Product design is only evolving with time. We saw some excellent trends take center stage in the past few years, and we will not see the trends slow down any time soon.
Last year, we saw how product designers made products look more realistic and UI designs incorporated elements that look like real-life objects. The use of switches, toggles, and dials became more common.
There was also a personal aspect to all the designs in 2021. Users and customers were allowed to personalize and customize their experience by choosing the themes and colors they enjoyed.
The product design trends for 2022 will be focused on sustainable design, innovation centered around emotions, minimalism, creative fonts, animations that grab attention, and much more.
Table of Contents
What is product design?
There are many ways to interpret the design. It is not only a noun but can also be used as a verb. We can answer the question comprehensively with the right information we can use. One of the best ways to define a word is to look at the implications in the real world and imagine the possibilities of the subject.
The importance of product design in marketing
Product design can be a crucial aspect for any organization regarding marketing. Let’s look at why product design is so important for marketing.
Rise above your competitors
With an excellent product design, you can rise above your competitors. If your product design stands out and catches your audience’s attention, you can accelerate your growth in your industry.
Pull the crowds
It has become evident that product design can help you pull massive crowds in recent times. When you look at the tech world and smartphone releases, the product design attracts people the most and compels them to spend money on the product.
Set your narrative
Product design can help you build your company and brand’s narrative for the audience. You can show the product in the best light possible and create a story appealing to your target customers.
Elements of product design
Before we get into what 2022 holds for product design, we must look at the essential elements for the product design process.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the critical aspects you need to keep in mind to create designs that meet the highest standards for product design.
Use the correct tools.
Whether it’s a simple pencil as one of the leading design software, using each tool correctly and at the highest level should be paramount for every designer. It should not be used to create mechanical designs but should be used to improve and combine human intellect and imagination to create unique designs.
Appearance
All large organizations present their proposals in an obvious way. Aesthetics play a significant role in attracting customers’ attention. You can quickly turn many customers into clients with the right look and design.
Learn from past mistakes
Use the experience of others to learn about the mistakes they have made in the past. There is no need to reinvent the wheel every time. Perceive the message conveyed by creation and learn from it. The basis of the proposal is to provoke a human reaction to it.
Use systems to simplify processes
Always open to new systems and design methods. With wireframes, design calculations, integrated design, crowdsourcing, biomimicry, and more, you can create innovative designs to solve complex global challenges.
The emotional aspect of designs
Test your end-user empathy and think about your vision when creating a design. The human brain responds more quickly to visual stimuli, used whenever possible. To learn more about product design empathy, read this article – Creating product design empathy to improve the user experience.
Create sustainable designs
As responsible designers, you have to do your piece for the planet. Work at sustainable design events to determine how your designs affect the environment and the people around you.
Use patterns to stimulate growth
When innovation and good design are combined in one process, it gives organizations a new tool to support growth. This gives companies an additional competitive advantage and can achieve consistent results over many periods.
Accepting new ideas
A good designer is always looking for ‘What if?’ as working on new ideas. They create new and unexpected connections, combine the latest technologies, and inspire people around them through crowdsourcing and innovation.
Understand the functions
Many features can be created with today’s technology, and demand seems like never before. Design tools are just as essential. Focusing on style, aesthetics, and form without thinking about properties is a reason to fall.
The product design process
The process of product design composes three crucial stages. All of these stages help in the process of developing products and designing them.
1. Analysis and observation
You monitor your customers to understand their behavior and write down things that hinder the purchasing process. Often, salespeople can skip this step (like influential figures) because they feel it’s not the customer’s work / impossible to find out what he wants.
2. Concepts and ideas
In this phase, various prototypes are created based on concepts. These concepts are just ideas and compared to others in holistic thoughts, some ideas are better than others. Pure creativity is involved in this phase. This is what the research and development department does all the time.
3. Synthesis and implementation
Once you have completed the product prototype, start marketing it. If approved, the product can go into series production.
9 Product design trends for 2022
1. Animation and motion design
Since the introduction of Metaverse in 2021, the shift towards motion design and animation has been more vital than ever. Metaverse is a virtual reality network, with businesses focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality. Creating an entire 3D world online means there is no stopping in developing animation and motion design.
Motion design and animation can create designs that attract the audience and have an enjoyable time when used correctly. Animation can help you make more depth and provide a dynamic experience.
With the help of motion design and animation, the product design you create can stand out. It helps you tell your brand story excitingly and leave a memorable impression on the audience interacting with your products.
2. Conversational experience design
When the entire world was in lockdown, we all realized how daily technology had become such a crucial part of our world. At one point or another, everyone has spent hours scrolling through applications or social media platforms, maybe even Netflix.
Communicating with machines is how we spend most of our time, and if the conversation is human-like, we can feel better. The popularity of the conversational experience will only grow from this point on. Product design companies understand that people value if the conversations with the technology they use are as human as possible.
