In the field of design, rapid changes in industry trends require designers to maintain a keen eye at all times. From the Apple Intelligence feature in Apple’s iOS 18.4 system update, to Meta’s protection feature for teenagers, to the new release of WeChat 4.0.3 for Mac, and the new features launched by Figma at the Config 2025 conference, this article will bring you the industry design trend bulletin compiled by the ISUX team from April to May 2025, covering the latest design trends in multiple fields. These trends not only demonstrate the convergence of technology and design but also reflect the continuous optimization of user experience.
[1] Apple’s iOS 18.4 system update adds the Intelligence reminder function
[2] Meta introduced teen mode on Facebook and Messenger
[3] WeChat 4.0.3 for Mac is newly released
[4] Tolan’s new generation of AI social application
[5] 2025 iF Design Gold Award
[6] On Earth Day 2025, Google redesigned its logo with nature
[7] YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary in 20 ways
[8] Figma announced the launch of 5 blockbuster new features at the Config 2025 conference
[9] Google unexpectedly disclosed a new design language: Material 3 Expressive
[10] Love at a glance, explore infinitely: Apple launches new website “Snap shot”
[11] TikTok is about to launch its first AI image-to-video feature: “TikTok AI Alive”
[12] Google I/O 2025 developer conference
[13] Airbnb expands its services and experiences, with plans to launch more social and artificial intelligence features
[14] Flipboard launches Surf, a new open social network browsing app
1. Intelligence reminder function has been added to Apple’s iOS 18.4 system update
Apple Intelligence, a new feature added in Apple’s iOS 18.4 system update, although Apple Intelligence encountered some problems in the early days of its launch, such as misleading message summarization and delays in Siri improvements, its AI technology still plays an active role in daily life, especially in handling notifications, information summarization and image editing. Here are a few recommended Apple Intelligence features:
Prioritize Notifications
New in iOS 18.4, Smart Notifications automatically pins important notifications (such as weather alerts, text messages from frequent contacts, or emails containing calls to action) to the top of the lock screen notification list with colorful Apple Intelligence flashes.
B-end product manager’s ability model and learning improvement
The first challenge faced by B-end product managers is how to correctly analyze and diagnose business problems. This is also the most difficult part, product design knowledge is basically not helpful for this part of the work, if you want to do a good job in business analysis and diagnosis, you must have a solid …
View details >
[Enabling method] Go to “Set > notifications > priority notifications” and turn on this option. You can also enable or disable priority alerts for individual apps from the same screen.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
Summaries
Apple Intelligence can generate short summaries for notifications, messages, and web pages. For example, when receiving a text message from a friend or group, the iPhone generates a short one-sentence summary. Sometimes the summary can be vague or even a little funny, but overall it’s better than no help.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
In Safari, when a page supports reading mode, you can click the “Page Menu” button in the address bar, select “Show Reader”, and then click the “Summary” button at the top of the page to generate a brief summary of the article.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
Siri interface updates and interaction improvements
Starting with iOS 18.1, Siri on Apple Intelligence-enabled devices has a new visual effect, a colored halo on the edges of the full screen. In addition, Siri has also made improvements in interaction, such as being more tolerant of slips of the tongue or interruptions when asking questions, and being able to better listen to the user’s follow-up questions after obtaining results.
ChatGPT Integration: Starting with iOS 18.2, Siri has integrated ChatGPT as an alternative to information sources. If Siri cannot answer certain questions immediately, the system will ask the user if they would like to use ChatGPT to get answers, and users can use this feature without a ChatGPT account.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
Silent call to Siri (Tap to Siri)
To avoid speaking loudly in public or triggering Siri on other devices, iOS 18.4 adds the “Tap to Siri” feature. Users can use Siri without speaking by double-tapping on the bottom edge of the iPhone or iPad screen to bring up the Siri search bar and keyboard.
【Usage Scenarios】On Mac, users can go to “System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri” and select a key combination in “Keyboard Shortcuts” (such as “press any Command key twice”) to bring up Siri.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
Clean Up in Photos
iOS 18.1 introduces the “Clean Up” feature, an AI-based image cleaning tool. When editing a photo, click the “Clean Up” button, and the iPhone will analyze the photo and suggest distractions that may need to be removed (such as dust on the lens, debris on the ground, etc.). Users can click or circle the area to be removed, and the app will use generative AI to fill in reasonable pixels.
【Usage Scenarios】While the “Clean Up” feature may not work as well as professional image editing software in some cases, it is good enough to quickly remove small distractions from photos.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
Reduce Interruptions Focus mode
With Apple Intelligence, Focus on iPhone has added a Distractions Reduction mode. When the mode is activated, it smartly filters out unnecessary notifications that may be allowed to pass even if they are not explicitly included in the conditions for allowing notifications (such as specific contacts).
