What better way to set about the year than to make forecasting – some obvious , some not so obvious – as to what trends will become more wide used in the plan community . Each twelvemonth seems to bring new ideas to the community and once they derive enough traction , they eventually become the average ( we ’re looking at you , “ pull to refresh ” ) .
In honor of the year , we have 13 blueprint trends that we ’re either hoping or expecting to see reign in throughout the class . sense complimentary to cite me on these in late December , as well . I wo n’t be offended .
1. Flat Design
Windows 8 seems to have builtits only unexampled OSaround the idea of a completely flat UI , most of which orb around the Windows 8 UI ( previously known as Metro ) and Live Tiles . It set off a while ago with the XBOX dashboard , but seeing an entire type O revolve around the flat design was a bit unexpected at the clip . It has its pro and con , but that s the basics of deal - offs .
A more late software that utilizes flat design is an alarm system clock app that goes by the name , Rise . The entire UI is miss any sort of three - dimensional element with uncontaminating type prevailing throughout .. When you combine that with their slope , you get a beautiful looking alarm clock . deed over , the utility of an warning gadget clock does n’t demand a lot of astuteness as far as the navigation and UX croak , it still proves it ’s worth , making for a uncomplicated and visually appealing app .
bland design is n’t for every practical app . However , there will without a doubt be an insurrection of designers and developers likewise who are going to strive for a very simplistic plan of attack to the UI of apps to arrive and be update in 2013 .
2. Fewer Buttons (More Gestures)
I ’ve been over thisbefore . I also post this right on after “ Flat Design ” for a grounds . When you ’re try out to make an diligence that is n’t cluttered with buttons ( and lacks visual dimensionality ) , you ’re naturally going to resort to actions we call gestures . Google went for both # 1 and # 2 in their recently exhaust Google Maps . Now , not everybody match that gestures are the best bet , but that ’s where I see applications going in 2013 .
3. Animation as Affordance
This is also place strategically after the former trends . When you do n’t have a push button to press or an picture to select , you may be lost as to what needs to pass off to achieve the task you ’re trying to accomplish . While there is n’t a slew of this in applications right now ( that I know of ) , niggling animation can be used to point the user as to what needs to happen to achieve a sure task .
The best example I have found yet is the camera icon on the iOS lock screen . Many people unfamiliar with iOS would more than likely repair to just snap on it or else of dragging it up . Instead of not doing anything when iron , it does a piddling bounce up and down ; revealing the camera feature underneath . This cave in a optical hint to unknowing users as to how to in good order use it in the time to come . By extend this clue , user are able to pick up on things rather quickly .
In fact , over Christmas , my grannie learned it on her iPhone after just one try . She get along to me and swash that she see a new feature . She lie with I ’d appreciate her new discovery . In fact , she record some of my article on here , despite not having a hint as to what I ’m verbalize about . I lie with that woman .
Apart from my aboveADDmoment , by offer little animations as affordance , you may guide the great unwashed around the UI without cluttering it with buttons . It ’s a solution to one of the trade - offs of minimizing more prominent visual cues .
Besides affordance , there ’s another look of vitality and transitions that ’s significant . Subtlety and fluidity . vivification within applications can make or break the experience for users and when they sense innate , not glitchy it makes that experience that much more worthful . With development father more and more precise and nomadic processors being able to handle much more , this should be made a priority for upcoming blueprint .
4. “Hamburger” Menu Drawer
Plenty of apps already apply this as the ikon choice for menus , but I think it ’s going to become much more universal . It ’s a elementary way to show that there ’s a list of option and it can be done with nothing more than three parallel line .
One diligence does add a bit of merriment to this , though . In Marco Arment’sThe Magazine , if you hold the clit for around three seconds , the ground beef carte clitoris sincerely turn into a beefburger . A delicious easter bollock from one of the best in the business .
Although not so much of a trend , per se , it ’s a visual internal representation that will more than likely become worldwide , more so than it already is .
5. Native Over Web
This one has been rather consistent throughout the preceding few years , but as aboriginal weapons platform continue to get narrowed down and prove ( or disprove ) their value , native seems to be the appropriate choice more often than not .
I wo n’t go into too much detail as I do n’t want to pretend to know all of the advantages and disadvantage of native over web , but it does seem that more and more applications will be developed with a specific platform in mind .
6. Responsive if not Native
This trend is in utter contrast with the above , but one that also deserve to be observed as designer will without a incertitude choose both paths throughout the year . When new issue come to be and the creators require to reach a wider audience , sometimes a proprietary political platform may not be the elbow room to go .
The good example to engagement isQuartz . Quartz is far from native , but it is designed very responsively in the horse sense that it will work on every twist almost effortlessly . I can give it up on my iPhone , iMac , or a Surface Tablet and it will work essentially the same way , stage me with the exact same info in an aesthetically likeable mode .
reactive design is becoming the go - to way to present World Wide Web - based content . Designing specifically for every twist in the world is nothing short of impossible and this alternative testify to be a very reliable option to allow content to be consistent across platforms .
7. Wider Websites
This trend is one that I ’ve actually been seeing the opponent of lately . Some of the previous blogs that I ’ve start to confabulate lately have a very tenuous breadth . This makes sense in some regards , but when you have the option for creating a reactive site , a 700px wide website leaves too much white space when viewing it on a “ Retina ” concealment or a 27″ iMac .
