From virtual reality to personalization: The top UX / UI design trends for 2024

When you’re busy working on web design tasks one after another, it can be hard to keep track of time and the latest design trends that come with it.

The next thing you know, a client might request a new (UX) user experience design feature you haven’t heard of yet but is already a new standard in design!

It might feel quite embarrassing, but it’s not impossible to fix.

You just need to catch up and improve your skills. (I know, easier said than done.)

There’s a drastic difference when you compare the UX/UI standards in 2023 to the design trends in 2024.

People are creating innovative products, apps, websites, and user interfaces (UI) everywhere in the world to offer the best user experience possible.

You just gotta keep updated with clients’ new needs and ensure their brands and businesses have the right tools to stay competitive.

In this guide, I’ll highlight some of the trends in UX/UI design in 2024 to give you motivation to stay ahead and provide outstanding web experiences for clients.

How micro-interactions improve accessibility and user engagement

Microinteractions are small, subtle design elements that react to what users do, giving feedback and enhancing engagement.

For example, think about the tiny animations you see when you pick a reaction on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.

These animations make your interaction more engaging by showing movement when you hover over them, making it seem like you’re reacting in real-time.

The reaction you choose also remains visible, confirming your selection.

Imagine if nothing changed when you clicked these buttons.

It’d be a whole different experience!

You might wonder if the site even noticed your reaction…

In the same way, these tiny animations or visual cues guide users through your site, making their experience more intuitive and enjoyable.

Here are a few usual examples of microinteractions:

• Like button animations

On social media platforms, the “like” button often has a small animation like an explosion or a confetti shower when pressed, adding a satisfying visual response.

This is like the reactions on Facebook and LinkedIn we mentioned earlier.

• Button animations

When a user clicks a button, it slightly changes color or animates to show that the action has been registered.

For example, when you switch a toggle for features like dark mode or authorizing access to certain parts of a site, the button changes colors to indicate that you turned the feature on or off.

• Loading spinners

While waiting for content to load, a spinner or progress bar can keep users informed that the site is loading and is not frozen.

Yes, this is the dreaded loading screen, but it lets you know the site is still loading.

Some sites make it more fun and engaging by adding animations and text to their loading spinners.

These microinteractions can help improve the usability of your site.

When they’re going through tasks or filling out forms, you can indicate errors, which buttons to click next, and change colors for buttons when a feature is turned on.

It also keeps your users more engaged.

They are actively getting feedback whenever they perform an action, such as reacting to posts or moving to the next step in a form.

However, when designing microinteractions, it is important to keep them simple.

The interaction should be subtle and not distract from the main content.

Instead, it should add value and enhance the user experience as they go through your site.

Too many microinteractions can distract from the main task your users were initially trying to do.

Immersive storytelling through visual elements and augmented reality

A big difference between sites nowadays is how common it is to use immersive storytelling elements.

This combines visuals, text, and multimedia elements to tell a compelling story.

You used to only see this in creative portfolios and projects.

Now, people even add these elements to eCommerce pages!

It is no surprise, though, as these are way more engaging and memorable.

Users prefer to scroll and click through several interactive elements instead of just reading a large block of text.

You’re more likely to remember a vibrant visual animation of someone climbing a mountain and creating Patagonia sports gear compared to just reading it from an article like this one.

Some examples of immersive storytelling include:

Interactive graphics

With interactive graphics, users can click, drag, or hover over elements to reveal more information or trigger animations.

Have you seen how we add interactive graphics to our articles at Deer Designer?

We often add carousels and sliders to reveal images for a more engaging experience.

Another creative application is Quartz’s “dude map,” where the heat map warps when you click the words “bro”, ”buddy”, “dude”, “fella”, and “pal” to show how common they are used throughout America.

Parallax scrolling

This method creates a sense of depth as background images move at a different speed than foreground content.

For example, Apple uses parallax scrolling on its iPad Pro page.

This gives the illusion that the elements are floating in a seamless void.

Way more interesting than just a flat page with specs and photos!

Augmented reality and virtual reality

These two methods are easy to confuse, but they are both used to make experiences more immersive.

Augmented reality (AR) adds digital artifacts like images, videos, and experiences to the physical world.

Think of it as an overlay you see on top of your normal surroundings that you can see through a mobile app on your phone or a mobile headset you wear like a helmet.

The recently released Apple Vision Pro uses this technology to bring your apps to the real world.

Meanwhile, virtual reality (VR) builds an entirely different world that you can interact with through a VR headset.

Instead of just playing Skyrim through your console, you can feel like you are inside Skyrim yourself!

Both AR and VR have started to take over fields like e-learning and advertising, and they are constantly improving these fields with the power of artificial intelligence (AI).

For example, Aircards created an AR experience to promote the movie Dune where people can create their own AR avatars, interact with each other, take photos, and record screen shares for easy sharing.

Machu Picchu 360 offers an interactive VR experience where you can see and hear the scenic views of Machu Picchu.

Seamless and minimalist navigation

When you have too many pages on your site serving different functions, it can be difficult to categorize everything and guide your users where to go.

It can be even more challenging when you’re converting your website to a smaller screen, like that of a phone.

How do you add all the features of the full website to a smaller screen and still make it easy to navigate?

Minimalist navigation simplifies the navigation structure of a website or app to make it more intuitive and user-friendly.

This trend reduces clutter and presents only the most essential navigation options.

