Current mobile app design trends are influenced directly by myriad variables, with two primary forces at the forefront: user demands, habits, and technological advancements. Each year, people spend more and more time on mobile apps. In 2023, they reached a whopping 5 hours a day in the top mobile-first markets, corresponding to around 1/3 of total waking hours.
Such extensive use of apps paired with quick advancements in generative AI reshapes users’ UI/UX design expectations, making them strive for fast, engaging, and hyper-personalized experiences.
How do these expectations reflect the trends in app design? And what do businesses need to do to survive and thrive in the competition?
In this article, we’ll cover the top mobile app UI design trends shaping 2024 and share tips on creating a high-quality UI design.
Top 10 Mobile App UI Design Trends For 2024
The blend of simplicity, personalization, interactivity, and realism will characterize this year’s mobile app UI design trends. The users will expect apps to clearly convey their message, provide tailored experiences, value diversity, and prioritize inclusivity.
Leobit Design Studio has thoroughly analyzed this year’s trends to help you resonate with user expectations and stand out in 2024. Let’s take a closer look at the most prominent ones.
Minimalistic and intuitive interfaces
Minimalism will continue to be a dominant trend in app design, aligning seamlessly with the values and preferences of modern users who prioritize simplicity, efficiency, and elegance. This design approach places a strong emphasis on highlighting app functionality by minimizing unnecessary elements and eliminating clutter.
Here are several specific directions that will characterize minimalism in 2024:
- Buttonless UI. The widespread adoption of swipe gestures for app navigation has paved the way for the rise of buttonless UI. This trend is expected to gain even more traction in 2024, allowing users to rely more on gestures, voice, and haptic feedback to interact with an app. Eliminating buttons lets businesses simplify app interface and reduce cognitive load for users. However, solely relying on gestures to complete all actions may negatively influence the accessibility of your app.
- Rounded corners. Rounded corners enhance the compatibility and adaptability of the design, seamlessly fitting with various screen sizes, resolutions, and technologies. Besides, users generally find rounded corners more comfortable, harmonious, and human-like than sharp corners, which can convey a sense of tension, aggression, and danger.
- Flat design. Bright colors, clean shapes, and subtle shadows characterizing flat design have been popular for over a decade. In 2024, this design approach, renowned for prioritizing content and functionality over aesthetics, is poised to maintain its relevance and significance.
- Neumorphism. This trend comes as a modern variation of flat design. It strategically uses shadows and gradients to add depth and realism to UI elements. Marked by monochromatic color schemes, low contrast, and subtle shadows, it achieves an effect of simplified realism in the overall design.
You can also enhance your minimalistic interface by incorporating bold typography. It has the power to make a striking visual impact, express brand personality, and highlight essential information.
Asymmetry
Deviating from the conventional grid system is expected to gain popularity in 2024. An intentional imbalance or contrast between elements can create a dynamic, expressive, and creative visual effect that attracts the user’s attention and curiosity. You can achieve this effect by employing diverse shapes, sizes, fonts, and colors.
While asymmetry has the potential to make an app stand out, it’s crucial to strike the right balance. Excessive asymmetry can lead to a chaotic and confusing appearance. Successful implementation of this UI trend requires skillful balancing of asymmetry with harmony.
Accessibility and inclusivity
Days of universal design reigning are coming to an end. The diverse world population no longer wants to conform; instead, they expect UI/UX design to adapt to their unique needs and preferences. Besides, in many states, following accessibility guidelines isn’t just a best practice but a legal requirement.
To do that, you should follow recommendations from Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) guidelines, which apply to both web pages and mobile apps. They involve enhancing color contrast, refining typography, and optimizing navigation.
One of the ways to enhance the accessibility of your mobile app in 2024 is to adopt voice user interfaces (VUI). By making voice commands the primary mode of interaction, users can navigate the app without locating buttons, menus, or specific sections manually. This functionality proves especially crucial for users with visual impairments and those who use apps on the go.
Dark mode
People have been loving dark mode ever since Twitter introduced it in 2016. Today, nearly everyone has jumped on the dark mode bandwagon — from Spotify and Signal to TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Slack, Evernote, and many others. In fact, it became a default feature on all Android 10 and iOS 13 devices in 2019.
The dark mode trend owes its popularity to saving battery life, reducing eye strain, and cutting down on that pesky blue light. Plus, it just makes the interface look cooler and more accessible.
In 2024, designing apps with dark mode will be a must if you want to keep up with the tides and please your users.
Passwordless authentification
As more organizations grow tired of the security issues tied to passwords, there’s a rising demand for more secure sign-in solutions. Ditching traditional passwords is a relatively new trend that is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
Passwordless authentication eliminates the need to remember or reset passwords. Instead, users can use biometrics (like fingerprint scanning and facial recognition), security tokens, and magic links to access the app.