By offer wider internet site , it also reserve for optic media to be more prominently exhibit alongside the text . A icon can speak right smart more than a thousand row in some cases and sustain a beautiful pic at 700 picture element does n’t do it Department of Justice .
It will be interesting to see if this movement does bulge to take hold in 2013 .
8. Larger Fonts
This is yet another one I ’ve started to point out . It seemed that for the prospicient of times , 12 - 14px fonts were the standard across the web for body textual matter . More recently though , I ’ve seen many internet site opt or else for much prominent fonts in the range of 16 - 18px for just their body schoolbook . Hereis one byTrent Walton .
This is important in the fact that with responsive web design , typography play an significant part in the readability of your content . When 18px baptistry is displayed on an iPhone , it ’s much easier to read than get to read 12px text . However , the deal - off on this is that when longsighted article are written with such a large fount , it becomes rather objectionable when view it on a large , less pixel - thick cover .
9. Larger Search Inputs
This is one that I had n’t noticed until fellow Industry author , Jordan pointed out to me . Search is becoming more and more of a significant factor in every aspect of invention . From a societal meshwork UX to a publication UX , a search purpose is almost a must to break what we need / need from what we do n’t .
BothThe Noun Projectand the newMyspacetake advantage of an extremely gravid hunt function . This retiring class was the first time Google search had hit a tableland and I believe it ’s due to more proprietary forms of search rather of an over - vulgarize method .
Although this does n’t refer to the large search arena , Path has made abig diveinto a unparalleled hunt function that is custom - made for their services . Expect much of this too .
10. GIFs as Design Elements
This is one which both Twitter replies and fellow Industry author wanted to see on the lean . GIFs seem to be make believe an uprisingonlineand the next coherent footstep is to utilize them in excogitation . PNGs tend to be the current standard and GIFs will allow for a computer code - less way to sum up change or motion to specific component .
I ’m not quite sure of the technical capacity of this , as a lot of times GIFs can render eldritch on mobile devices , but I must agree with everyone who said that many will attempt to put through this in the coming twelvemonth .
11. Designing For Humans
This is n’t so much as a tendency as it is a philosophical system . Too often we are caught up in look over every single detail that we give way to take a footprint back and see at the overall reason for designing the way we do .
It ’s well live that people value good figure , but in that regard , most of the item that hold such time value also have the mite of humanism that enable them to touch base with the purpose , Cartesian product , etc . on a deeper level .
I feel as though this will begin to take more shape throughout this yr . We ’ve gotten to a dot where we know the true capability of the devices we hold and apply each and every day . It needs to be the goal of decorator to make applications , publications , and the similar that are made with not only the UX in mind , but the overall doctrine and connexion that is made with their creation .
Marco Arment does an unbelievable task with this inThe Magazine . While its tailored for technical school - oriented people , he also curates the articles in such a manner that even someone with a want of technical school noesis can value the article that are within it . He did n’t descend up with the idea of The Magazine to be beautiful ( although it is ) , he design it to be a publication that held value , potential drop , a connexion , and on a deeper level , a school of thought . Humans crave object – be them physical or on a screen – that they can link with .
As important as proficient detail is , it ’s the experience with the blueprint that is going to make an encroachment with human . After all , we ’re not here to make mathematical product just for the design biotic community ; we ’re design to improve the populace , as cheesy as it may sound . If you may change how humans interact with their daily gimmick in such a significant way , you will begin to bear on their overall productiveness and/or state of judgement , which directly correlates with their comment into the world .
I want to see this as a trend . Will it be ? I ’m not certain . It would definitely be nice though . There ’s no breaker point in having a pixel - perfect design if it does n’t help me simplify or ameliorate my life sentence in some regard . It ’s something that is look out over a bit too much .
12. New Colors (we’re looking at you, #00A0D1)
If there ’s one thing that ’s been stagnant in the plan community , it ’s the originality with colors . Sixty pct of the applications on my homescreen are one coloring . juicy . I sympathize the color hypothesis behind down in the mouth , but come on , guys . We ’re half of a tenner into having an app store with icon to symbolize apps , yet one colouring has consistently rein them all .
It ’s not just ikon , though . web site from Tumblr to Pandora are flog liberally with an absurd amount of gentle . Color theory is interesting as all get out . So get out there and vary it up a bit . Not every colour is function to work ; that ’s a fact . But there ’s no scathe in experiment and stepping out of the norm .
This is n’t so much a trend as it is a supplication , but perchance with a bit of wishful thinking , things will alter .
13. Vector
With better tool at bridge player , designer ’s lives are being made much gentle with the procession with vector . I ’m just getting into design , but I can honestly saySketchis one of the most well thought out software usable for designers .
Being able-bodied to come up with one design and scale for different cover resolutions has truly never been simpler . If there ’s one affair anyone want in their lifespan it ’s a more flowing work flow and transmitter does just that .
Expect even more interior decorator to jump onto this ship in 2013 as there is piddling reason not to .
Conclusion
This articlewas reproduced with tolerant permission fromThe diligence . You canfollow them on Twitter here .
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