By Anas Ali
The field of user experience design is wide, multifaceted, and exciting. It influences the goods and services we use everyday and has the power to make or destroy a company’s brand success. Digital experiences are more important than ever for corporate success. The race to digitise has picked up speed as a result of the pandemic. A more uncertain global economic environment is placing pressure on businesses to adapt, compete, and disrupt. The bar for what consumers and businesses alike expect and demand from digital has been increased.
While transitioning into the Web3 era, we are now using the Web2 version of the internet. This brings new opportunities and problems for both users and designers. Web3 seeks to expand on Web2’s strengths (user engagement, social media sharing, tailored content, etc.) while improving the online experience. In Web3, the emphasis is on content creation (Semantic Web), which improves cybersecurity and streamlines information sharing among web users. A new age of decentralised, blockchain-based digital experiences is also introduced by Web3.
The last barrier to widespread Web3 adoption is UX. How successfully Web3 enables users to explore experiences while maintaining control of their personal data may be the most crucial aspect of its success. In other words, UX design will be crucial to the development of the new internet. Experienced UX/UI designers are currently in high demand among Web3 start-ups, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
UX design is gaining more attention than ever as company leaders realise the huge demand for human-centered, highly tailored digital experiences. Businesses are aware of the value of optimising consumer engagement with their brand. But how can they distinguish between long-term trends and UX hype? There are a number of emerging trends and developments that are shaping the future of user experience (UX) design. Some of these include:
Voice interfaces: As voice-controlled devices like Amazon
Virtual and augmented reality: As VR and AR technologies continue to advance, designers will need to think about how to create immersive and engaging experiences that take advantage of these new mediums.
Artificial intelligence: As AI becomes more sophisticated, designers will need to think about how to create interfaces that work seamlessly with AI-powered services and that can adapt to individual users’ preferences and needs.
Microinteractions: Microinteractions are small, subtle interactions that take place within the interface, such as a pull-to-refresh gesture or the “like” button on Facebook. These interactions are becoming increasingly important as designers look for ways to make interfaces more engaging and responsive.
Emotion-based design: As technology becomes more advanced, designers are starting to focus more on creating interfaces that can respond to users’ emotional states and provide them with personalized experiences.
Accessibility: As technology becomes more advanced, designers are starting to focus more on creating interfaces that can be used by people with disabilities, such as those with visual or auditory impairments.
These are just a few examples of the many new horizons in user experience design that are emerging as technology continues to evolve.
The author is – Lead UI/UX Designer.