Not another UX trends article

With 2023 set to be a challenging year for many businesses, focusing on optimising the online experience is a cost-effective way to positively impact the bottom line.

So, at the risk of hearing you mutter “not another 2023 trends article…”, we wanted to look at what will be important for online experience next year, from inclusive design to micro-interactions.

1. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 

Driven by customer appetite to buy from sustainable brands, organisations are starting to consider the carbon footprint of their online properties in the same way they assess the environmental impact of their supply chain or business practices.

Optimising for sustainability is optimising for performance – offering dark modes, using system fonts, compressing images and lazy loading content. We’ll also see companies overtly communicating how eco-friendly their online experience is, with brands such as Innocent Drinks already offering an energy-saving ‘green switch’.

2. GREATER INCLUSIVITY

Accessibility will continue to be high on the agenda, but we’ll see more organisations practising inclusive design, considering how to improve the user experience for all target audiences and being careful not to exclude. This means thinking beyond colour contrast, text size and video subtitles to consider cultural differences, gender, age and mental, physical and situational impairments.

This, along with the requirement for all European Union member states to adhere to the European Accessibility Act by 2025, will result in organisations upping their game when it comes to accessible and inclusive experiences.

3. OPTIMISING EXPERIENCE FOR SEARCH

As Google continues to actively prioritise websites that provide users with the “best experience”, it’s never been more important for user experience, search and development teams to combine forces to optimise across content, usability and performance.

With mobile-first indexing now the Google standard, and mobile traffic set to increase from 62% in 2022, an accessible and fast-loading mobile experience will be vital for search, brand credibility and conversion.

4. IMMERSIVE SCROLLING

The increasing sophistication of JavaScript and animation libraries has already opened up a world of possibility for great storytelling online, resulting in rising audience expectations for how brands bring content to life.

Organisations will continue to promote their wares in a more immersive way and make websites more engaging and enjoyable to use, enriching content with dynamic elements that entice users through movement, colour and contextualisation. Some are labelling it ‘scrollytelling’, but I wouldn’t dare.

5. MICRO-INTERACTIONS

Alongside immersive scrolling, micro-interactions will continue to be used as a way to delight the user and differentiate from competitors, providing gratification through visual or haptic responses to site interactions, from scroll or swipe to form submission.

Micro-interactions shouldn’t just be seen as a layer of sparkle; they’re also an effective way of navigating a customer through an on-site journey, highlighting key areas to interact with and providing feedback on whether an action is right or wrong. Brands that get the balance right will be on their way to creating usable and memorable online experiences.