<p>Published on <a href="http://ift.tt/2sRm6ru">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> Valinda Chan </p>
<h4>Staying fresh and original while not getting caught up in trends</h4>
<p><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rTtNQx"><a href="http://ift.tt/2sRmJ4d">Material Design was designed by Google in 2014 and has later been adopted in many Google applications. Material Design uses elements that remind us of paper and ink. In addition, the elements have realistic shadows and hover effects.</a></p>
<p>Design trends help push designs forward, which keeps things new, exciting, and modern for the users. Geometric shapes, bright colors, flat 2.0, etc. have come up again and again in the past few years. Some may stay or keep evolving, and it’s important to be aware of trends that are happening so that you can speak to your clients’ needs or just be aware of what’s popular these days. Users may be used to seeing certain design trends in other products and services they use regularly, and will be in for a surprise if yours follow the look and feel of something from the 1980s.</p>
<p>Being aware of trends is important. However, it’s easy to latch onto new design trends to try to impress clients. That’s why it’s important not to get too caught up with design trends without making sure the trends you incorporate cover the interface principles below that are here to stay:</p>
<h4>1. Keep it simple</h4>
<p>While clever designs are popular, make sure the design doesn’t create any accessibility, discoverability or usability problems. Make sure the language is clear to the user. If something is not needed and does not add value, it’s better to remove it. Simpler is always better.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2rTATV0"><a href="http://www.bolden.nl/">If you want to tell what Bolden’s (old) home page is trying to say, you’ll have to move your mouse to the corner of the page.</a></p>
<h4>2. Always consider context</h4>
<p>The user expects to see interface controls near what they want to control. For example, if a field can be edited, put the “edit” control near that field rather than at the bottom or page even if you are tempted to while taking advantage of negative space or minimalism.</p>
<h4>3. Strategically use color and texture</h4>
<p>While bright and bold colors have been popular in some products, make sure you are taking advantage of color and context to draw emphasis to or away from certain elements if you choose this approach. For example, you would want the “Call to Action” button to be a different color than the rest of the surrounding area in order to draw attention to it. It may be hard for a user to notice the button if all the surrounding colors stand out just as much. However, don’t use color and texture just because. If you cannot validate it, it’s best to not use it.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2sRkZbk"><a href="http://ift.tt/2rTF7wf">Bright colors is often a characteristic associated with flat design because it creates a distinct feel.</a></p>
<h4>4. Think about defaults</h4>
<p>It’s important to think about what a user may do on the website, and what their goals are. That way, you can create defaults that make things easier for the user. For example, if the user is filling out a form, it may be helpful to have certain fields already filled out.</p>
<h4>5. Ensure users are always informed of what’s happening</h4>
<p>While minimalism has been popular, don’t skimp on letting users know what’s happening or what will happen. Always label your links and buttons clearly so users know what to expect. Users don’t like mystery links. Feedback is a must. Informing users of where they are on the website, what the errors are, or what is going on prevents users from getting frustrated and leaving the website. Especially nowadays, users may not be willing to wait that long so we have their attention for a very short amount of time before they leave and look for another product or service instead.</p>
<h4>6. Establish visual hierarchy</h4>
<p><img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2sRe0if"><a href="http://ift.tt/1HTx9Ue">http://ift.tt/1HTx9Ue</a></p>
<p>Establishing a clear visual hierarchy with focus and flow helps users process and understand the information on the page, and figure out how to navigate it.</p>
<h4>When incorporating certain trends, ask yourself:</h4>
<ul>
<li>How might this design trend fix a particular problem? It is all context-specific. There are tons of trends and you want to understand if that particular trend addresses a particular problem.</li>
<li>How might it hurt or help usability?</li>
<li>How does it fit in with what you’re already doing?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Wrap up: research</h3>
<p>Just like in any industry, keeping up with trends is important. However, it’s important that you aren’t just incorporating the trends just because. First and foremost, make sure you understand what your users need. Then deliver that information in an effective way. Research the design trends used by other sites and see if (and how) they are using them successfully.</p>
<p>Conduct testing on users to explore participants’ feelings about an overall user interface and the problems that they encounter when using it, and examine whether a product meets their needs. Conducting research will help you make sure you can validate your design decisions. Every decision needs to have a purpose. Trends will come and go, but following good design principles will help keep you relevant as a designer for years to come.</p>
<p><em>I’d love to hear your thoughts! Is there anything you’d consider adding or removing from this list?</em></p>
<p><iframe src="http://ift.tt/2rmUPQ0" width="800" height="400" frameborder="0"><a href="http://ift.tt/2pIip9S">http://ift.tt/2pIip9S</a></iframe><img src="http://ift.tt/2sRewNx" width="1" height="1" alt="stat?event=post.clientViewed&amp;referrerSou"></p>
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<p><a href="http://ift.tt/2rTCSbZ">6 interface principles to remember when incorporating design trends</a> was originally published in <a href="http://ift.tt/2cAqCpx">Prototyping: From UX to Front End</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


6 interface principles to remember when incorporating design trends

Staying fresh and original while not getting caught up in trends

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