web trends Articles & Videos

  • Brutalism and Antidesign

    These trends are reactions against the uniformity of design. Brutalism can be used in visual design, but avoid antidesign for most products.

  • "Get Started" Stops Users

    A generic Get Started call-to-action attracts clicks, but also misleads users and acts as a roadblock for those looking to get information about the company.

  • Scroll-Triggered Text Animations Delay Users

    When misused, animations intended to add aesthetic appeal slow down content consumption and get in the user’s way.

  • Mega Menus Work Well for Site Navigation

    Large, rectangular menus group navigation options to eliminate scrolling and use typography, icons, and tooltips to explain users' choices.

  • Cards: UI-Component Definition

    A “card” is a UI design pattern that groups related information in a flexible-size container visually resembling a playing card.

  • Scan and Shake: A Lesson in Technology Adoption from China’s WeChat

    QR-code scanning and shake serve as effective ways of communication between the online and the offline worlds and enjoy wider use in China than in the US.

  • Augmented Reality: What Does It Mean for UX?

    AR technologies can impact the user experience by decreasing interaction cost, cognitive load, and attention switching.

  • Hamburger Menus and Hidden Navigation Hurt UX Metrics

    Discoverability is cut almost in half by hiding a website’s main navigation. Also, task time is longer and perceived task difficulty increases.

  • Needy Design Patterns: Please-Don’t-Go Popups & Get-Back-to-Me Tabs

    These two overly demanding website design patterns aimed at driving engagement are in conflict with how people utilize browser tabs.

  • Voice Interaction UX: Brave New World...Same Old Story

    Although voice interaction is markedly different from graphical user interfaces, classic usability principles are still critical to the quality of the user experience.

  • Ensure High Contrast for Text Over Images

    If you place text over a background image, make sure it’s readable by providing adequate contrast. Subtle tweaks can increase the contrast without affecting the overall aesthetic of the site.

  • Low-Contrast Text Is Not the Answer

    Low-contrast text may be trendy, but it is also illegible, undiscoverable, and inaccessible. Instead, consider more usable alternatives.

  • The Fold Manifesto: Why the Page Fold Still Matters

    What appears at the top of the page vs. what’s hidden will always influence the user experience — regardless of screen size.

  • Icon Usability

    A user’s understanding of an icon is based on previous experience. Due to the absence of a standard usage for most icons, text labels are necessary to communicate the meaning and reduce ambiguity.

  • Beware Horizontal Scrolling and Mimicking Swipe on Desktop

    Even as more sites mimic swiping gestures and incorporate horizontal scrolling in desktop designs, users remain reluctant to move sideways through content.

  • The Magnifying-Glass Icon in Search Design: Pros and Cons

    People usually recognize that a magnifying-glass icon indicates a search tool, even when it has no label. Unfortunately, showing only the icon makes search more difficult to find.

  • Serif vs. Sans-Serif Fonts for HD Screens

    Decent computer screens with pixel densities of 220 PPI or more lead to new usability guidelines for on-screen typography.

  • Nielsen's Law of Internet Bandwidth

    Users' bandwidth grows by 50% per year (10% less than Moore's Law for computer speed). The new law fits data from 1983 to 2023.

  • Why Frames Suck (Most of the Time)

    Frames break the unified model of the web and introduce a new way of looking at data that has not been well integrated into the other aspects of the web.