As we come to the end of 2023 and look forward to 2024, it is continuously on our mind about what direction the industry is moving in and the tools we will use. During 2023, we have seen the development of dark mode on different devices software and how apps now offer both light and dark mode as well as the introduction to how AI will help enhance design (& potentially take jobs in the future). Moving into 2024, UX Trends (https://trends.uxdesign.cc/) has identified 5 potential main areas of interest of 2024; Automation, Saturation, Commoditisation, Financialisaton and Disintegration.

Automation

With Artificial intelligence being newly introduced to design, bigger companies are looking at ways to eliminate manual tasks and allow their design employees to become more productive and can develop different skills, something which I think is going to lead to team sizes decreasing in the long run. The rise of these new tools is reshaping the industry with FIGMA apparently now marketing of the wider organisation to use it and not just designers.

As AI becomes more and more popular across devices and applications, us as designers need to adapt by focusing on skills that remain critical in our industry in areas such as UX Research, UX Strategy or concept designing. While UI processes may become more automated, strategic design thinking, purposeful decision-making will still remain really important despite AI.

Saturation

Within the industry today, the burnout levels are higher than usual, there is a limited design source and some people are struggling to find the perfect position based on their skills which is a shift the growth previously experienced in the industry. Design teams are becoming a lot leaner in recent years too so individuals are more accountable for their designs and the management layers are becoming less and less

Despite these newer challenges, it is a little soon to declare the death of UX, which I am glad to hear and there is still a strong emphasis on fundamental design. The focus is on navigating these uncertain times and reigniting excitement about the design craft amidst the current challenges.

Commoditisation

Design is becoming more and more accessible for both users and aspiring designers, this is something I have seen throughout 2023 and expect to see more in 2024. Anyone can produce reasonably good designs from using tools such as Canva or Figma and following a good tutorial but this has caused all interfaces to start to look very much the same. Companies like standardised design that is predictable and safe and therefore invest in it but us as designers can find it slightly uncomforting from the fact is you can’t justify the value of your work when everyone else looks the same and they prefer to look at the deeper problems such as the complexity of systems, brand expressiveness in visual elements or user journeys focused on accessibility and inclusion.

Financialisation

When designs are often created to satisfy shareholders and boost stock prices, designers may neglect advocating for the users' interests due the business prioritising money over the best design. This might be overwhelming to meet so many business objectives but designers must look at these as objectives enable rather than obstruct our design work. Understanding how the business works can make us more successful in pushing our work forward and helping users get what they need.

I suspect this will introduce us into an era of design entrepreneurship where designers recognise themselves as creative business people with design skills. Preparation involves understanding company numbers, speaking the business language and connecting design to driving business, all while maintaining courage and a human-centric approach in design.

Disintegration

Digital products are being produced at a faster pace than what we can design at which is going to lead to negative impacts as people will have to put up with “bad design” and produce more human consequences in the digital spaces we inhabit such as loneliness or depression. It will also highlight existing issues within design such as privacy, the ethics and other impacts the digital world has on peoples lives. The introduction of newer digital ecosystems such as AI require us as designers to re educate and re train our brains to always be a step ahead so we can make product decisions that will not hurt other people. The best way to prepare is to make an active effort to be informed and educated about developments happening around us and make ethical product decisions that consider the broader impact on people's lives.

<aside> 💭 Reflection

The expectations for 2024 makes me believe we will have to take a more conscientious approach to digital design taking into consider factors such as ethical considerations, human-centric design and understanding emerging technologies and learning about. This will help us make more mature decisions with our designs and show how we acknowledge the significant impact that UX design has on individuals and society. Hopefully being committed to produce designs that are informed, ethical and human-centred will be key to shaping positive user experiences in the years to come.

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