Top 2025 App Design Trends

Summary

The video explores the top app design trends of 2025, focusing on innovations like emotionally intelligent design, chatbot interfaces, and interactive micro animations. It highlights the importance of creating engaging, character-driven experiences (like Duolingo's Duo) to enhance user retention. The video also delves into chatbot design, with examples like Perplexity, as well as the potential of glassmorphism despite accessibility challenges. Finally, it celebrates the growing use of illustrations and micro animations in apps, emphasizing their role in improving user interaction and enjoyment.

Takeaways

• 😀 Emotional intelligence in design focuses on using elements like characters and color to evoke emotional responses, keeping users engaged and encouraging return visits to apps or websites.
• 😀 Duolingo is a great example of emotionally intelligent design, where a character (Duo) encourages users to keep returning and engaging with the app through positive emotional feedback.
• 😀 Chatbot design has evolved with the rise of AI models, focusing on how text inputs, photo uploads, and message display (e.g., fading, loading bars) can create unique and engaging user experiences.
• 😀 Perplexity is a popular AI app that visually distinguishes itself from other chatbots by laying out information in a search-like format, providing a more dynamic, interactive experience.
• 😀 Web Flow’s integration with Gap has made it easier to create smooth, interactive animations for websites, enhancing user engagement with simple, animated designs without needing complicated code.
• 😀 Glass design (or glassmorphism) is a trend that creates a reflective, glass-like effect in UI elements, though it can hinder accessibility and usability in practical applications, especially in text-heavy areas.
• 😀 Despite its visual appeal, glassmorphism may not be suitable for practical app design due to reduced readability, especially in real-world use cases, making it a trend that may be better suited for demos than for everyday use.
• 😀 Illustration design adds personality to apps, often through characters and vibrant visuals. This is especially popular in education and mental health apps to make experiences more engaging.
• 😀 Emotional design is closely linked to illustration trends, as both work together to create an engaging, personable experience for users, making the app feel more lively and relatable.
• 😀 Micro animations improve the fluidity of user interactions by adding small but delightful animations to actions like button clicks or page transitions, enhancing the overall app experience and increasing user retention.

Q & A

What is emotionally intelligent design, and how does it differ from traditional UI design?

Emotionally intelligent design focuses on UX rather than UI. It involves using elements like color, characters, or visual cues to evoke emotional responses that engage users and encourage them to keep interacting with the app, unlike traditional UI design which is more about functionality and appearance.

How does Duolingo use emotionally intelligent design to keep users engaged?

Duolingo uses its mascot, Duo, to evoke emotional responses. Duo cheers users on as they progress and even shows emotions like distress, anger, and worry if users neglect the app. This emotional engagement motivates users to return and continue using the app.

How are chatbot designs evolving in response to the rise of AI models?

Chatbot design is evolving to make interactions more engaging by focusing on how AI messages are displayed, including aspects like message fading, text input, and how additional messages are presented. These design elements aim to make chatting with AI feel more dynamic and responsive.

What are some design elements to consider when designing a chatbot?

When designing a chatbot, important elements to consider include the visual display of AI responses (e.g., fade-in or streaming), interactive text inputs, message attachments, and visual cues like loading bars. These aspects contribute to making the chatbot experience smoother and more engaging.

What is GSAP, and how is it used in Webflow for animations?

GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform) is a JavaScript tool used to create smooth animations. In Webflow, it simplifies the creation of animations like text drop-ins or SVG icon animations. It's especially helpful for adding motion to websites without needing complicated coding, and it has now been made free within Webflow.

What are the pros and cons of using glassmorphism in app design?

Glassmorphism, with its reflective, translucent elements and 3D-like effects, can create visually striking designs, especially for tech demos. However, it can reduce readability and accessibility, making text hard to read and potentially complicating the user experience in real-world apps.

Why is glassmorphism often criticized in real-world app design?

Glassmorphism is criticized for creating readability and accessibility issues. The transparency and blur effects can make it harder to read text, especially against complex backgrounds, which leads to user frustration and complaints, especially regarding accessibility.

How do illustrations enhance app design, and where are they commonly used?

Illustrations add personality and vibrancy to apps, making them more engaging. They are often used in apps focused on education, mental health, or other areas where creating an emotional connection is important. Additionally, illustrations are becoming easier to integrate through tools like Figma and Webflow, often with subtle animations.

What role do micro animations play in modern app design?

Micro animations are small, subtle movements in app elements like buttons, transitions, or page shifts. These animations make the app feel more fluid and enjoyable to use, encouraging users to stay engaged by enhancing their experience with each interaction.

Why are micro animations becoming more popular among designers?

Micro animations are popular because they improve the overall user experience by making apps feel more interactive and polished. They provide immediate feedback to users, making actions like button clicks or page transitions more satisfying and helping create a fluid, enjoyable app environment.