It's been 2016 for a minute now, yet the various speculations regarding different trends in the field of User Experience (or UX) keep on flowing in. It is almost a daily phenomenon to discover another forecast and surprisingly (or perhaps quite expectedly) they are not the least similar. Hereby are a few trends to be expected according to an amalgam I have constructed out of these forecasts (a forecast of forecasts) - what can we expect of 2016?
Motion in websites
Websites have always featured pictures, since an excessive amount of text is overbearing on the eye. A vital component of the experience we wish to convey is a certain calm, which the lack of picture may inhibit. Yet now we are beginning to see a use of pictures which are actually short videos. An example can be seen in the following website: http://www.qmarkets.net
Personalization
Another trend which has been discussed for years yet hasn't been implemented due to difficulties in performance or a lack of data is personalization. Naturally, 2016 is forecasted to feature personalization as a central component in UX.
2016 will also (possibly) feature more "in the moment" adaptation. This trend deals with more updated information we need specifically now. A recent research conducted in England shows that this is actually a key factor in generating an optimal user experience. There are already websites which include an area designated for showing what's new today (aptly named 'the Today section')
Mobile
A trend which we are beginning to experience today is a continued multiplicity of channels. An increasing number of organizations will invest in transmitting knowledge via mobile channel. Mobile devices will continue to affect our overall user experience in websites as well (e.g. hamburger menus).
Our last forecast is probably the most surprising of them all: we face a year of conformity and uniformity; websites will all look basically alike. This forecast is a Pygmalion prophecy as it just might be a self-fulfilling forecast.
We'll just have to wait and see.
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