【How to Enable It】Click the “Focus” button in the Control Center and select the “Reduce Distractions” mode.
▲ Picture from: https://www.cnet.com
2. Meta introduces teen mode on Facebook and Messenger
Meta is rolling out a teen account feature for Facebook and Messenger platforms, aiming to provide young users with an app experience with built-in protection features to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, and protect teens’ online safety and mental health.
Functional details
- Scope of application: The feature is currently available in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, and will be expanded to more regions in the future.
- Automatic Registration: Teen users will be automatically enrolled in the restricted account experience without manual setup.
- Message restrictions: Teens can only receive messages from people they follow or have previously communicated with, which can help prevent harassment from strangers.
- Story and Interaction Restrictions: Only teens’ friends can view and reply to their stories, and tags, mentions, and comments will be limited to the people or friends they follow, reducing the potential risk of cyberbullying.
- Use time management: After using social networks for one hour a day, teenagers will receive a reminder to exit and in addition, they will enter “quiet mode” at night to promote healthy lifestyle habits and sleep.
- Parental Control: Teens under 16 need parental permission to change any settings, ensuring parental supervision and control over teens’ social media use.
▲ Picture from: Meta official website
New restrictions on Instagram
Live streaming restrictions: Teens under the age of 16 are not allowed to go live on Instagram unless they have parental permission.
Privacy Protection: Teens under the age of 16 need parental permission to turn off the app’s ability to blur suspicious nudity in private messages, further protecting teens from inappropriate content.
▲ Picture from: Meta official website
Other important information
User migration: Meta says it has migrated 54 million teens to teen accounts, and as the feature continues to roll out globally, more teen users will need to migrate in the future.
Parent feedback: According to a study commissioned by Meta and conducted by Ipsos, 94% of parents surveyed said teen accounts are helpful to parents, and 85% believe teen accounts make it easier for parents to create a positive experience for teens on Instagram.
3. WeChat 4.0.3 for Mac is newly released
Optimize the experience of the official account
By optimizing the layout layout, the article presents a clearer and more beautiful appearance, which is suitable for Mac large-screen reading; Added a quick interaction button to make it smoother for users to like, leave a message, and share. Optimize search and history browsing functions to quickly locate content of interest, and improve the efficiency and experience of reading and interaction in an all-round way.
▲ Picture from: WeChat official website
Click on the upper right corner of the circle of friends “…”, you can see the “Pin this circle of friends” option, click to complete the pinning, simple and convenient, so that important content is always “C bit”
▲ Picture from: WeChat official website
You can receive transfer messages in single chats
Users no longer need to rely on their mobile phones to receive Single Chat transfer messages in real time on their Mac devices. Whether it is the handover of funds for business cooperation or the daily capital turnover between relatives and friends, you can quickly receive the account with a single click, say goodbye to the cumbersome process of switching devices, make the exchange of funds more convenient and timely, and achieve an efficient and smooth cross-terminal experience.
▲ Picture from: WeChat official website
You can set the translation language
Users can flexibly set the target language for translation according to their own needs. Whether it is English documents when communicating with overseas customers or reading small language trends shared by foreign friends, you can quickly switch the target language and obtain accurate translation results with one click, greatly improving the convenience of multilingual communication and content viewing.
▲ Picture from: WeChat official website
Screenshots can be coded with one click
Added one-click coding function. When users take screenshots, they can quickly invoke this function to easily blur sensitive content such as personal information and account passwords involved in screenshots, without the need for third-party tools, making screenshot sharing safer and more convenient, and effectively protecting personal privacy.
▲ Picture from: WeChat official website
4. Tolan’s new generation of AI social application
Tolan abandons the image of “perfect humans” in traditional AI social software and uses alien characters to establish non-hierarchical interactions. Through the narrative framework of “interstellar friendship”, users are in an equal dialogue position with aliens – the AI does not play the role of virtual pets or emotional vassals, but has independent preferred “partners”. Design psychology data shows that unconventional images reduce users’ social pressure while stimulating sci-fi curiosity, with downloads surging 498% in the first month.
“Alien” image design
Unlike the common images of handsome men and beautiful women in traditional AI social applications, Tolan uses “aliens” as chat objects, which have different colors and appearances, and have cute images, satisfying the curious experience of users.
Equal friendship relationships
Tolan emphasizes the establishment of an equal friendship relationship with users, who can interact with “aliens” through chatting, sharing, asking questions, etc., sharing each other’s lives, rather than just one-way emotional asking or giving.