It makes your site easier to use, as it is easier for users to click through the minimal navigation menu and find what they are looking for.

It also enhances aesthetics by keeping it clean and modern-looking.

As there are fewer distractions in your navigation, users can focus on the main content of your site instead of the other design elements.

A great example of minimalist navigation is the hamburger menu.

It is a compact menu that hides navigation options until clicked, saving space and reducing clutter in your site.

This is especially useful on mobile sites where there is less space compared to the desktop site.

With a hamburger menu, you are able to offer the same features and menus as your desktop site without cluttering up the tiny screen.

Voice User Interface (VUI)

Not everyone is able to navigate websites by typing or pressing buttons.

This is why a lot of people use VUI to interact with devices and applications using voice commands.

With just a few commands, you can search for queries, read articles, start a timer, or send a message—all hands-free!

Even if you are able-bodied, it can be convenient to use this feature when you are multitasking, such as driving, washing the dishes, or even just tired from a long day of work.

This technology is becoming increasingly popular with the rise of smart speakers and voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri.

Common uses for VUI include:

• Voice search: Users can search the web or navigate an app using voice commands. You can simply ask Siri to start a timer, send a message, or search for the nearest McDonalds.
• Smart home controls: You can control smart home devices like lights, thermostats, and security systems using voice commands, claps, or clicks.
• Interactive customer service: Shops and restaurants now have voice assistants to handle customer service inquiries and provide information.

By making your site accessible to VUI users, you can easily expand your reach and make your site more inclusive for people with disabilities.

This can be done by adding alternative texts to images and videos and making sure your content is organized in a way that bots and search engines can understand.

Dark mode enhancing visual comfort in UI design

A lot of brands now offer dark mode on devices, apps, and websites.

Both iOS and Android now offer system-wide dark mode settings.

Many popular apps and websites, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, offer dark mode options other than their default day mode.

If you’re not a fan of dark mode, you might find this one confusing.

Why is it so popular that every big website or app seems to offer this nowadays?

Dark mode switches your user interface to a dark background with light text and design elements for high contrast.

It is getting popular as it can help with eye strain and reduce battery use.

When people view your site in low-light environments, like in bed at night or at a party, the dark mode is easier on the eyes compared to a bright white background.

On organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, dark mode can help save battery life by using less power to display dark pixels.

Not to mention that dark mode also just looks more modern and sleek!

It can be a pain if you’re a designer tasked with switching to this mode, as you have to convert your existing dark text and design elements to a bright version that stands out from the black background.

This can limit the colors you are using, especially if your brand uses darker colors like navy blue and royal purple, which can be in low contrast with black.

But offering a dark mode option might just be worth it!

If your application or website is meant for long-form reading, like a book reader, magazine, or news site, having a dark mode feature encourages people to stay longer and read your content.

Personalization creates unique user experiences

You might notice that your social media or eCommerce marketplace feed looks different from the feed of your friends and family.

That’s because all of these websites are now using personalization.

Personalization tailors the user experience to meet the individual needs and preferences of each user.

This is achieved through data-driven insights that create an algorithmic feed or simply by adding adaptive design elements that are triggered when a user does a specific action.

Adding personalization has been seen to instantly boost user engagement, customer satisfaction, and even conversion rates.

This is exactly why all the big websites like Facebook, Amazon, and YouTube have algorithms to personalize everyone’s timeline.

Each feed is catered to your specific demographic, location, and interests, so you immediately find something that keeps you on the website for longer.

Here are some ways you can add personalization to your site or app:

• Content recommendations: Suggesting articles, products, or videos based on user behavior and preferences.
• Adaptive interfaces: Adjusting the interface layout and elements based on user preferences and behavior.
• Dynamic content: Displaying different content to different users based on their profile or past interactions.

Some of these personalizations can be as simple as recommending related articles below an article the user is already reading or cross-selling, which means adding related products to an eCommerce listing to encourage people to buy more products from your shop.

It helps to consider your user journey and potential areas where you can insert these recommendations during the design process.

Staying updated with the UX design trends for 2024

As web design continues to evolve, staying ahead of emerging trends in UX/UI design is important for delivering exceptional web experiences.

By incorporating elements like the ones we mentioned in this article, you can create products that not only meet but exceed client expectations.

Need help with your web design? We have a couple of guides that might help:

➡️5 good web design principles and examples for your web design inspo!

➡️Tips to design your website to convert visitors into customers: conversion-focused web design

As an on-demand design service, we’re here to help you keep up with these trends and implement innovative design solutions that resonate with your audience.

Let’s work together to create digital experiences that are both engaging and effective. Book a client-fit call today!

Key takeaways

• As design tools and design systems for UX and UI are constantly changing, it helps to stay updated with trends.
• Microinteractions are subtle interactions that guide people as they interact with your site or app.
• UI designers have added immersive storytelling elements to their sites to engage with users better. Parallax scrolling, interactive graphics, VR, and AR are just some ways to make a site more immersive. We can expect to see more in 2024 and beyond.
• Allowing users to seamlessly navigate through a site with minimalist navigation is becoming even more important as we use smaller screens on phones.
• Making sure your site is readable to VUI users can not only help broaden your reach but also improve your site’s accessibility to users with disabilities.
• Other than being a more sleek and modern design, dark mode has gained popularity as it can help reduce eye strain and save battery life on OLED screens.
• Certain design decisions, like cross-selling and adding article recommendations, can help personalize a user’s experience on your site.