UI/UX design trends for 2023

It’s that time of the year again. The time when everyone and their dog come together, analyze what will be trending in the upcoming year, and post their thoughts and predictions. Merge is eager to join in, and today’s topic is UI/UX and visual design trends of 2023.

Our previous article on trends will be helpful for SaaS founders looking for ideas and new methods that are going to be all the rage in 2023. Stay tuned for our next piece on the upcoming technology trends as well.

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Top design trends 2023

The newest web/application and product design trends of 2023 have a few exciting tendencies that have been prominent players in the design industry for quite some time. As a UX/UI design and development agency, we are pleased to observe the user-centric approach and personalization still remaining a top priority and the fact that, based on predictions, they are not going anywhere.

The fact is, the importance of trends is hard to overstate. When a user experience and user interface tendency becomes a full-blown trend, it already has had time to solidify itself on the market. Use trends wisely to improve your digital product’s performance and your customers’ impression of your business.

Personalization

The levels of personalization in custom UI/UI design and development have been steadily rising for the past few years and will continue to do so in 2023 since customers still want exclusive treatment and an individualized approach.

This time around, most of the added customization will come from AI-powered personalized suggestions. Web and app content will become dynamic and extra-personalized, too, by quickly changing in response to the users’ actions or previously saved data about them.

Advanced animations

Just adding simple generic animations to your website or application won’t cut it anymore. It used to be a lot more challenging to create advanced animations because of constant compromises on their quality and size.

Today, both the higher network bandwidth (5G) and frameworks and tools for lightweight animations (for example, LottieFiles, Character Animator, or After Effects) allow developers to up their animation game and still keep everything running smoothly and efficiently.

Continuous focus on accessibility

The next one on the list of UX/UI mobile and web design trends, 2023 edition, is the regular guest - the accessibility trend that includes higher contrasts, transcripts, responsive layouts, gesture recognition, etc.

It becomes increasingly important each year, but there’s still a long way to go before we achieve that balance where inclusivity and accessibility in design will give people with disabilities a chance to fully experience everything new digital products have to offer.

Asymmetric web layout

Customers are becoming increasingly annoyed with all the similarly looking websites with the same bootstrap or other boring grids. Along with adding more fun to menus, spritzing some interesting effects to your design, and experimenting with animations, an unconventional layout is an excellent way to liven up your website.

Incorporating the asymmetric grid system into your web pages is an excellent idea to add creativity and dynamic experience. Still, be aware that losing consistency is easy if you don’t maintain the element placements and proportions.

Larger fonts

The tendency to make fonts more prominent and/or bolder comes from the need to not only bring more attention to your brand but also add some individuality. Plus, it also enhances the immersive experience for your users when they first take a look at the page.

The inclusion of larger fonts makes people notice the most important piece of text and works wonders when the rest of the space is used wisely (a.k.a. left uncluttered). Larger headlines mixed only with other relevant information are the way to go in 2023.

More dark themes

Dark themes are still rocking. Initially, dark themes were just for smartphone applications, but now many websites and web products have begun adding them too as part of their customization journey.

At first, dark modes were the means to alleviate some of the eye strain that came from reading too much text on highly-saturated backgrounds. Now, they are progressively getting even darker and are used to also give an edgy feeling and highlight certain design areas.

Immersive scrolling

No more parallax scrolling! It’s so 2013! Now, especially since Apple has introduced its Dynamic Island, the practice of the backdrop being slower than the foreground when scrolling is slowly becoming outdated.

Improved and more embellished scrolling, including immersive scrolling, is now the new style in web and app design trends 2023, and it’s all about extra layers of excitement. Immersive scrolling is also called “scrollytelling,” and it’s because it uses narrative in the form of dynamic elements and animations to show and guide the content.

More UI design trends for 2023

We have six more trends for you, this time with even more focus on a user interface. Next year, it’s all about boldness and authenticity when it comes to UI.

AR/VR

Augmented reality and virtual reality are one of those trends that are not exclusive to UX/UI design. As it gets more and more available to regular businesses, AR/VR technology is getting introduced to websites and applications to provide an immersive experience.

Examples of this include virtual reality glasses (e.g., Apple Glasses), social media and e-commerce filters that let people change their appearance and see how a fit would look on them before the purchase, or software that allows you to see the interior design in more detail.

Bolder colors

Similar to bigger and bolder fonts, bolder colors are also a way to stand out from the crowd. As part of the new “retro” trend, bold and contrasting colors in 2023 will be reminiscent of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, serving as a new creative outlet.

Neubrutalism is another side of this trend, and it evolved from the previous brutalism style in UX/UI design. Now, the new version is characterized by contrasts, bold fonts, unusual colors, visible grids, solid shadows, and quirky design choices.

Gradients

On the other hand, gradients also seem to be in trend in the upcoming year. When the colors on your website or application are flat, integrate some gradients to add dynamism and briskness.

With retro in the mix, you can also expect gradients and a more muted color palette to be put side by side with the bold and contrasting colors, making it a 2in1 trend in our today’s list. To take it a step further, try ombre with gradient - add shades that go from light to dark and vice versa.

3D imagery

A continuation of the AR/VR trend, 3D imagery is the following year’s trend that originated from the boom of Metaverse. Some digital products have used this type of imagery for quite some time, but now it’ll become more widespread with the popularisation of even more client-product interaction.

3D imagery makes your illustrations and animations look so much more cool and professional, plus they add a dash of realism to them. Even just enhancing your user interface with some 3D elements significantly improves user experience.

Interesting cursors

This next trend is dedicated to all UX/UI professionals who want to spice things up when it comes to website navigation. What is the best way to do that if not to utilize the one thing that is always on the screen and follows you around no matter where you go?

Peculiar cursors are an excellent way to treat your visitors with some fun. Just have a go at them and experiment - playful shapes, animations, or just simple yet custom-made are going to add a unique touch to your product and make it memorable for users.

Micro-interactions

And last, but not least on our list of top UI/UX design trends for 2023 are micro-interactions - it’s an instant feedback from your product’s side in the form of visualizations or animations of minor actions such as page loading, various transitions, links changing color, or icons reacting to clicks.

Adding even a few micro-interactions to your website or application is a sure way to keep the visitor’s attention for longer and maintain the desired level of engagement.

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Visual design trends 2023, summarized

Each year, trends evolve and adjust to the user's needs and the level at which technology has managed to advance. Judging by all the graphic design trends for 2023, next year will be about spicing up the usual UX/UI design with quirky cursors, micro-interactions, boldness in both colors and fonts, asymmetric layouts, as well as more focus on a customer by adding extra layers of personalization and taking care of inclusivity.