Isn't it astonishing that the internet, although only 30 years old, has developed dramatically over time?
We now all have sophisticated computers in our pockets. As and when computation power became more mobile, the approach towards UX web design changed as well.
Slowly, designers have shifted from designing desktop-first websites to creating separate mobile experiences. Eventually, it has become everything about responsive design.
New technology is upgrading the way we work, and businesses must keep up with the advances in order to stay relevant as far as their customer communication is concerned.
The way we communicate, learn, and think are all influenced by technology. As it stands, the more changes that take place in the tech realm, the more it impacts how customers interact with businesses.
Impact of Emerging Technologies on UX Design
Any advancement in technology has a direct impact on the user experience. Technology has advanced enormously. So have design and the user experience.
As a result, it has become essential for UI/UX designers to master particular technologies in order to provide a better user experience. Here are the different technological advancements that are set to gain traction in 2022 and beyond, as well as their impact on UX design.
In-app Customer Communication
With so many means of communication available now, marketers can communicate and engage with users much more easily. Well! App messages is a great way of communicating with users
A well-targeted in-app message is a notification that your users can view while using your mobile or desktop app on their devices. With in-app messaging, you can easily allow your businesses to communicate with their customers effectively.
From customer onboarding processes to product updates and promotional discounts, everything can be conveyed through in-app communication systems.
This particular technology assists organizations in providing a better customer experience by enhancing customer engagement and retention.
Businesses may utilize in-app messaging to guide users step by step and keep them informed about new product features and updates.
You may also send users contextual, time-sensitive, and highly-targeted messages using the in-app messaging feature.
With so many valuable features in its arsenal, the concept of in-app messaging has become one of the most used techniques for organizations looking to improve their customer onboarding process while improving client engagement and retention rate.
Interactive “Skeuomorphic” UI Design
If you don't know what skeuomorphism is, let us explain it briefly. Skeuomorphism aims to make UI elements on a two-dimensional (2D) screen appear similar to the three-dimensional (3D) world. This simple transition can help consumers to interact with a user interface more freely.
Over the years, the progress of user interface design has been affected by some key parallels. Among the factors that have had an impact on the development of UI design are hardware capacity and intuition (familiarity and mental models).
The aim to fit with people's mental models, have an open mind, and preserve a connection to the ambient world are all important practices for lowering the barriers to adoption (and good UI design in general).
These days, designers are aiming to build digital controls that resemble their physical equivalents. One such example can be a spinning dial on a digital MP3 that allows listeners to control volume. This particular trend flourished under Steve Jobs' leadership.
Do you remember Apple's product launch ceremonies when Jobs used to appear on stage with a minimalistic yet thoughtful presentation screen behind him? You can adopt such a strategy when designing your product.
Using Pitch's free online slideshow software can help you build interactive presentations that would help you to keep your customers engaged. What can be more fruitful than grabbing your customers' attention and retaining their interest? That's where an interactive UI comes into play.
The future of UX design can only be estimated once we understand the current demand, need, and usage trends. It is a given that designers must evaluate and understand the current user experience demands in order to create future product changes. Follow these 16 mobile app design trends for better UI/UX.
Gesture Control without Touching
We all know how the iPhone's introduction of the touch feature in 2007 altered the way mobile applications are designed. However, technology tends to evolve at lightning speed, and today the concept of interaction design and its elements are now expanding much farther and quicker.
As we speak, touchless gesture control is the new big thing. With this particular technology, a device can track a person's hand movements and operate accordingly. This particular tech is becoming more popular and is expected to become more mainstream over the next couple of years.
Users will soon be able to complete tasks without touching their smartphones. All they would need to do is simply wave their hands or pinch their fingers.
There are technically two different hand gesture technologies that smartphone manufacturers have introduced.
For instance, Samsung's device requires users to wield a tiny wand with sensors that can also be used as a stylus.
On the other hand, Google's Project Soli relies on radar technology and utilizes a tiny chip packed with sensors. These chips and sensors are responsible for interpreting motion and eventually converting it to relevant data to understand what the user is trying to accomplish.
As of now, Google's Pixel 4 allows users to use gesture control features to carry out a plethora of mini-jobs, such as snoozing alarms, skipping songs, and disconnecting phone calls.
However, that's just a fraction of gesture-free control's true strength. If nurtured correctly, this tech could pave the way for a touchless future.
For further advancements, designers would be required to research and study human motions and ergonomics. It would help them create efficient gesture-based interfaces.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI or Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword in every meeting room in the last few years.
Everyone in the industry wants to implement AI in their everyday business activities, but how exactly does it impact UX design?
Have you noticed lately that a huge number of websites have chatbots that interact with visitors? Yes, that's a real-world example of deploying AI for improved user experience.
Users can ask their queries, and the chatbot would answer in moments, much faster than an average human conversation. The integration of AI and machine learning with user experience designs are in high demand.
As designers, you can build a relationship between artificial intelligence and human intelligence in order to produce a product with an exceptional user experience.
Voice UI
If you have watched sci-fi movies over the last few decades, you must have noticed that futuristic devices don't tend to have a physical screen. What if we said that real-world trends aren't too different from fiction?
Take a look at the voice assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, Google Home, and Microsoft's Cortana. Recently, they have grown in popularity.
Around 3.25 billion digital voice assistants are already in use in devices around the world, with predictions that the number will rise to eight billion by 2023. That's more than the world's human population!
Voice UIs can effectively improve and simplify the overall user experience. They allow individuals to multitask and interact with technology in a more human way. It's more efficient and highly functional.
Although there are flaws in the technology, those can be rectified over the years to come, leading to the emergence of a truly voice-based UI culture.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality has altered the level of interaction between humans and computers. But building an AR application is not as simple as it seems. It's crucial for designers to understand the needs of both users and the platform.
One of the greatest features of AR is that it helps build an immersive user experience. It helps designers to build their products in such a way that users can actually utilize them for real-life aspects. AR has taken the gaming community by storm.
For instance, Pokémon Go was an instant hit, with players being able to interact with other players in public while jogging, walking, and collecting Pokémons. However, that's not the ultimate potential of Augmented Reality.
AR is capable of much more than that. It can have a significant impact on the e-commerce industry. While this particular tech's UX is currently confined to hand-held devices such as smartphones and game consoles, the future possibilities are virtually endless.
Conclusion
The world of technology is ever-evolving. To keep up with the advancements, designers should keep track of the latest technology. Failing to do so would lead to an unsatisfactory user experience, eventually leading to customers leaving certain platforms in favor of competitors.
Whether you should work with chatbots, machine learning, voice UI, VR/AR, gesture recognition, or an entirely new sort of developing technology entirely depends on your product and its target customers.
Taking their preference into consideration is the best practice designers can implement. Conduct comprehensive user research using user-centered design techniques. Consider reading the 12 proven tactics to improve your website usability and UX for better conversion.
Still need any help in website designing? feel free to contact us.