The major benefits of passwordless authentication include:
- Security. No more stolen login credentials due to phishing or other malicious activities, as passwordless authentication relies on more secure methods such as biometrics or cryptographic keys.
- Convenience. Users can seamlessly access their accounts without recalling complex passwords or undergoing the tiresome password reset process.
- Efficiency. Passwordless authentication makes the login process quicker, enhancing the overall user experience and saving valuable time.
The most popular payment apps, like PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo, use various passwordless authentication methods, making the login process faster, easier, and more secure.
Customizable and personalized interfaces
Modern users seek greater control over their app experience. Creating customizable interfaces allows them to personalize the app’s appearance and functionality according to their preferences. This could involve selecting a color theme, font, layout, or icons from a range of predefined options.
Personalized interfaces also use data-driven methods to deliver content and services that match the user’s needs, interests, and context — for instance, showing the most relevant functions by rearranging or hiding specific sections of the app’s navigation menu.
Full-screen immersive graphics
Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have established the trend of maximizing visuals to occupy the entire device screen. In 2024, the prevalence of full-screen immersive graphics will persist thanks to their ability to capture more attention and strengthen the user’s emotional connection with the app.
However, while this approach enhances aesthetics and fosters a sense of interactivity, it should be employed wisely. Full-screen graphics have the potential to compromise usability and accessibility, prolong loading times, and conflict with the device’s native UI elements like the status bar, navigation bar, or gestures. Striking a balance between immersive visuals and functional usability is crucial for successfully applying this trend.
Return of 3D graphics
Immersiveness grows its popularity, pushing 3D graphics to come back from its roaring past. In 2024, using 3D visuals will be one of the ways to enhance the sense of depth, perspective, and interactivity of the interfaces. You can use 3D graphics for icons, buttons, and other interactive elements to provide a more tactile and visually engaging experience.
In addition to that, 3D graphics can leverage augmented and virtual reality to provide more immersive experiences (e.g., virtual try-on). But be careful when using three-dimensional graphics to ensure they enhance rather than hinder the overall user experience.
Microinteractions
Microinteractions have been around for a long time, but they have gained more attention and popularity in recent years as app design has become more sophisticated and user-centric.
Take, for instance, the like button, showcasing a heart-shaped animation, or the pull-to-refresh gesture, complemented by a loading animation and a refreshing sound. These familiar microinteractions act as visual acknowledgments, forming an emotional bond between the user and the app.
Beyond aesthetics, microinteractions play a crucial role in conveying real-time feedback, aiding users in understanding the app’s responses to their actions. This immediate feedback cultivates a sense of control and accomplishment, ultimately contributing to user satisfaction.
As we move into 2024, these subtle design elements will continue contributing to the app’s overall personality and tone. But remember to use them wisely, as overuse or poor design of microinteractions can be distracting and annoying, leading to user frustration and dissatisfaction.
Multitouch and multiscreen interfaces
The days of one-dimensional mobile interactions are giving way to a more engaging and multitasking-friendly era. The surge in foldable smartphones and dual-screen devices like the Microsoft Surface Duo, Google Pixel Fold, Huawei Mate Xs, and Samsung Galaxy Fold lead the charge in this exciting trend.
While the current availability of foldable phones is somewhat limited, the International Data Corporation (IDC) foresees a significant surge in their global shipments, projecting over 48 million units by 2027.
Even with a slight decrease in average selling prices (approximately -6.8% in 2023), foldable phones remain in premium price segments across different regional markets. However, as new entrants and established vendors gear up to bring substantial improvements and introduce more models, foldable phones will likely become more accessible and widespread in the coming years.
Their demand will also grow for the ability to provide seamless multitasking capabilities. Using multiple fingers or touch points on the screen lets users effortlessly navigate between apps. For example, researching information on one screen while taking notes on the other or comparing products side by side with a simple swipe.
The evolving landscape of mobile app design presents exciting opportunities to enhance user experiences, and understanding the upcoming trends is just the starting point. Together with it, it’s crucial to consider practical strategies for incorporating these innovations into a high-quality user interface. So, let’s take a closer look at how you can do it.
Tips for Creating a High-Quality Mobile App UI
Crafting a top-notch mobile app UI involves mastering a few essential principles. Based on our experience in mobile app UI/UX development, Leobit Design Studio has gathered a few critical tips to follow when starting your design journey.
Here’s what you should do to make your UI design stand out.
Research and understand your target audience
It’s no secret that Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z users have different UI/UX expectations. To design a mobile app that adequately reflects and caters to those expectations, you must correctly define your target users, their pain points, needs, preferences, and usage habits. Methods like surveys, interviews, and experience maps can help you determine your target user expectations and build the app flow that resonates with their lifestyle and needs.
Use well-known screens
Simplifying navigation is all about making user interactions smoother, reducing cognitive load, and minimizing the steps required to access desired content. Using familiar UI patterns makes navigation predictable, enhancing your app’s usability and learnability.
