Why It's Better to Hire a Studio Over a Solo Designer

This post originally appeared on uxgirl medium.

As you may have guessed already, designing digital products is something more than just pampering their visual layer and taking care of the aesthetic experience of end users. Designing is primarily the ability to meet the specific problems of our recipients. It is to propose solutions based on previously acquired information regarding strictly defined needs and goals. Regardless of whether we create a mobile app, website, or a complex system for a specialized target group (e.g. astrophysicists or vascular surgeons), we should always get to know the expectations and needs of the people we design for. In addition to collecting requirements, drawing flows, thinking about, and testing individual user paths, we must remember such aspects as the usability of the solution being created, its availability, or even the necessity to take into account technological limitations.

Does this mean the visual layer should be sidelined or simply ignored? That’s not true, as often it is just as important as all the rest. This importance of aesthetics to us (and our users) is shown by trends in UI design that have been appearing for many years. As with all trends, you shouldn’t get too attached to them, since they are often very fleeting and pass faster than they can appear on our smartphones or in our browsers. Nevertheless, whether we’re talking about clothes, music, art, architecture, or interface design, we can always follow certain trends and track how they shape a given market. Some of them, as we have already mentioned, are temporary and do not find much support among recipients. Others, on the contrary, have been ruling for years and with each subsequent year, they evolve, popularize and penetrate deeper.

Today, we are going to discuss the trends of UI design for the new year, 2022. The majority of them debuted on our monitors and smartphones’ screens some time ago. However, due to the extremely rapidly developing technology, allowing some concepts to evolve, due to popularity or sentiment, many of the above-mentioned trends will stay with us for much longer and will certainly attract attention for the next year.

Even so, we must not forget that we are still talking about trends, a certain fashion or approach that is currently at the forefront. It does not mean, however, that we should follow it blindly from now on. Again, first of all, we should create solutions focused on a given need, solutions that respond to the problem presented to us.

Why bother with trends then? Why follow something that may become a thing of the past in a few or a dozen months? It’s quite simple.

To design better, to understand the market and to keep up with changing standards. In this fast-paced technological world, the way content is presented in apps and on websites keeps changing rapidly. People are constantly attracted by new stimuli and someone (perhaps from our competition) is constantly trying to attract their attention. If we want to relatively easily adapt to the changing world (not only the external, but also the virtual one), and at the same time not to be overwhelmed by the enormity of often unnecessary information - we should wisely and consciously follow the trends. This will allow us to approach design much more confidently and better. Being up to date, the ability to adapt to current standards, and being remembered are very important aspects today. They have a direct impact on how our product will be perceived outside. People buy with their eyes. The first impression is not an overrated slogan, but an actual phenomenon that can decide whether users will love our product.

Below is a brief presentation of a few trends we believe are worth paying attention to today. Some of them have been around for a while and will certainly not disappear any time soon. This is confirmed by, for example, all those fantastic projects that we can see on the Internet.

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Use of 3D elements

No one is surprised today that designers are replacing flat illustrations with graphics and even animations in 3D. The development of technology and the emergence of new tools and plugins that allow you to easily create 3D objects is conducive to the development of this increasingly common trend. Both the ease of creating in 3D and much better resources such as stronger computers, faster internet, better optimization, and more front-end libraries allow our applications and websites to come to life.

3D very often means that our project is remembered, that it does not get lost in the multitude of subsequent pages, and thus it may also pay off in sales results. 3D objects make our products more attractive. The effect of depth or “popping out the screen”, although not so new, still attracts attention and enriches the reception among potential users.

Today you don’t have to be a Blender or Maya master - you can just use Figma and plugins such as:

• Vectary 3D Elements
• Fig3D
• 3D shapes

It is also worth looking at Dimension CC from Adobe.

Bold Typography

The fact that many websites and mobile apps have been moving towards minimalism for some time now does not need to be pointed out. Minimalism leads the way and it’s hard to be particularly surprised about it. First of all, we often associate it with professionalism. In addition, fewer elements mean less cognitive overload for users. Minimalism is also a huge plus for optimization - the simpler something is, the faster and smoother it works. It requires less resources (at least theoretically) as well.

A suitable complement to minimalist designs is the use of bold, clear, sometimes even exaggerated typography. It often comes down to placing individual headlines taking up a large part of the page view. In such a way, the user can be more involved in the content presented. The purpose is sometimes purely artistic. It is worth experimenting, breaking patterns, and building a design based on typography - this is what can play the first fiddle.

