In the previous blog, we touched upon what we could expect to see in the field of UI/UX designs in 2021. In this blog we are going to delve into the design trends that have already made ripples this year. As was mentioned in the previous blog, the ever increasing demand for newer designs which are effective in drawing customers and keeping their attention have paved the way for exciting and innovative UI and UX designs. In this blog, we are going to look at some of the trends that has already made their mark in the world of UI and UX in 2021.

1. A much more immersive experience –2020 has seen us do away with most of our daily real-life experiences, this has in some ways forced designers to come up with UIs that enables visitors to have an immersive experience. Editor X’s Web Design 2021 reports that the research and development team of New York Times provides an insight into how it is possible to recreate physical spaces to enable a real time experience for readers through environmental photogrammetry which is nothing but putting together hundreds of photos which ultimately morph into a 3D image.
2. Innovative usage of texts – Designers are always embarking upon experimental options, paths which offer readers and visitors something new and quirky. In our previous blog, we talked about how UX is enhanced when bold typography is used in certain places. In 2021, using bold typography for homepages instead of using a cliché artwork is a reality. Usage of texts for the main “art” while designing a website has become common practice for designers. However, it is to be noted that text heavy designs are much more difficult and complicated to design than it sounds.
3. Augmented Reality – Designers are displaying exceptional levels of expertise when it comes to augmented reality. Global Market Insights predicts that in the next four years, AR products are going to surge 85% to a $165 Billion industry. Stats like these have urged companies to look for designers who excel in Augmented Reality. As we predicted in the last blog, Augmented Reality is the way forward for the UI designers.
4. Animations for UI – Animations and data visualization is something that has been repeatedly used by designers to deliver an overall better UX. From that aspect, 2021 is no different. Visitors from all age groups have displayed significant interest in animated stories and have shown a greater rate of engagement when they interact with animated screens. 2021 has seen a huge surge in the usage of animations for UI designs. With improvement in technology, designers are no longer afraid to come up with complex animations to enhance UX.
5. User-friendly motions for UI – Designers are putting emphasis on story telling in 2021 and for that they have put moving elements in their UI design. Motion effects are deemed to put forward a story of a brand much more efficiently and effectively than a plain and static image.
6. Unusual scrolling and layout designs – Designers are always trying to get an unorthodox and quirky look for their UI. The most common way to achieve that in 2021 is to develop a newer scrolling effect and different, abstract layout designs. Creative navigation methods and creative layouts have seen a massive surge in 2021 encouraging designers to think out-of-the-box more and more.
7. Advanced micro-interactions – Following Facebook’s success with micro interactions, it is no surprise that more and more websites are going down the same path. But, in 2021 micro-interactions are becoming more and more macro. The objective is to take the level of communication to such a stage where the visitor feels deeply connected with the webpage. Designers are increasingly using innovative methods such as changing page layouts and sudden motions as responses so that the visitors feel satisfied with the page response.
8. Animations that mirror human behavior – 2021 has witnessed designers use more and more anthropomorphic designs to provide with a much more immersive UX.

As we predicted in our last blog, 2021 has seen a huge surge in innovative approaches to designing an UI. It’s still early to say if the trends will hold but if these few days are anything to go by, then it can be safely be said that designers will exercise their creative freedom to more to create unique UIs in the coming days.