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Charlie Semmence

UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design can be the difference between a website that inspires users to buy from you, and one that immediately sends them packing. It takes just <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01449290500330448" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">50 milliseconds</a> for a potential customer to form an opinion on your site and decide if they want to stay or go. That means you have 50 milliseconds to impress them with a seamless user experience. In the exciting world of UX and UI design, 2023 is set to be an interesting year. With the ever-changing needs and wants of users, designers are challenged to adapt to stay at the forefront of innovation. So, what can we expect from UX/UI design trends in 2023? Well, you’re about to find out. 
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 1. AR/VR &amp; 3D elements
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 A UX/UI design trend we’re expecting to see gain popularity in 2023 is AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies that allow for interactions between digital objects and the real world. Although AR and VR have been more widely used in the gaming industry, they’re now becoming more accessible, leading to its growing popularity in the ecommerce sector. AR/VR elements encourage users to interact with products on an ecommerce site. Along with 3D images, this gives more dimension to the product page, making the website more innovative, interesting and likely to convert. 
<img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/ux-ix_Trends_Image_Workshop_Image_3_600x600.jpg?v=1670503777" alt="UX/UI design trends 2023">
Source: <a href="https://www.littleworkshop.fr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Little Workshop</a>'s <a href="https://showroom.littleworkshop.fr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WebVR showroom</a>
 
According to Shopify, brands using augmented reality saw retail conversion rates increase by <a href="https://www.shopify.com/uk/enterprise/augmented-reality-ecommerce-shopping" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">up to 250%</a>. This kind of data encourages businesses to embrace the technology to drive sales while also enhancing the customers’ experience. The challenge for brands in 2023 will be to consider how to seamlessly integrate this immersive UX/UI design trend into their user journey without alienating their less technologically-advanced customers.
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 2. Dark mode
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 “Dark mode” has become increasingly popular in recent years and it looks like a continued emphasis on usability and accessibility means it’s set to stay for 2023. Dark mode is an option that many users are now asking for, one which can give websites a sleek modern look while also having practical benefits.
 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/ux-ix_Trends_Image_British_Museum_Image_2_600x600.jpg?v=1670503898" alt="Dark mode" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Source: <a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The British Museum</a>
 In UI design, the main purpose of dark mode is to make the viewing experience less harsh on a user’s eyes by adjusting the contrast ratio between text and background colours. Dark mode also reduces strain on mobile device batteries and provides a more immersive experience for the user. From a design perspective, having a darker interface allows vibrant colours to pop on screen, enhancing their visual impact, peeking a user’s interest and keeping them engaged longer. Most forward-thinking platforms now provide an option to toggle between light &amp; dark modes, giving the user flexibility to choose their preferred option. An expansion of this practice is a UX/UI design trend we expect to see in 2023.
 
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 3. Motion design &amp; micro-interactions
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 UX and UI design is all about ensuring every element on a page serves a specific purpose – eliminating unnecessary clutter so users can focus on the important information at hand. It’s also important for users to discover an interface that they can engage with, which is why motion design and micro-interactions are another growing 2023 UX/UI design trend.
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 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/Conceptzilla_600x600.gif?v=1670504247" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://www.conceptzilla.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Conceptzilla</a></div>
 Using movement and visual effects (i.e films, animated text, web-based animations) enhances the visual experience, keeps users entertained and makes your website more memorable. Micro-interactions, for example, can be used to provide a visual response after users interact with a specific element of the page, as a way to confirm that the user has successfully completed the desired action. This makes a website more intuitive to navigate.
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 4. Personalisation
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 Personalisation has become increasingly prevalent across different elements in the digital world, and its emergence into the ecommerce space makes it a UX/UI design trend to watch in 2023. <a href="https://www.lxahub.com/stories/personalisation-stats-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">74% of customers</a> feel frustrated when a website’s content is not personalised, demonstrating that personalisation is not something they’re ready to compromise on. Personalisation makes a potential customer feel valued by adapting information to them and only showing them content that truly reflects their unique interests. This process can also involve changing how a website’s interface looks to match someone’s personal preferences, such as by changing the themes or colours. Although it can be challenging to keep up with, hyper-personalisation is here to stay.
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 5. Immersive scrolling
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 The next UX/UI design trend we’re expecting to see more of in 2023 is immersive scrolling. Immersive scrolling is the evolution of an animated page, providing the user with an immersive and captivating experience. This practice allows for storytelling at its finest, giving brands control over when, where and in what order users see certain elements (images, copy, interactions) on their site.
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 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/Immersive_scrolling_600x600.gif?v=1670504353" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://unseen.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Unseen.co</a>'s <a href="https://2018.craftedbygc.com/#enter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2018 Year In Review</a></div>
 This hierarchy allows for content to be presented in a more strategic manner, and an opportunity to come up with compelling stories that get your message across in a more striking way. Immersive scrolling is about adding context around a story, enriching it with dynamic elements, engaging users and inspiring them to take action.
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 6. Oversized typography
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 As the main introduction to your site, your hero image is often the most impactful element of your homepage. Most businesses therefore choose to showcase eye-catching visuals and animations to grab the attention of the users who land on the site. A UX/UI design trend that’s growing in popularity for 2023, however, is to replace that photography with bold, oversized typography.
 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/UX-UI_Trends_Image_Apple_Image_1_600x600.jpg?v=1670503985" alt="UX/UI design trends 2023" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
Source: <a href="https://www.apple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple</a> 
 This eye-catching typography typically works best on a plain background that has a high contrast with the text. Incorporating animation adds another dimension to the design, working alongside the enlarged font to create movement on the page and a better flow of the overall site. Large typography isn’t just a design trend - it’s a step in the right direction in terms of accessibility too, particularly given that <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2.2 million people</a> across the globe live with a visual impairment. After all, the members of your audience need to be able to read your content, at the very least.
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 7. Brutalism
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 Brutalism is characterised by its simple, raw appearance and experimentality. In UX and UI design, it’s a trend that’s slowly making its way back to the forefront of innovation for 2023.
 <img src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1472/1782/files/ux-ix_Trends_Image_Magazine_Image_4_600x600.jpg?v=1670504052" alt="" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
 Source: <a href="https://pw-magazine.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PW-Magazine</a>
 Brutalism is a <a href="https://www.toptal.com/designers/digital-product-design/minimalist-ux-design-strategies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">minimalistic approach</a> that represents functionality over form and efficiency over aesthetics. Its more simplistic approach focuses back to the core feature of early web design: code. Some of its characteristics include system fonts, underlined hyperlinks, web-safe colours, geometric components, borders, lines. Brutalism in UX/UI design strips back to the core of best UX practices, making everything as easy to read and navigate as possible. 
 
<h2>Stand out with cutting-edge UX and UI design</h2>
 UX and UI design are essential components of modern web development. They help you create a seamless user journey, enhance the look and feel of your ecommerce site and encourage users to buy from you. We’re here to help you get it right. <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/pages/contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Talk to us</a> about how we can help you get set for growth with <a href="https://www.underwaterpistol.com/pages/ecommerce-web-design-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stand-out UX and UI design</a> that’s ahead of the curve.

7 cutting-edge UX/UI design trends for 2023