UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) is a growing field in mobile app design. Now that most of us conduct our lives on our smartphones, mobile app designers need to have good UX principles at the heart of their development. An app is only as good as its usability.
So what trends in this area have we seen emerging in 2022?
Human-centred approach
When apps first started being developed for the original smartphones they were very system orientated. The field of UX wasn't widely known or considered by developers. They simply created apps to fix a need or want. Design principles began to emerge and apps began to look good, however, they still weren't very human-focused. Over time app developers have discovered the value of UX and this has now become a specialised field in its own right. Developers have been forced to put humans at the centre of the design, because, well otherwise their app would fail in its purpose.
Voice search optimisation
Voice optimisation is becoming prevalent in mobile applications in 2022. As part of the focus on applications being human centred, those with vision impairment are now being catered for. A wide range of consumers are adopting voice recognition as part of their daily interactions with technology. Having a voice search function in your mobile app development project has never been more important.
Micro Intentions
Micro Intentions are in every app you use, whether you know it or not. In fact, if you don't know it, they are doing their job! They are the tiny little things you do in an app when you are completing an action. They are elements that guide and give you feedback in the short term while you are navigating your way around. It might be a simple next button or a button that shows an x on it when you hover over it. These types of micro intentions are called "feedback animations". Little animations that happen as you use that app that give you feedback on what you can do and where you can go. I'm sure that 2022 will continue to show us many more evolutions of the use of micro intentions.
AI-Driven Chatbots
As chatbot technology improves the use of chatbots in apps will continue to increase. For a user, it can be an added tool for finding out information quickly or putting you in touch with someone who can help easily. Say goodbye to the old FAQ section on an app! This kind of feature is particularly helpful for service-based apps. Say any kind of online store, hotel and accommodation booking apps and food services. Personally, I've engaged with chatbots in apps more this year than ever before!
