by adopting alternative design preferences over clarity and navigation.

The same can be said for overall digital design, with a preference for the unconventional to display more self-expression. 2023 UI/UX design trends can expect digital product designers to put the “x” of extraordinary into the experience.

3. Motion animations

The age of 5G is allowing designers to create animations with smaller file sizes that keep things running smoothly. Prepare to be engaged with more dynamic design animations to deliver a seamless and exciting UX for consumers.

A desire and demand to innovate UI and UX possibilities are witnessing a movement for motion graphics. Expect to see kinetic typography, animated logos, grain effects and merging 3D features.

4. Cross-device UX

Brands can streamline a consumer’s journey across multiple devices at various times and stages. By recognising UX works across multiple platforms and devices, designers can create an overall experience to best serve their consumers, from engagement to activity and conversion.

Cross-device UX has become a powerful tool. So much so, UX designers are expected to design with multiple devices in mind, aligning a clear map of each stage of the consumer journey.

5. Neo-brutalism

The brutalist obsession that celebrates function over form is still prevalent across all design aspects, including UX and UI.

Distinguished by a minimalist, raw and unfinished aesthetic, brutalism lends well to website and app design for its emphasis on simplicity and usability. Digital products and brutalism go hand-in-hand due to the constraints of screens and small devices.

While we all know brutalism isn’t a new concept, we expect things will remain “brutally” simple yet expressive in 2023.

6. Nostalgic gradients 

With millennials marvelling in the 90s style and Gen Z enjoying the retro trend, nostalgia of former times always finds a way to captivate the modern gaze. Digital product design is no exception.

Social media and fashion have influenced gradients as a trend across UX and UI design with bright and multi-coloured palettes on display. 

What nostalgia styles will capture in 2023 remains to be seen. Some experts expect trends of the 2000s to make a comeback.

7. Eco-design, sustainability, and wellbeing

Digital product design is driven away from disposable outcomes into more waste-free and perpetual life cycles. Sustainability is associated with physical processes and actions but now is transferring into the digital domain through pro-environmental aspects of design.

At the core of sustainability are longevity and equality across all aspects of the environment, the economy and society. Digital product designers can help motivate users with environmental and socially conscious features within UX and UI design.

The recent pandemic has also caused people to focus on personal and collective wellness. Therefore, daily habits aligned with emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing may take the forefront as a theme for UX and UI design.

In response to this movement, we expect data visualisation and analytics prioritising self-care and socially responsible technology.  

Put these 2023 UI/UX design trends into action

In light of these exciting UX and UI design possibilities, your business can embrace technological solutions to captivate your users with immersive, valuable, and seamless digital experiences.

At Stoked, we take pride in helping brands manoeuvre into a state of continuous agility by understanding your consumer needs and solving the issue with cutting-edge digital product solutions.

In 2022, we were recognised as a top UX agency in Denmark by Clutch for our innovative ability to elevate several clients with bespoke UX capabilities.

From design to development and launch, we offer innovative strategies and world-class execution to solve your digital product desires with unrivalled market expertise and services.

So, for more information about how we can drive high-value results for your business, get in touch.