Today’s smartphones are as powerful as computers were just a few years ago, and for this reason modern day discerning consumers increasingly demand more mobile accessibility. Just to keep in mind: nowadays the average time that people spend on smartphones and tablets each day is about 160 minutes...

In general, we can say that the design and development world will continue to refine and refocus the UI/UX trends of the past year, but also is being rocked by new trends that promise exciting things for everyone. Let’s examine some of the most popular and useful mobile trends!

MULTIPLE LAYERS

The biggest difference between desktop and mobile screens is the size, that’s why to help neutralize this obstacle, more and more interfaces are implementing multiple layers, one on top of the other. Some common applications of the layered interface include large drop-downs and drawers, sticky menus (a minimal menu with only the essentials), tabs and modals, always working within the principles of Google’s Material Design and copying how people organize and interact docs in the real world. That brings us to one of the main trends of these years...

SIMPLE IS BEAUTIFUL

Material design is a design language the company came up with not too long ago, and it’s already featured in many Android products, and let's face it, with a huge company like Google behind this trend, you know that it’s going to get a big boost this year.

Flat design apps are often paired with subtle, minimalist color schemes with plenty of white space. However, the simple colors and soft contrasts featured in earlier app designs will be replaced with new color hierarchies that emphasize both light and dark backgrounds.

CREATIVES GESTURES

Another recent trend in mobile app design is the increased usage in swiping, tapping and side-scrolling. These 3 design elements can make your app very user-friendly and give your users more control over the experience.

Swiping and tapping are as instinctual as pointing and clicking by now. They touch screens have so much more potential usability than cursors. The swipe is the most natural gesture for app navigation and this year’s apps will highlight its ease of use in their designs. Card layouts go hand in hand with the universal swipe and more mobile apps will combine these elements (extremely popular apps like Tinder have built swiping into the main functionality of their entire app, and other apps have followed suit as well).

DESIGNING FOR WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

In the last few months many companies have released their own smartwatches and other competitors in the wearable space, thatś why apps have slowly started to accommodate these devices with less-busy screens and quicker, one-tap actions.

As the wearables market continues to grow, app designers will devote more attention to mobile app design that works for these diminutive devices. Just as early app designers considered how users interacted with their smartphones, today’s apps designers prioritize the unique ways users interact with their wearables and the advantages of the technology.

GROWTH USE OF DEVELOPMENT PLATFORMS

App development platforms have blown open the mobile app market. In the past, mobile app development was an expensive and time-consuming proposition reserved only for major brands and enterprise customers. Today’s app development platforms re equalizing the mobile app market by giving beginners and SMEs the tools and knowledge to build, launch, and promote a full featured mobile app on a modest budget and a short timeline.

This trend will continue to increase as app platforms simplify the process of building customized apps that advance the marketing goals of the small and medium enterprise segment.

About Emiliano

Emiliano is a Software Engineer with more than 6 years of experience developing Web and Mobile applications for some of the most important Fortune 500 companies

Nowadays Emiliano specializes as Engineer on the Mobile department of TISA, looking for implementing the latest technologies and frameworks to be used in future projects.

Beyond his technical knowledge and passion for the technology Emiliano enjoys playing Volleyball, Swimming and going to the Gym, he also like reading books and playing online video games.