As the end of the year approaches, it is normal to look ahead to 2026 and analyze trends in technology and digital product design. Looking back at previous years when I did this same exercise, some are truly aspirations, and many others barely leave the paper in the years we predict will be trends.
I will do the same thing, not with the detail of talking about each one of them, but with a framing approach, and I will end with what really matters for those who create and those who use.
It will be the year of artificial intelligence (AI) agents; everyone is talking about them—those that make decisions and execute tasks independently of the user. We will hear more about “Edge” and not just “Cloud,” the form of distributed computing where data processing and storage happen close to where the data is generated (for example, sensors, cameras, machines in a factory, etc.) and not in data centers or the cloud. It will be inevitable to talk about digital security, as increasingly “intelligent” systems force the adoption of practices like “zero trust,” where, simply put, nothing and no one is trustworthy by default. There will be new encryption techniques and, of course, the use of AI in both attacking and defending systems in an increasingly intense battle.
If we look at the design side, multimodal and conversational interfaces are back in the spotlight. The combination of text, voice, gesture, and vision, which took its first steps long ago in glasses and then in virtual and augmented reality headsets, is now starting to become part of daily life with products already available for end users, marketing campaigns, and the like.
We will also be able to dive a bit deeper into the area of usability (UX) with predictive systems. This involves using predictive impact models and real-time metrics dashboards to continuously adjust digital products to user behavior. I want to believe that, regarding the emotional and human part, we will find increasingly simple, “warmer,” and more imperfect interfaces in digital products that appeal to feelings and replace generic, template-based user interfaces (UI). All while never forgetting inclusive design and digital accessibility. The latter is already part of legislation, but (almost) the whole world continues to ignore it.
I will finish with what seems most important to me. Trends are an excellent starting point, but I hope 2026 is a year of business in which companies approach digital with the right maturity: strategic clarity, aligned internal capabilities, and products designed to create real value for people and the business. This is where we transform “buzzwords” into tangible impact.
Originally published in LIDER.
