3 App Design Trends for 2019 (+ Design Tips) App design trends are moving fast. You have to keep up or risk having a less than ideal app design in 2019.

It doesn't take long for a new user to lose interest in an app. Regardless of how useful, cool or insightful your app may be, if the UX and design aren’t captivating and pulling toward further engagement with your app, you are sunk. User experience and app design can often be undervalued, but we are here to outline a few UX secrets that will be infinitely useful in helping you understand how a user's feelings toward their experience using an app ultimately informs whether or not they choose to continue using it.

Although there are vast differences in the types of apps available, and every app presents a unique set of UX and design questions, there are several universal app design trends that have the power of enhancing almost every type of app. Over the past year, we have seen a few new emerging UX trends that are helping apps retain users and quickly onboard new ones. Here are the app design trends we see taking root in 2019.

#1 | Simple Navigation

Everyone has heard the age-old maxim “less is more”. In today's app space it’s imperative that navigation, from an experience and app design perspective, prioritizes actions that are most common and most important to a user executing the core functionality of the app. In other words, the true functionality of the app should be the easiest and most readily available to use.

Consistency also plays an important role in creating simple navigation. Buttons and information should appear in more or less the same general area from one screen to the next. This allows users to transition from one screen to another seamless, without pause. When a user can traverse an app at ease, without thinking too hard about how/where to locate things, their experience is infinitely more gratifying.

A/B testing is a powerful tool that can be employed to understand how to best drive results. To understand your users better, and decide on a direction for your app UX and design, investigating and understanding your user base will provide invaluable insight. Every user base is unique, and to best serve your customer you must understand how they prefer to operate.

#2 | Time Saving Design

Let's face it, we live in the era of information overload. As a result attention spans are SHORT and you only have a few minutes of undivided attention before an individual shifts there focus on something else. In response to this, app designs trends are migrating toward designs that are VERY simple and intuitive.

When it comes to time-saving design, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. In creating an app that’s intuitive and easy to navigate, it’s important to play off of popular designs and general standards that have been set forth by other apps. In utilizing popular design trends (e.g. hamburger menu bar, universal button symbols, common UX), a user knows how to engage with your app with very little upfront learning time. In the era of information overload, working within the design standards that a user is already familiar with, you mitigate the potential of scaring new users with unfamiliar territory. Although novel ideas can present fertile grounds for finding new methods of optimization and user engagement, it’s a delicate balance. For a business' first app, we recommend that the core design be informed by general industry norms and trends.

#3 | Personalized Content/UX

When a user feels as though their app genuinely understands them, an unshakable bond is formed.

Here are a few app design trends that harness the power of personalized context:

• Automated Suggestions based on a users behavior can be a great way to customize content AND create a more efficient experience for users.
• Unique Rewards tailored to users is an invaluable tool in maintaining user engagement. Incentives based on what you know a user wants will empower you to nudge users toward a desired behavior.
• Leverage Data. If you can curate a users experience based on past activity, you are far more likely to cultivate a long-term relationship. Push notifications are a great way to deliver personalized content, and you can do so without a user even opening the app!