Conversational experience design is mostly used for chatbots and pop-ups on websites or voice control. Voice control has taken center stage over recent times, and people have been using it more frequently.
3. Inclusive design
In an ideal world, the inclusive design would be a priority and essential for product design companies to incorporate, just like accessibility. Yes, accessibility and inclusivity are not the same things. What is the difference between the two, you might ask? Well, it’s quite simple.
Accessible product design is when you ensure your product is accessible to everyone, taking any disabilities or impairments into account. Whereas inclusive product design is an acknowledgment of the diversity of humans. Product design that considers everyone’s ethnicity, race, gender, age, sociocultural background, and language is always appreciated and will become more popular in 2022.
An example of inclusivity in product design is the wide range of emojis. Although the emojis started without much range, they have made it a point to include various races and ethnic backgrounds in the design. By 2022, companies and businesses will be more focused on creating virtual environments that are more inclusive for everyone.
4. Multi-experience development platforms
Over the last couple of years, the world has relied on software solutions for various tasks. One of the critical aspects of digital transformation is that multi-experience development platforms (MXDPs) focus more on front-end and back-end developers. However, their importance cannot be ignored or looked over.
Digital touchpoints have popped up everywhere, and MXDPs has become essential for any business. They can help any brand keep up with the latest trends, respond to their customer’s needs, and meet the expectations that have been set.
With the help of MXDPs, product design companies can include various modalities like voice, touch, and gestures in the design. There is a growing demand for applications and product design that can deliver. Immersive designs and conversational experiences have become crucial for multi-platform applications.
5. Nostalgia
When going through a tough time, humans want something familiar to make them feel safe. As everyone in the world was dealing with the pandemic and all the changes, the popularity of nostalgic visuals increased through 2020 and 2021.
Nostalgia is a powerful tool for us, and when used in the right way, it can be comforting for everyone. People want product design to show them that there were better times and we can reach them once again. As the world begins to go back to normal or adjust to the new normal in 2022, the need for nostalgia will hit an all-time high.
Nostalgia fills us with a sense of positivity, and it can help us overcome even the darkest of times. As Phil Garman of Monotype explains,
“The idea of pure nostalgia isn’t really a trend that drives for change, but it is a vehicle for empathy in a world that seeks familiarity and comfort during difficult times. As we optimistically prepare to pivot, to re-open out of lockdown, this sense of familiarity will help stabilize, reassure, and provide a grounding for trust as we move forward.”
6. A strong focus on words
It’s no secret that SEO strategies to increase visibility for brands and companies have become more crucial than ever. How do they optimize their products for greater reach? Through words, of course. Using the correct keywords to grow your business and accelerate it is already popular, and it will not be slowing down any time soon.
Before the product design process starts, the product design company needs to be aware of the words they must include in the interface of the website or application they are creating. The use of adequate terms in its niche can help a brand improve its visibility and grab the attention of its target audience.
The writing for any website or application is an essential element of product design and development. Knowing what you are targeting and being aware of the brand goals can help you more successfully design products.
Take a look at this design inspiration, for instance. See how the packaging’s sole focus appears to be the typography. In one way, it’s an uplifting idea as it gives a clear message without anonymity.
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7. Going green
There is no denying that everyone has become more aware of the climate crisis and is more inclined towards a greener and more sustainable product design. Companies and designers have realized how going green is an excellent addition to their product design portfolio and better for the environment.
Going for a product design that uses elements that are more environment-friendly and help with the fight against climate change is more appreciated by the audience. Not just digital product designs, but also actual products that avoid using plastic and focus on recycled material are shown more love by the public.
8. Dark mode
The dark mode has been used and appreciated by people worldwide. It is one way to reduce the effect of blue light on our eyes. People have been using the dark mode for a long time to avoid putting extra strain on their eyes and reading the text. According to many, the dark way is one of the best inventions of recent times.
Almost all popular websites and applications have incorporated dark mode in their UI/UX product design. Websites also offer toggles and switches that enable users to turn on the dark mode according to their preferences.
9. The new minimalistic approach
With the growing popularity of sustainable design, minimalism has also become one of the most sought-after trends for product design. The minimalistic design makes the interface look clean, crisp, and less cluttered. Not only that, but minimalistic product design also makes the product easier to use for the audience.
Minimalistic product design is also an excellent way of making the product more accessible. When you reduce the extra elements from the design, it becomes easier for people to easily take in the design and find what they are looking for.
Final takeaway
Product design and development can be the make-or-break factor for your success. The product design process can take a long time, and you have to ensure every element is working together as smoothly as possible. And this is where GoVisually can help you make the product design process more streamlined and efficient. You can share the design with everyone on the team in one place, receive feedback, and make edits in real-time.
So don’t wait up and try GoVisually today to see how you can make your product design review faster, smarter and easier!
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