To achieve it, we suggest adopting clear menu layouts, using recognizable icons, and incorporating intuitive gestures (e.g., swipe and pinch-to-zoom) for an overall user-friendly experience.
Offload tasks to streamline user interactions
The primary goal is to lighten the load on users as they navigate through your app. You can offload tasks by automating or simplifying processes. This may involve default values, pre-filled forms, smart suggestions, or voice input.
For instance, instead of text fields that demand more user input, employing checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdowns, or sliders can significantly streamline the interaction process. This approach reduces users’ cognitive and physical effort and contributes to enhanced efficiency and satisfaction.
Eliminate clutter for a cleaner interface
App clutter distracts or confuses users, ranging from unnecessary elements to an overload of information or inconsistent design choices. The presence of clutter can negatively impact your app’s readability, usability, and overall aesthetics, potentially leading users to bounce off.
To eliminate clutter, you should follow the principle of simplicity and only include the essential elements and information that support the user’s goals.
Make interactive elements familiar and predictable
Interactive elements like buttons, icons, menus, and sliders are pivotal for user interaction within an app. To ensure your app is intuitive and user-friendly, it’s crucial to make these elements both familiar and predictable.
One effective strategy is incorporating standard icons and labels from platform UI kits and libraries, such as Material Design for Android or the iOS Human Interface Guidelines for Apple devices. Aligning with these established conventions lets you create a seamless and expected user experience.
Maintain design consistency throughout the app
Consistency in design involves employing identical or similar design elements like colors, fonts, icons, and layouts throughout your app. This commitment to design consistency isn’t just about aesthetics—it significantly boosts usability, learnability, and overall user experience.
Consistent design choices create a sense of trust and familiarity for the user, enhancing their journey within the app. Before commencing your mobile app UI journey, we recommend creating a style guide for your app to avoid unnecessary variations or changes.
Ensure the back button functions properly
The back button is one of the most frequently used navigation elements in mobile apps. It allows the user to go back to the previous screen or state of the app. To ensure the back button functions properly, follow the user’s expectations and the platform conventions. For example, on Android, the back button should take the user to the previous screen, while on iOS, the back button should take the user to the parent screen. The same goes for using gestures.
Conduct usability tests to refine the UI design
Usability testing involves engaging real users to gather feedback on your mobile app’s UI/UX design. It can help you identify and fix any issues or problems with your app and validate your design decisions and assumptions.
We recommend conducting usability tests throughout the design process, from the early prototypes to the final product. For this purpose, you can use various methods, including, but not limited to, interviews, observations, questionnaires, or focus groups.
Make your UI responsive
Responsive design ensures that your app seamlessly adapts to different screen resolutions, aspect ratios, and platforms, including scenarios like split-screen usage. Responsive grids proved highly effective in web design, but with the advent of foldables, this strategy can also be handy for mobile app UI development. Responsive grids ensure your content gracefully adapts to various screen sizes and orientations without distortion.
Integrating fluid typography can also help you optimize your UI/UX design. It automatically adjusts font size and line length, guaranteeing that headings consistently appear across any screen.
Balancing aesthetics with functionality in the UI design
Functionality and aesthetics go hand-in-hand in a well-balanced, high-quality mobile app UI. While visually appealing designs can attract users, it’s the smooth functionality that secures user satisfaction and retention. Prioritizing one aspect over the other could compromise the overall user experience.
To strike the right balance, we suggest adhering to design principles, ensuring intuitive navigation, and considering your target user preferences and needs.
UI design trends and user expectations are constantly in flux. To make your UI design relevant and capable of catering to those needs, you need to refine and optimize it continuously. This involves staying attuned to user feedback, adapting to changing requirements, and embracing emerging design trends.
Adopting a dynamic and iterative approach will help you adapt and align your mobile app UI design with the evolving landscape and ensure it continues to meet your user expectations.
Conclusion
In 2024, the UI/UX design landscape will seamlessly merge technological innovation with user-centric design principles. This harmonious blend will strongly emphasize simplicity, inclusivity, and sustainability, setting the stage for a design approach that caters to diverse user needs.
As user preferences continually evolve, it’s imperative for your app’s design to evolve in tandem. Keeping up with the times isn’t merely about following the latest trends; it involves strategically shaping your app’s visual identity to guarantee its relevance and alignment with the diverse needs of your user base. Consistent and innovative design plays a core role in building a solid brand image and setting your app apart in an overcrowded market.
Yet, the pressure to innovate can sometimes compel businesses to take risks and follow trends that may not align with their long-term goals. Partnering with a reliable design studio can help you ensure your UI design aligns with your brand identity and objectives.
Leobit Design Studio is powered by an experienced software development company Leobit, which won the prestigious Netty Award and the 10th Web Excellence Award for its exceptional UX/UI design of a corporate fitness app, Leostep. We can be your personal UI/UX guide and help you effectively navigate the evolving design landscape. Contact us and get a free consultation for your business.
