As technology evolves and customer needs change, so do the digital design trends used to develop customer experiences. With 2023 just around the corner, the new year promises exciting concepts and technologies to enhance and transform user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design.

At Wizeline, we deliver digital products from end to end to our customers. This means we’re always abreast of the latest trends and technologies to deliver a consistently top-notch experience to our customers and their users. Through our industry knowledge, we help our clients solve complex problems, leveraging evidence-driven design processes to develop innovative, useful, and inspiring products. 

This blog explores the cutting-edge design trends we expect to be the most prominent in 2023. Let’s get right into it. 

5 Product Design Trends To Look Out for in 2023

Mixed Reality, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR)

As virtual worlds become more and more commercialized, most recently thanks to Facebook’s name change to Meta and the company’s focus on its Metaverse, we see businesses across various industries challenging the status quo and leveraging alternate reality to develop digital experiences for customers. Some examples include ASOS’ See My Fit tool, using AR to fit clothes onto models digitally, and IKEA’s Studio app, enabling users to capture 3D room plans and re-design them, incorporating everything from windows to colors, door frames, and rugs.

At Wizeline, we’re constantly exploring ways to leverage AR, VR, and mixed reality to enable collaboration, develop unique visualizations, and increase customer engagement while focusing on ensuring safety for end-users as we merge digital and physical environments.

Phygitalization

“Phygitalization,” as its name suggests, combines physical and digital objects to create a completely immersive user experience. Simply put, it refers to the process by which a store combines the benefits of a physical presence with digital applications or features.

We can already see many examples of phygital across various industries designed to make customers’ lives easier. As the world opens up more and more, this trend will only continue upward in the next year. A great example is the automotive industry, where businesses are adding video call options to car shopping apps to bridge the gap between physical and digital shopping.

It’s important to remember that for phygital to be successful, we must carefully consider all elements and focus on speed, user-centeredness, and ease of use to deliver a truly seamless customer experience.

Motion Design

Motion design is a unique blend of animation, illustration, graphic design, 3D technology, and digital product design. Incorporating animation and motion into your design process is vital in helping your users achieve their goals and increases overall user engagement. Motion helps businesses tell better stories and creates a more natural user experience.

With advancements in the world of animation, e.g., LottieFiles enabling designers to create beautiful animations with small file sizes which can be used across multiple digital platforms, we’ll continue to see motion design incorporated more into customer experiences.

Accessibility as a Must-Have

Accessibility in digital product design ensures a product can be used by everyone. Accessibility laws exist to aid people with disabilities, but every designer should try to accommodate all potential users across various contexts. 

As we strive to make our physical world more accessible, companies must ensure they’re not creating barriers to inclusion in their digital products. By embracing accessible design throughout the product development process, companies can support underserved populations while enhancing their market appeal and their bottom line. At the same time, there are legal implications to developing inaccessible digital solutions. Designers must stay abreast of all regulations and legal requirements to ensure compliance. 

Minimum Loveable Product (MLP) vs Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A Minimum Lovable Product (MLP) is an initial offering that has basic functionality and the potential to make users fall in love with it. On the other hand, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is an initial product with a set of basic features used to collect customer feedback for further iterations.

With each passing day, customers are presented with more options for digital products, and their relationship with technology is increasingly transactional. If a customer’s first interaction with a product leaves them feeling unsatisfied, they will likely quickly move on to find something better. An MLP helps businesses stand out in a crowded marketplace and informs the strategy for the rest of the product since an increased focus is placed on delighting customers rather than doing the bare minimum. In the new year, we expect to see more businesses prioritizing the development of an MLP over an MVP in product design and development.

In Conclusion

As the latest trends in design continue to evolve, it is more paramount than ever to create beautiful interfaces and captivating experiences. Staying up to date with these trends and the best practices for implementation can set you apart in your industry.

If you need help figuring out where to start, consider working with a partner like Wizeline. At Wizeline, we work with our in-house product design experts who specialize in developing excellent customer experiences to take your brand to the next level. Check out our landing page or send us an email at consulting@wizeline.com to get started.

You can also learn more from the Wizeline Design team by checking out our Pixel Imperfect Podcast (Spanish) or the Wizeline Design Blog.