Dark Mode

Another concept worth following is a dark mode theme. Usually available as an option we can turn it on at night to protect our eyesight. Today we can, however, more and more often observe its default presence in web design, where users encounter light or white typography on a dark background. It is worth remembering the basic rules relating to contrast and how human eyesight reacts to certain color combinations. Hence, remember not to use white on a purely black background and vice versa, i.e. if you choose the dark mode, make sure that the background is e.g. dark gray, not 100% black, etc.

Anyway, apart from strictly aesthetic values, the dark mode also allows you to save the battery (less bright pixels have a positive effect on how quickly we have to search for a charging socket).

Protecting eyesight, energy, and aesthetic values are just some of the advantages of using the dark mode in our products. Dark themes with contrasting colors also improve visibility for some groups of visually impaired individuals. When designing a dark version of an app or a website, make sure that your solution is available to a wider audience. Designing in an inclusive manner is an important aspect of any good design. Therefore, if we want to comply with the guidelines or simply respond to the needs of all target groups, we should take it into account. Thus, if you haven’t thought about using dark themes for your apps or websites, it might be time to do so.

Y2K

One of the biggest UI trends is Retro Design. It is often seen as a way to bring back nostalgic memories and focus on things we already know, repackaging comfort and knowledge of the past and adapting it to the needs of the present.

Research has shown that nostalgia gives our lives a sense of meaning and continuity, leading to a stronger sense of interconnectedness and clear direction. Nostalgia also helps to relieve the uncertainty of the future by letting people feel they belong and have a purpose.

Each decade was characterized by something special and thanks to this, retro design can be understood in various ways. We can talk about the pop art trend or the psychedelic design of the 60s. Memphis Style with art deco elements and bold geometric shapes of the 80s, or abstract shapes and patterns, dorky fonts, kitsch textures, and grunge of the 90s.

What we want to highlight here is the so-called Y2K aesthetics, which officially returns and pops up everywhere from industrial, interior, and graphic design to social media, pop culture, and UI design.

The Y2K concept is described as futuristic with a retro twist. Based largely on cyberculture, Y2K’s aesthetics are known for their shiny textures and holographic metallics that are becoming a big trend on their own right now. Youthful, tacky, plastic, and colorful.

The trend has already started to emerge on social media platforms such as TikTok, where young people are experimenting and trying to get new quality out of thick, chunky fonts, bright colors, and trashy, futuristic style.

With a smile on their face, the older generation observes how subsequent apps and websites utilize the trends of their youth. The younger generation, at the same time, with the child’s fascination, creates crazy combinations, turning kitsch into a fashion of today’s times.

Maybe, for a while, it makes sense to depart from modern, flat, minimalist concepts and delicate colors, to take a step back and see what will never come back in the same form?

Dusty Design

To make buttons stand out, designers are experimenting with ways to make them look like they’re floating above the background. We often use drop shadows and different combinations and variants of gradients to liven them up.

One trend that we predict will be huge in 2022 is dusty buttons. Buttons on glass surfaces will look like they’re behind a thin coating of dust, providing a sense of depth and making the buttons appear more tactile. This trend highly shows that the boring flat buttons era might be way behind us and a completely new future is approaching.

Color of the Year

The Pantone Color Institute, every year for over 20 years, announced the color of 2022. This time they chose a warm and subdued mixture of blue, violet, and a hint of red. Officially called Pantone 17–3938 Very Peri, described as dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone. In RGB space, it’s exactly 102, 103, 171. And the HEX value is #6667AB.

The color is a response to the current world situation and is intended to suggest the need for change, the search for new opportunities, hope, and creative strength. The inspiration was not only the coronavirus pandemic, but also virtual reality headed by Metaverse and NFT.

Very Peri is meant to encourage people to discover and enter a new reality with optimism and childlike curiosity. It allows us to accept the opportunities and perspectives that surround us. The time of transformation and the need to adapt to a new vision of the world require not only exceptional creativity, but also self-confidence, passion, and energy.

In general, the combination of blue and purple is associated with innovation, creative thinking, and modernity. On the other hand, warm accents add a tinge of optimism and joy.

