Simple UX/UI designs are scientifically better. Our brain has to perceive and process vast amounts of new information daily. And it is just delighted when it can have a break and proceed seamlessly using a digital product without navigating unnecessary details. 

By now, most of us are familiar with minimalism in design. Over the past decade, the aesthetics of Apple guided the UX/UI for the whole planet: the excessive use of Helvetica and chopped fonts, hidden navigation, exaggeration of negative space, and restrained color palettes. It has affected our tastes more than one could ever predict, and many UX/UI design agencies started adopting minimalism.

But, as with most trends, at some point, the style reaches the point of no return, and everything begins to look and feel the same. Inevitably, new forms begin to appear as a response, like an attempt to stand out.

The latest design trend: maximalism is the new minimalism. Let us find out more about it. 

Shift to maximalism?

A new era that we are entering right now embraces personality and self-expression, rather than minimal perfection.

• Many renowned professionals in the field acknowledge that we are witnessing a moment when the design is regaining its decorative impetus. 
• Over the past few years, the minimalism trend has bored everybody, so UX/UI designers are looking for new ways to excite and please the public. They may be moving forward to large patterns, vibrant colors, and catchy decorative elements.

Today, to attract attention, you need to be as “loud” as possible. While some continue to follow Zen-oriented design and constructions that scream minimalism, broader markets are looking for unusual, non-conformist solutions, both in physical and digital environments.

Not so fast. Minimalism will never go out of style. Although the maximalists are advancing, let’s hope that they don’t for too long. And here’s why.

Minimalism: a scientific approach

The reality is that our brain processes information faster than we think. A study by Google showed that users aesthetically evaluate a website within 1/50 of a second, and visually sophisticated (read, maximalist) sites are invariably rated less beautiful than their simpler counterparts.

Minimalism in practice

Most users who come across websites or applications for the first time form an impression before they spend time evaluating decorative, artistic details. You might spend a lot of time thinking about and carefully developing every aspect of your site, but your users didn’t come for that.

The more color and light variations there are on the page (i.e., the higher the visual complexity is), the more work the eye has to do to transmit information to the brain. Therefore, we perceive the whole picture as less beautiful. Mind-blowing, isn’t it?

In other words, despite the greater expressiveness of the elements of maximalism, the more you use them, the more difficult it becomes to achieve beauty.

Beautiful and useful

Minimalism at the moment may seem unoriginal, but there is no doubt that it is useful. It is especially true on the Internet when users try to perform a specific task.

Your brain classifies everything you interact with. If someone says “bird,” what image will appear in your head? If you are like 95% of people, you will think of a chicken. If I ask you what color symbolizes “girl,” you will most likely answer “pink.”

You can observe a similar phenomenon on the Internet. You have particular mental images for social networks, banking applications, e-commerce sites, and blogs. If the online experience does not match your mental image, you reject it consciously or unconsciously.

To meet user expectations, it is sometimes appropriate to follow generally accepted trends. According to Jacob’s law, users spend most of their time on other sites and apps than yours. It means that your clients prefer the website to work just like the sites they already know. In other words, you can improve cognitive fluency by providing familiar patterns to users.

Unlike when talking about the objects of art, furniture, or interiors, users do not think about how attractive your sophisticated site is. Moreover, they are usually just disappointed if your product has too many details that it becomes confusing. They can only wonder why the screens and buttons are not like they should be.

So, is minimalism dead yet?

Minimalism is not about the removal of elements, but about only adding the items that you need to do the job. The bad news for designers is that in the modern market, most of the time, essential things seem conformist. So, it might seem like a limitation to your creativity.

Anyway, this doesn’t mean that you should completely copy other projects. Becoming minimalist does not mean losing your identity. It merely means being intentional concerning the individual elements that you select.

What every professional designer must never forget is that good UX/UI isn’t about showing off. It’s about guiding your users through the app to help them achieve their goals. Nothing does this better than a clean and simple minimalistic design.