Top 5 UI Trends to Look Out for in 2022

Do you know when all web apps/websites began using animated elements in UI designs? 

In 2021, Are you surprised?. It was very trendy! And still is. 

More than half a million web apps pop up on the web/internet every day. And only those survive that are better, brighter, and more interactive. Because that's what will get users' attention today, but remember, having an attractive website will only help a little these days. It would be best to work on its uniqueness to stand out and win the competition to achieve brilliant success.

Therefore, following the prevailing UI design trends is essential to remain a pioneer in your niche and make an impact before your competitors do! 

Are you curious to know what UI design trends are there at the moment that is fashionable to embody on your existing or upcoming websites/web apps, or mobile apps? 

Then, let us deep-dive into this year's top five trends you should look out for in UI design that your users will love.

Top UI Trends for 2022

Dark mode UI

For an elegant, modern, and stylish experience.

Today, users spend more time with their smartphones & laptops than with any other device, and it gets hard to focus or interact with digital screens for longer. What people today are searching for is an elegant and modern look. That's what dark mode functionality is all about in web applications and mobile apps. Because it plays a vital role in user experiences, its rise will likely continue throughout 2022 and the years beyond (if no next big thing comes up).

But remember, the dark mode is not merely white text over a dark background. Instead, it is an inbuilt feature in UI (user interface) itself, and it has a couple of powerful advantages:  

• For OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) or AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display devices (mobiles, laptops, or tablets), dark-mode functionality help save the battery.
• Dark mode makes text readability much better than in the usual/default mode.
• Dark mode helps reduce eye strain for users using the device at night.
• Dark mode reduces the screen's glare and helps lower blue lights. And hence, no need to use blue-light filter apps.  

Neumorphic UI Design

A new visual style combining background colors, shapes, gradients, and shadows to enhance graphic intensity.

Neumorphic designs are in trend today because they ensure UI elements' graphic intensity. It's a design technique that involves soft UI elements.

For example, imagine the frost effects or glassy blurs we often see on web apps. 

Design elements extrude from the background in these designs, making web applications and mobile app designs stand out. , But Since neuromorphic methods use soft UI color palettes, their effects are usually more subtle than bold.

Neumorphism uses skeuomorphism (another UI element that helps mimic a physical object) and a flat design.

In other words, neuromorphic designs are visual styles that fuse background colors, shapes, gradients, and shadows to achieve a soft, extruded plastic look and an almost 3D styling-like user experience.

UIs made by incorporating neuromorphic are simply elegant, and there is no doubt about that. 

Designs made using soft UI elements make the user experience more comfortable.

Note: These UIs are very popular among the UI designers on Dribbble, but most UX experts feel the opposite. Because neumorphism can't play nice for basic usability principles and results in killing intuitiveness and accessibility. And there aren't many real-world apps built using this style. But it's an appealing and futuristic design. Thus, we might see more of it in UI trends for 2022.

2D or 3D Animations with Unique Illustrations

UI animations to enhance the user experience.

There has been a significant rise in popularity for UIs with 2D or 3D animations lately. Hence,  using UI-animated GIFs and short videos depicting an intended story will not go in vain instead, it will enhance user experiences. Because it guides graphics' flow much better, and users are attracted to movable things more, making UI more engaging than static graphics. 

Hence, there will be an enormous demand for more animations in 2022 for UI and promoting products online. And this is an immersive way for web and mobile apps to convey an intended message without using modals or banners to users.

E.g., Lottie animations from Icon-scout.  

Bold and Experimental Typography

Easiest ways to grab users' attention.

Have you recently noticed something unusual about texts and fonts? 

They are getting bigger and bigger. That's because of ease in advertising and the reduced attention span of users. 

And because of this reason, web typography is getting bigger and bolder, especially for microsites, Landing pages, and mobile apps. 

Bold and bigger fonts are the most straightforward ways to grab people's attention. This type of typography easily stands out and demands to be read. But it has to be integrated with the overall aesthetic. Then only it is more effective. 

Today, popular websites are speedily incorporating this technique to attract visitors.  

For example, Landing pages of Dropbox, Discord, Drift, and Nike. They all have chunky fonts, creating a stronger emphasis on titles. 

Hence, bold typography is here to stay and will continue to grow in 2022 and beyond. 

System-like UIs

Material Design user interfaces for mobile and web apps.

It may sound odd and seem like a long shot, but system-like UIs have recently gained popularity. That's because Jeff Verkoeyen (Google's one engineering lead) announced that Material Design UI components are of no use against Apple's UIKit for iOS apps. He also mentioned that UI-Kit is now equipped with the components for Google's apps. 

Therefore, in building custom code, it will be feasible to invest in other UX ways that allow an even better feel for apps on Apple platforms.

And, since Google and Apple are two tech giants, their decisions will undeniably influence other brands without a doubt. For instance, smaller brands will stop making custom UIs for their products if Google does it. Why shouldn't they? Right? The same goes with Apple too!

UIKit and Material provide free customization at low costs and less time for developing high-end designs. 

Thus, mobile and web app design companies should expect a streamlined UI that allows more time to enhance the UX and build products faster than ever! 

Hence, system-like UIs will be a big hit this year and in the future. 

Are you looking for the right UI/UX design company?

We are into another exciting year for UI/UX designs. User experiences (UX) and new technologies are on every design enthusiast's behind to satisfy users with the best possible user interface (UI). Thus, designers must keep abreast with changes and the dominating trends concerning UI in 2022. Think about merging elements mentioned in this article into your existing design projects or as a part of something new. And most of all, have fun! 

Quokka Labs has successfully worked with many clients worldwide. The constant drive to please our customers keeps us going in proposing high-quality UI & UX Design Services. 

Is there anything we can help you with? 

Contact team QL to discuss your current challenges and your next big idea. Our UI/UX experts and software developers would happily assist you with a par UI and UX strategy, product and user research, and UX/UI design and development.