Design

Trends in UX design change rapidly – not even by year, but rather by month. As smartphones and technologies constantly evolve, so do UX rules – that's why a product that was perfectly crafted according to the last year's trends most likely looks outdated already and needs a thorough update. Some trends stand the test of time, though, while others get quickly replaced by more relevant ones. Here are top 10 trends that are going to shape UX design in 2026:

UX design and psychology: is there anything that connects these two fields? At first it might seem they are two completely different things that have nothing in common, but in fact, psychology plays a huge role in building a user-oriented design. Since any software product is used by humans, and any human mind acts according to the rules and principles of psychology, the latter serves as a great tool for UX designers to create the best user experience for their audience. Here are a few psychology-related hacks that can be applied in UX design:

The UX design process, though very creative and interesting, is often also very unpredictable in nature and might be very hard to manage. Every designer or project manager has come across issues like misunderstanding with clients, freezed or unfinished projects, rejected ideas, deadlines violation or even conflict with stakeholders. Obviously, each of these problems might have its own reasons and require separate solutions, but overall, having not enough control over a UX project is a common problem of its own. Let's discuss a few tips that can help organize UX projects more smoothly and retain control over them more effectively. 

Design thinking is a customer‑focused, non‑linear iterative approach to solving problems and finding creative solutions in the process of creating a human‑centered intuitive design for a product. It involves cross‑functional teams working together to study their users, address complex problems and think outside the box to drive innovation. Let's discuss the stages, principles and goals of this important process, as well as the positive impact it has on the design teams. 

Stages of design thinking

Design thinking is a non‑linear process, which means each team can organize it in the way most suitable for their current workflow. Nevertheless, experts define 5 stages that design thinking should include, not necessarily in the following order. 

UX research is an essential part of UX design. It implies a thorough study of a digital product's target audience by collecting and analyzing data about users, their needs and expectations, their ways of interaction with the product, and the ways the product can be improved and refined to provide the best user experience possible. All these tasks lay on the shoulders of UX researchers – professionals who systematically investigate user behavior and conduct data analysis. Let's discuss which skills are required to become a UX researcher and what responsibilities this job carries, as well as how to start a career as a researcher if you’ve just graduated and don’t have much experience.

Soft and hard skills a UX researcher should have

Since UX researchers' work includes dealing both with user emotions and numerical data, they are required to have a set of soft and hard skills to perform their job effectively. 

Soft skills for UX researchers include:

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With the rising popularity of AI, chatbots are rapidly becoming an essential part of any customer-oriented platform. More and more companies now integrate them into apps and websites, providing a space for their clients to interact with the business itself while taking load off human employees and reducing expenses on the customer support team. At first glance, chatbots might seem pretty uncomplicated in their design and functionality, but creating UI/UX design for chatbots requires a deep understanding of this technology and the way they can serve both business and its users. Here are some useful tips for creating a successful user experience in AI chatbot:

Training is one of the most essential factors for growth, evolution and effective collaboration for any UX design team. Design is an ever-changing industry, and there is always something new to learn even for the most experienced professionals. The reality is, not all companies take training seriously, whether the reason is a low budget, lack of time or just not realising its necessity. Meanwhile, investing in training not only boosts the quality of work, but also helps find ways to find easier solutions, work faster and optimize the whole process. Let’s discuss some tips that might help you provide effective and fruitful training for your design team without spending extra budget or wasting time on some questionable training methods. 

When creating an app or any other software product for children, one of the hardest parts of the process is conducting user research correctly. Although working with kids might seem fun and entertaining, it takes certain skills to get them engaged in testing your product and voicing their opinion so you could gather all the necessary information. It’s important to understand that mentally kids function differently than adults, so working with a young target audience requires a different approach. Treating children like adults in the UX research process can lead to serious mistakes: they might not get a proper understanding of your product and you might end up getting wrong results, only wasting your time and budget. In order to avoid that, we’ve collected a few tips below that might help you communicate with kids more effectively for a productive and fruitful research session.