The Next Big Thing

Now we’re over the holiday period and well into 2014, I wonder what the new UI design trends of the year will turn out to be? What will we be looking back on in our ‘Rundown of This Year’s Design Trends’ articles? Which ones are we going to want to forget, in years to come…? (I’m still a sucker for skeuomorphism but I’m aware it’s less than cool now!)

Without being a designer myself, I occupy a birds-eye vantage point – looking in on hundreds of portfolios a month. I see constant flux in what’s hot and what’s not, what gets pushed to the front of portfolios and what get relegated to the back – what helps to win awards and what has become a bit ‘meh’.

All I know is whenever I’m confronted with something new, I think “wow this couldn’t get any better” – but then six months down the line it does. I’m sure you’re the same – looking back through your work from months, or years back (mostly comprising of blood, sweat and tears) and realising how soon it has become outdated or cluttered.

I wonder, too, if changes in design mentality are the conscious decision of one or two genius designers which then catch on, or a ripple effect reaction to the type of products and platforms in vogue at the time? Are trends fabricated and perpetuated by designers, and the rest of us (the user base) merely pawns to the changing tides? Or, with the constant iterations and usability studies refining and re-assessing interactions – are the users the real creators?

Perhaps any designers out there could give me a sneak peek into the next big thing for the coming year? I’d love to know!

 

Please feel free to contact me at Sam Emmett.