Everything is changing so quickly today. Every industry and every sector is witnessing the advanced pace of technological change, market change, and demand change. Every year we all can see how many new technologies and new upgrades of products are happening. So when you want to study product designs and related concepts, you have to consider yearly frames for data collection. Here, our dedicated team has developed this list of 11 product design trends that we all might see in 2021. These ideas are based on market research and expert guidance, and they all represent potential possibilities in product design concepts. If you are a designer or researcher, you can use these insights for your project or observe how they emerge in the market. Many of these concepts align with the product design trends of 2021, so let’s dive into the details.
1. Dark Mode In Websites And Applications:
The dark mode came to a picture in 2016. And from then, we have seen it in different products, apps, and webs. It is pretty popular in today’s time because some famous apps like WhatsApp and Instagram have used it, and this trend may continue this year as well. It gives a totally different look and experience to users who have always used apps and pages in light mode only. This mode allows designers to work more creatively with experiments and unique concepts. And it also gives the user more comfort and eases their eyes.
We have seen the rise of the dark mode trend in the recent past, and it is undoubtedly here to stay a little longer, as there is still much to explore and experiment with. As part of the evolving product design trends of 2021, we can expect to see more products and ideas offering dual-mode support in the near future
2. More Personalized Concepts:
In the new era, customers like to get exact or nearly exact of their requirement. Because it is possible and impactful many businesses are trying to come up with more and more personalized product designs. And we can expect more rise of this trend in this year. Generalized concepts are slowly fading away in many sectors, and to provide a better experience and grow in competition, almost every brand is thinking about how to reach customers more personally. This can make our digital process a lot better and smoother. We can reduce the friction between customers and products or services. The audience is becoming more intelligent and aware, so now they do not hesitate for a complex process if they are getting their personalized experience. So, look forward to seeing better and innovative personalized product design this year.
3. IoT Developed Products:
Internet of things is the brand new approach of this decade. We have seen some glimpse of it through various products and services. And undoubtedly, it is going to grow even better. IoT promotes technological advancement for convenience like never before; it strongly emphasizes the possible new digitalization era in the international and domestic market. We can definitely expect some great advancement in IoT products this year. We can see many small but valuable appliances that work through sensors and the internet to better your daily life. Now that we are heading towards a more advanced lifestyle IoT based products may play a significant role in that.
4. Mobile-First Approach In Product Design:
Now that people are getting everything on their phones, they prefer mobiles over desktops for several purposes. When you want to know something about some product, you search it first on your phone, so daily searching and scrolling are increasing on mobile platforms. And this trend is going to get more prominent in the near future. Brands are becoming more aware and creating their websites and applications mobile-friendly. And we can surely expect them to take the following steps. Businesses might create their product design considering the mobile-centric behavior of their customers. There can be some alteration in Google’s indexing policies as well, which can also influence brands to come up with more mobile-first product designs.
5. Focus On Saftey And Transparency Terms:
The recent time has brought some unexpected troubles and needs. We have encountered some new but very vital needs for safety, privacy, and transparency. If we talk about products, then the upcoming trends may have a strong emphasis on safety and hygiene. Almost every brand is incorporating safety policies to make their customers aware. This subject is very crucial and one of the highlights of this year. With apps and digital service providers, a transparent privacy policy can be a new challenge for this year.
Due to some unexpected steps by many well-known market players, every small to medium platform is also becoming questionable. And therefore, in the new product designs, we can expect better and transparent policies and rules. To avoid future hurdles and to win customers, many apps and service providers can alter the whole policy framework as per the current market scenario.
6. More Flexible And Streamlined Design:
The unexpected global situation has restricted the end number of business operations. Many enterprises are still struggling to cope up with the pandemic stage. Companies with reliance on a single type of process have faced considerable challenges to deal with the demand and customers. So in the upcoming time, we can see brands and startups focusing more on a product design with better flexibility. Product design that can sustain several kinds of external factors is what the market demands right now. There may be no wonder if we see products breaking standard barriers and trying to reach customers in many unique ways. Physical, technical, strategical, and conceptual flexibility is highly required in product designs to managing the current market scenario. So, in this year, more flexible and streamlined product design is what we can expect as the most apparent trend.
7. Minimalism Is About To Stay In UI:
Minimalism in web designs had become a significant part in a very short time. This trend is still trying to reach maximum areas of designs. And when we talk about user interface design, the minimalistic approach is still going to impact this year. Everyone likes to experience a design that does more with less. Its unique, appealing, and favorable for users and creators as well. We may get to see user interfaces in minimal designs this year more than before. The acceptance and growth of minimalist designs are slow but solid. And to distract users from all different flashy designs, designers are slowly leaning towards minimalistic styles. Product designs that are highly focused on user experience can also take a minimal approach sincerely. So this year, we may witness developed and better reach of minimal product designs.
8. Designs With Affordable Variants:
In earlier times, the target market and a product’s potential reach were different, but over the last decade, we have seen a global shift in customers and businesses. If you closely look at recent data, you can see the rapid changes in market and consumer behavior. Many well-known brands are now becoming more flexible with their product range. They are no longer sticking to a single product category or customer base. To reach the widest audience, pricing plays a major role, and to target different markets, we may see brands adopting various pricing strategies this year — one of the key product design trends of 2021 that continues to influence how products are developed and marketed.
9. More Human Touch In designs:
No matter how good artificial elements and products we create but the impact and respect of human-crafted products can never tone down. The human touch in a product design is considered as the most appealing and valuable thing. Last year has forced people to move away from each other, and now when we are trying to go back to normal, this can be a strong concept for product design. This means hand-drawn elements in logos, designs, and audio-video mediums. Or we can see hand-crafted product designs in significant sectors to promote employment and generate empathy amongst people. The recent time has changed the whole perspective in the market for giant industry leaders and government. And This approach can help the end number of skilled people from various backgrounds; therefore, it would be really exciting to see brands coming forward with more human touch-based product designs.
10. Global Usability In Product Design:
This concept is not that old. Product design with global standards has always been there in some way or the other. But because of quick and sudden changes, we have now understood the need for global flexibility products. Global usability means no matter where you are and what resources you have, you can seamlessly use a particular service or product without much of a hassle. The virtual way of doing business has also impacted this heavily. Now people and brands know how to connect with each other without any location barrier. So in the upcoming time, we surely get to use different services and products anywhere from any brand.
11. Eco-Friendly Product Designs:
This trend is probably never going out of style. Now that we have seen the environmental damage created by us, we are trying to make a difference little by little. This year is very different, though, because we had observed nature’s healing when everything was closed down. Maybe from this year, we can see industries and markets taking nature more seriously. Many established companies have started giving extra focus to their products and business operations to improve them for a better environment. In the last decade, we have seen the potential and efforts towards eco-friendly product designs. And because this year is different and the whole world has shifted, we can probably see eco-friendly designs as the most significant trend in the product design concept.
As per the global scenario, needs are becoming uncertain, and the life of trends is getting more and more brief. So, to keep up with the fast pace is no longer a matter of choice; it has become a need for survival. And therefore, a product design task becomes more tricky because a product design must survive with all the uncertain factors. Above mentioned product design trends of 2021 are simply presenting the kind of approach you can expect from the market and the market providers this upcoming year. We all know how challenging the phase is going on, and that is why it might be more complex and exciting for businesses to develop a solid and suitable product design for the market. As a product designer, this helps you get a basic idea of possible future concepts and the latest market trends to design your product better.