Top UX Design Trends for Your Next Website Redesign

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Statistics show that over 88% of users never return to a website after having a poor user experience. With customers having more choices than ever, a good UX can help your brand stand out. Things like intuitive design, streamlined processes, and engaging content significantly influence whether visitors convert or bounce away.

That’s why staying on top of the latest UX designs is important for any website redesign. If you want to improve users’ interactions with your site and keep them coming back for more, read on as we look at 7 best UX trends. 

7 Top UX Design Trends for Your Next Website Redesign

1. Immersive Scrolling

Image source: https://www.digitalsilk.com/digital-trends/scrolling-effects/ 

Immersive scrolling uses dynamic elements, smooth animations, and a narrative-driven approach to immerse users in your story. If done effectively, immersive scrolling can dramatically improve user engagement by adding discovery, intrigue, and a sense of continuity to the typical website scroll

Instead of traditional linear page layouts, immersive scrolling treats your entire website as one long, vertically scrolling page. As users scroll down, they discover new content intuitively and engagingly. Interactive animations come to life, and visual elements change depending on the users’ scroll position, seamlessly guiding their experience through your message or product features.

The goal is to make scrolling feel less like clicking from page to page and more like progressing through a cohesive experience. 

Some top benefits of building an immersive scroll include the following:

• Users spend more time on the site as they feel intrigued to scroll further and uncover more.
• It helps tell your brand’s story with clear pictures.
• It enables the website to gradually show scannable information as you scroll through different sections.
• It helps readers to engage with content in an interactive way, reducing the likelihood of them leaving the site. 

2. Experimental Navigation

Image source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/experimental-navigation-mfasis/ 

With top navigation bars being outdated, users now expect navigation to mimic apps. It should have intuitive, engaging designs like sidebars and tabs that hide links while prioritizing important actions. 

Consider testing new navigation patterns if you want your next redesign to stand out. Rather than rigid pulldowns or sidebars, play with creative options like motion-based menus that unfold organically on a scroll. 

Make strategic use of overlays for emphasis—a semi-transparent screen that reveals additional navigation options can encourage exploration. You could also embed joyful Easter eggs for users to discover hidden menus or unique content.

While unexpected, such experimental approaches can deliver a welcome change of pace from typical grids and lists. With interactivity, you can turn an essential utility like navigation into a highlight that imprints your brand in a user’s mind.

3. Use of Bold Color Choices

Image source: https://www.qed42.com/insights/an-understanding-of-colors-for-ui-design 

There has been a revival of retro-inspired color palettes featuring bold contrasts and lively hues. Websites increasingly incorporate vibrant colors reminiscent of the 1980s, with neon accents and flashy gradients. These eye-catching color schemes can help add personality and visual interest to your site.

Bold colors can catch viewers’ attention and make a memorable first impression. When used strategically, they can showcase a brand’s personality or values in a fun, upbeat way. However, balancing bright colors with neutral colors and other design elements is crucial to creating a cohesive look.

Here are a few tips to help you with balancing colors.  

• Use bold colors sparingly as accents rather than using large blocks of color. Limit them to call-to-action buttons, logos, or highlights.
• Introduce bolder shades gradually to offset any harshness. Layer them over neutral backgrounds or pair them with complementary colors for balance.
• Ensure sufficient color contrast for accessibility. This ensures readability even for people who may be visually impaired.
• Soften vibrant shades with gradients to make the color more translucent and less intense. Hard edges and blocks of solid color can feel harsh; adding depth makes colors feel more inviting.

4. Intuitive Design

Image source: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-7-factors-that-influence-user-experience 

Putting users at the forefront of every design decision is crucial for your website redesign if you want to maximize the chances of them converting into paying customers.

Thoroughly understanding your users, their goals, and common pain points or frustrations can provide valuable insights. User research methods like interviews, surveys, and usability testing can provide insights into who your users are and what they need. From there, design to build an intuitive experience that effortlessly guides users toward completing their desired tasks. 

It’s also important that the redesign addresses functionality and gives an enjoyable experience. Focus on visual design, interactive elements, and copywriting that inject positive emotions and a sense of ease for users. Provide smooth interactions, and reassuring language to build confidence that users can accomplish their goals without facing any difficulties.

5. Use of 3D and Animated Visual Elements

Image source: https://blog.tubikstudio.com/creative-ui-design-concepts-3d-graphics/ 

Another growing UX design trend is incorporating 3D graphics and subtle animations into website designs. 

3D and animated visual elements can draw more attention to static elements on your site. Adding movement helps hold users’ attention and create a more visually interesting experience.

3D graphics and animated elements enhance user interactions and make the website more dynamic and immersive. For example, subtle animations can highlight important call-to-actions as users scroll, guiding their eyes to the most critical information. 3D or animated diagrams and illustrations can also help explain complex information or processes visually and engagingly.

It’s also important to consider how 3D and animations can impact emotions. Simple elements like buttons that raise subtly on hover can create a sense of depth, polish, and customization, which boosts the perceived quality of your website’s user experience.

6. Inclusion of AR/VR Integration

Image source: https://www.acil.in/ui-ux-designing-for-ar-and-vr/ 

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) offer powerful ways to immerse your website visitors in new experiences. AR/VR integration in web design will become more viable as technology advances.

You stand to gain the following benefits from AR/VR integration:

• Enhance product visualization: With AR, customers can visualize how products look in their space before purchasing, reducing product returns.
• Improve e-learning: You can bring educational content to life through virtual simulations and demonstrations that AR/VR enables.
• Inspire creativity: AR effects allow users to interact with digital objects and unlock new ways of problem-solving.

While still emerging, AR/VR applications are becoming more web-friendly. Progressive web apps now allow AR content to function across platforms. You can join the trend by integrating WebXR APIs to open AR/VR on your website.

If you’re eager to engage visitors with immersive storytelling, you should experiment with AR filters and interactive VR demos. More sophisticated experiences may require dedicated apps.

7. Use Micro-Animations

Image source: https://www.justinmind.com/blog/microinteractions/ 

Micro-animations refer to subtle, refined animations or transitions used across a website to direct a user’s attention or provide interaction feedback indirectly. Where significant, elaborate animations could prove distracting, micro-animations quietly enhance the user experience.

Using micro-animations well throughout the interface can bring life and polish to your website redesign. Subtle animation effects for actions like hovering over buttons or links help users understand what is interactive.

Micro-animations also provide essential feedback after a user acts like submitting a form, letting them know the system registered their input. This builds confidence and trust in the experience.

When implementing micro-animations, be sure to:

• Limit animations to 150 ms or less for minimal disruption.
• Only animate meaningful actions and UI elements, not extraneous elements.
• Ensure animations are consistent and complement the overall visual design.
• Test animations for accessibility to avoid potential issues for users with visual or motor impairments.
• Animate on hover and focus states, as well as transitions between pages.
• Consider using micro-animations for things like dropdown menus or modals.
• Use animations sparingly to avoid overwhelming users and undermining the goals of subtlety and feedback.

Conclusion

As user experience continues to rise in importance, you must stay current on the latest UX design trends for your next website redesign. What we have covered in this article represent where the industry is headed and what users have come to expect from the websites they interact with.

While not every trend will fit the needs of every site, selecting a few focused improvements based on research can help take your website to the next level. With a user-centered approach, these designs can help your site deliver a superior experience that drives higher engagement and results for years.

At Vizion Interactive, we have the expertise, experience, and enthusiasm to get results and keep clients happy! Learn more about how our Website Design and Development services can increase sales and boost your ROI. But don’t just take our word for it, check out what our clients have to say, along with our case studies.