What UX Trends Will Redefine Digital Experiences in 2017?

1. Fault Diagram

“Celebrating success is natural, but learning from failure is more important.” – Bill Gates

In UX design, fault diagrams (design frameworks) act like bread to butter, providing a basic structure for understanding user touchpoints. However, they are often based on ideal user models, which may not hold for less‑ideal users.

With the influx of new users—especially seniors and digital novices—fault diagrams help designers simulate non‑ideal scenarios, making errors more controllable.

2. Micro‑Micro Interaction

Micro‑interactions (e.g., setting an alarm, liking a comment) have become ubiquitous. The article defines “micro‑micro interactions” as even finer‑grained actions, such as turning on Bluetooth mode or sliding right to increase volume. Thousands of these occur daily on mobile devices.

Micro‑interaction: pairing two devices via Bluetooth.

Micro‑micro interaction: enabling Bluetooth mode.

Micro‑interaction: adjusting volume.

Micro‑micro interaction: sliding right to increase volume.

Micro‑interaction: connecting with someone on LinkedIn.

Micro‑micro interaction: tapping “Connect” on a profile page.

3. Weather App Boom

Weather apps have become indispensable. As extreme weather events increase, users will rely more on real‑time, alert‑rich weather applications, driving a surge in demand for visually compelling, data‑driven designs.

4. Electronic‑Pet Craze

“They are absurdly necessary, providing just‑right comfort because they need to be cared for.” – William Gibson

Designers are re‑introducing “electronic‑pet” aesthetics—deliberately imperfect, fragile qualities—to give products personality and emotional resonance, as seen in platforms like Twitter and Amazon.

5. Haptic‑Hypnotic Feedback

Advances in electro‑active polymer actuators (EAPs) are lowering costs, enabling sophisticated haptic feedback. Designers can use subtle vibrations to guide user behavior, such as nudging users toward a “Buy Now” button.

6. De‑Linearization

While 2016 emphasized minimalism, overly linear flows (e.g., Uber’s step‑by‑step booking) limit user agency. The article advocates giving users more choices and branching paths to enhance understanding and satisfaction.

7. Gap‑Anxiety Optimization

“Gap anxiety” describes the tension between an action and its response. Designers can alleviate this by providing preview transitions and animated cues that smooth the perceived delay.

8. Design Diffusion

Design evangelists aim to turn non‑designers into design thinkers, but pure promotion isn’t enough; practical application and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential for real impact.

9. Age‑Responsive Design

Beyond device‑responsive layouts, content should adapt to users’ ages—simplifying navigation for older adults, enlarging fonts, and adjusting color saturation for different age groups.

10. Building Trust in Digital Products

“A great UX designer’s biggest responsibility is to make users trust the product.”

Trust is becoming a critical factor as privacy concerns rise. Designers must create transparent, reliable experiences to foster user confidence.

11. Exit Experience – The Post‑Interaction Era

“A good product is like a great movie.”

After a purchase, designers should craft a satisfying “exit” experience—akin to a film’s conclusion—ensuring users feel valued even after the transaction ends.

12. Assembling an AI Family

“We’re discovering that AI assistants don’t collaborate as well as imagined.”

While AI assistants (Siri, Alexa, etc.) are pervasive, they often compete rather than cooperate. Future design work will focus on establishing clear roles and collaborative frameworks among AI agents.

13. “Fake” Textile Design

“Material Design will see its ‘pen’ versus ‘paper’ battle as the internet becomes more diverse.” – Chase Buckley

Material Design, once the benchmark for UI, is poised to be challenged by skeuomorphic textures and emerging textile‑inspired designs that blend physical metaphors with digital interfaces, especially as AR/VR mature.