Does this mean that in 2022 we should design our products based on this color theme? Not necessarily, but it’s worth having it in the back of your head. Color trends set by the Pantone Institute quickly shape fashion in the world around us. Hence, you can almost be sure that shades of purple and blue will storm not only apps and website interfaces, but also fashion shows and interior designs.

Color is still one of the most powerful means to communicate and express emotions. Therefore, let’s not be afraid to follow color trends and experiment with what is currently popular.

These are just a few of the design trends worth following. In addition to the above-mentioned, it is worthwhile to observe concepts such as:

• motion design & micro animations
• new european bauhaus
• immersive design
• behavioural design
• blurred, colorful backgrounds
• claymorphism & glassmorphism,
• smooth swipe
• emotional design
• abstract design
• animated illustrations

Finally, for dessert, we left two more concepts that have caused a lot of buzz in recent years, namely AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). Well known and widely used, but still not as common as we would like.

Additionally, in the past year, the tech world has turned its eyes to two hot terms, Metaverse and NFT. We won’t go into details right now, but they are definitely things that will change the way we perceive VR today. Watch the development of all mentioned directions, because there are probably a lot of things that can happen in this realm soon. As designers, we should always stay on our toes.

This post originally appeared on uxgirl medium.

This years work leisure times meaning attending conferences might be a little troublesome for most of us to say the least with all the restrictions due to COVID-19 situation. Even though travelling to a distant country to meet new people and talk work matters in a light way while drinking free beverages is not possible, there is another option to learn something new and possibly meet others, meaning online remote conferences.

Many of the yearly happenings have successfully moved to the virtual space this year to accommodate new conditions. While the experience might be slightly different we still think it’s worth it, so grab your favourite beverage and snacks and get ready for some binge keynoting.

UX Healthcare: Frankfurt

July 8, 2020

Better user experience can save lives. With this bold statement UX Healthcare conference presents their mission. At UX GIRL Healthcare is at the forefront of our services sectors and we, as well as UX Healthcare, also see a big need in revolutionising this industry. Healthcare systems need better design and need some talks about it. Frankfurt edition of this conference will be held fully online with later editions to stay in the usual format. It’s a great possibility to catch a glimpse of the healthcare industry progress in terms of technology and experience working products. We particularly recommend attending these sessions: Adventures in Surgical UX from Tim Caynes and UX for AR: Brain Surgery with Augmented Reality.

Gdynia Design Days

July 4–11, 2020

This baltic conference is already an established brand in the polish design scene. 2020s’ years theme is Attention! which was announced even before the worldwide epidemic of COVID-19. It was chosen to showcase mindfulness and enhance focusing on values, that we sometimes forget these days. We have our own possibility of adding to the theme, as Magdalena-our founder will be performing design workshops there. If you want to learn more about Blockchain and how to solve sustainability issues with it through design be sure to sing up here.

HCI International

July 19–24, 2020

We were particularly looking forward to visiting this conference, as it was scheduled to be held in a beautiful venue Bella Sky, Copenhagen, but it’s great to know that the conference has been fully moved to the online. HCI International is a very solid science-oriented conference covering all aspects of Human Computer Interaction. If want to see factual research studies being presented-this is something for you. We also highly recommend it for people interested in accessibility.

FinTech Design Summit

July 30, 2020

Financial world is finally catching up with new technology and it’s a very interesting moment for designers to dive deeper into Capital Markets, Corporate and Personal Banking and Brokerage. The conference will feature aspects of Product, Design, UX and Strategy in the Fintech sector. It would be great to listen to Andy Montgomery talk about Square, which was one of the hottest startups in the early fintech days and still stays strong in e-commerce. For people more interested in Blockchain we think listening to Sarah Gregory from Coinbase might just be the best thing to do in your free time.

Enterprise Experience 2020

August 31-September 3, 2020

It’s hard not to notice the organiser of the event Rosenfeld Media, which is responsible for delivering technology and design oriented books to eager reading designers for over a decade. The program of the conference is quite robust with lectures ranging from design for US satellites, through LEGO and giants like Mastercard, Salesforce, ZenDesk. Seems like everyone will find something worthy to listen to.

UXPA 2020 International

September TBA, 2020

Offline conference that was supposed to be cancelled and moved to 2021 decided to run a mini version of it during September. Dates are still TBA, so make sure to write it down a check once in a while. Conference is organized by UXPA association (former UPA) and will be free for all it’s members. Special feature for this conference is a big UX Quiz, which can be completed solo or in team.

