11 Mar 2025
We are living through exciting times: with AI and customers demand of personalization, we are moving away from traditional web design to a new era of “quiet tech” and “invisible design.” It’s predecessor, the design trend of glassmorphism (which has been around since 2013) is becoming mainstream now (see Dior’s recent redesign or spot the glass UI touches on Saint Laurent, Fendi, and Marni), and we are moving to a new design trend, shaped by text and voice interfaces. It’s what we call “invisible design” infused with “quiet tech”.
What is "quiet tech"?
It’s technology that works so seamlessly it’s barely noticeable. Picture a digital experience with no weird visual bugs or a store where staff provide effortless service, not looking at their phones for information about stock levels. Quiet tech is powerful because it disappears.
What is "invisible design"?
As we transition into a new era with AI and AR, invisible design hides unnecessary elements like pop-ups and excess info until users need them. It’s immersive by design: users focus on inspirational content or search with chat/voice.
Invisible design is already here: Crunchbase functions as an AI assistant, while Apple is rumoured to redesign their next OS, inspired by VisionOS, the operating system of the Apple Vision Pro headset.
How will the Web change?
✿ Mobile-First is waaaay outdated: the term was coined by Luke Wroblewski in 2009 (he is a legend), and now design must be able to scale from phones to AR spaces. Yes, we know that 80% of browsing is done on mobile, but as a brand, you have to care about the 20% equally and what future tech might bring. Fast adoption will be key to brands’ success.
✿ Simplicity is king: overloaded product pages and homepages create fatigue in users. Brands must only show info when requested or when contextually relevant. This will be an art form in itself.
✿ Privacy Matters: as tech becomes less visible, users (especially in luxury) will demand transparency and ethical data use.
No matter what trend we are riding, one thing is for sure: users want to be inspired and don’t have time for mundane tasks. Balancing quiet tech and invisible design will deliver rich and seamless experiences (no more clicking 3x to look at a dress and then 5x to checkout). The future of design isn’t about designing for x amount of screens; it’s about freeing users to live in the moments we create for them.
Sources:
words.narain.io/just-enough-ui 💡 Loved this article!
Techcrunch: Apple’s next major OS updates will bring the biggest design overhaul in years