Design Thinking: Virtual Experience

September 8–11, 2020

Biggest highlight of this conference is John Maeda, a designer and technologist that was marked by Wired magazine as to be to design as Warren Buffet is to finance. He will be talking about transformation and going beyond design - we can’t wait. Apart from this talk we think it would be beneficial to attend to some workshops that are being held by people from IDEO U.

Disrupt 2020

September 14–18, 2020

It’s hard not to know this conference if you have been to the startup world once in your lifetime. Techrunch Disrupt offers a glide through this years hottest startups that will certainly be big in years to come. It might be the best place to catch a glimpse at the newest user interface trends to come and see them in action on a live product. The conference is supposed to be held offline, but will feature a Digital Pass, that will allow attendees to listen to select keynotes from their homes.

Design Matters ‘20

September 23–24, 2020

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A conference with a rebel flare, we really recommend you visit their 90' inspired website. Design Matters explores new movements in the digital design scene. This year it features Real Fake, Next Gen Design and Scrappy Creative as the conference themes. All sound pretty neat, so we think you should attend just to check them out of curiosity. It will be held onsite in Copenhagen, but live stream tickets are available.

Mobile HCI 2020

October 5–8, 2020

This Mobile conference is organized by ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), a nearly 75-years old organisation directed at technology and computing. We expect a decent dose of research backed information concerning mobile applications and human computer interaction there. The conference has been fully moved to the virtual space, so expect lots of presentations and insights delivered straight to your comfortable sofa.

UXDX

October 6–9, 2020

Last but not least, UXDX offers a fresh view on combining product, design and development topics. Conference is to be held online and will get you the knowledge needed to amp your product development process a level higher.

Either onsite or online we still think conferences do broaden up your horizons. Make sure to save some time for these events and try to network, given our current possibilities.

Have fun!

Magdalena Ostoja-Chyżyńska, the CEO and Founder of UX GIRL, a while ago had the privilege to speak at Infoshare F3, one of the most significant technology conferences in Poland. She was one of the speakers on the "Design" track, where she discussed the critical role of collaboration between developers and designers in creating outstanding products and services.

During her presentation, Magdalena shared her expertise in UX design, providing valuable insights on how to achieve a successful collaboration between developers and designers. She talked about the importance of mutual understanding, clear communication, and problem-solving skills in creating high-quality products and services that meet users' needs. She emphasized that effective collaboration stems from trust and respect, suggesting that developers and designers should always respect each other's expertise and avoid overstepping into each other's domains without consent.

Magdalena's presentation was well-received by the audience, and her expertise in the field of UX design was widely recognized. Her ability to communicate her ideas clearly and concisely made her a valuable addition to the conference and sparked interesting discussions on the topic. For instance, she highlighted the significance of visual aids in meetings, underscoring that visual presentations often enhance understanding and empathy among team members, as opposed to solely verbal communication.

One particularly engaging part of her talk was about the concept of "storytelling" in design meetings. Magdalena pointed out that designers should not only present their visuals but also explain the reasoning behind their choices, which helps in building empathy and understanding from the developers' side. This approach fosters a more cohesive and collaborative environment.

Being invited to speak at Infoshare F3 was a significant accomplishment for Magdalena and a recognition of her expertise in UX design. It also helped to raise awareness of UX GIRL as a leading company in UX design solutions and highlighted the importance of effective collaboration between developers and designers in achieving better results. She shared that her extensive experience-over a decade in design and having collaborated with more than 75 developers—has taught her that the key to a successful product lies in seamless workflow and open communication.

At UX GIRL, we are proud of Magdalena's achievements and her ability to represent our company at such a prestigious conference. We look forward to continuing to share our expertise in UX design and providing high-quality solutions to our clients. Her insights from the conference reaffirm our commitment to fostering a collaborative environment where designers and developers work together towards a common goal, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible outcomes.

Moreover, Magdalena stressed the importance of continuous feedback and knowledge sharing within the team. She encouraged both developers and designers to openly share their thoughts and concerns, to continuously seek advice, and to not shy away from giving or receiving feedback. This culture of openness not only builds trust but also ensures that everyone feels involved and valued in the project.

In summary, Magdalena's participation in Infoshare F3 was a testament to her expertise and the innovative spirit of UX GIRL. Her presentation underscored the essential elements of successful developer-designer collaboration and highlighted best practices that can lead to the creation of exceptional products.

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