▲ Picture from: Screenshot of the tolan application market
Diverse ways to interact
It supports text and voice conversations, and can also communicate by taking pictures and videos, such as allowing users to choose clothes or guess landscape photos, which increases the fun of interaction.
▲ Picture from: Screenshot of the tolan application market
Personalization and emotion
Animated to respond to the user’s touch and voice. As the frequency of interaction increases, unique friendship memories will be formed. Answer sincerely, do not have a strong sense of “man-machine”, communicate in the tone of a real friend, which has infectious and healing power.
▲ Picture from: Screenshot of the tolan application market
Emotions and practicality combined
Tolan believes that AI will not solve loneliness, but it will solve the problem of overwhelm, combining emotion and practicality to help users navigate complex life situations.
▲ Picture from: Screenshot of the tolan application market
5. 2025 iF Design Gold Award
The theme of the 2025 IF Design Awards is “Diverse Innovation”, once again highlighting the core role of product design in the industry. Among them, the product category is the largest category with a proportion of 65%, reflecting that contemporary product design is changing life through functional upgrades and aesthetic innovation, adding a color to ordinary daily life. At the same time, the iF Gold Award winning works have both aesthetic design breakthroughs, social and humanistic heritage and information dissemination value, which shows the benchmark position of the award in the field of industrial design.
ABB E-mobility：ABB A400 All-in-One EV Charger
As technology becomes more complex, user experience and interface accessibility become increasingly critical. This electric vehicle charging station is designed to achieve the perfect balance of simple and low-key physical form and highly user-friendly user experience. Through the clever combination of static and dynamic graphics, combined with a coordinated color scheme, the information display and operation process present a clear, intuitive and attractive visual expression. This design significantly optimizes the overall smoothness of the EV charging experience in an amazing way.
▲Picture from: iF official website
Anzen Health：855-HOW-TO-QUIT-(OPIOIDS)
This concise and powerful public welfare action points directly to the number one problem of public health in the United States – opioid painkiller addiction. Helplines are printed on the surface of the tablets to deliver assistance directly to addicts. The clean design with eye-catching typography ensures that information is within reach. Innovative solutions light up the dawn of hope for life when and where it is needed most.
▲Picture from: iF official website
Busan Museum of Contemporary Art
The new brand identity of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Busan, South Korea, combines fixed and flexible elements, aiming to engage the younger generation and develop their appreciation for contemporary art. This visual system covers multiple media such as digital media, print materials, and physical space, and runs through different communication channels and touchpoints. Its original intention was realized, successfully stimulating people’s curiosity, enthusiasm for interaction and deep thinking.
▲ Picture from: iF official website
Hager: Hager Charge
Electric vehicles are accelerating into the future, but the strangeness, waiting anxiety, and operational barriers generated during the charging process still plague users. This innovative design cleverly addresses these pain points:
When the charging gun is connected to the vehicle, the digital instrument cluster immediately blooms with a flowing light effect, like the instant feedback of the fuel gauge pointer beating;
The particle animation presented simultaneously by the mobile phone APP turns the invisible electrical energy into a visual optical flow shuttle, and the user can adjust the charging rate with the swipe of the fingertips – this interactive method that deeply integrates the mechanical interface and the digital interface not only restores the instant control of the traditional gas station, but also gives the unique sense of scientific and technological ritual in the new energy era. From the charging pile breathing light to the energy map of the mobile phone, the whole system redefines the aesthetic experience of human-vehicle energy interaction with a visual language full of vitality.
▲Picture from: iF official website
NEC: Mutual Aid Evacuation Support Service
Japan is no stranger to natural disasters, from earthquakes, tsunamis, floods to volcanic eruptions. As a result, the country’s emergency system designers understand the importance of coordinating rescue services quickly and efficiently. The app does an excellent job of combining local government data with initial evacuation plans, allowing residents and rescuers to share information in real time – a true “guardian of life”!
▲ Picture from: iF official website
Nothing：Nothing Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition
The “Nothing design language” of the brand’s original product is in a relationship with the user community
The new model created together has been fully upgraded (hence its name). This bold move heralds an upcoming trend in product design – just as the internet is dominated by user-generated content today, hardware designers will increasingly draw creative inspiration from the user base. Nothing phones are at the forefront of this change.
▲ Picture from: iF official website
Hainan Xin Tian Di lnsun Film Hainan Xintiandi Yinxing Movie: HAIKOU GAOXINGLI INSUN CINEMA
The interior design of this theater is stunningly original. The designer’s use of rough brick walls to echo the majestic momentum of the waves is a stroke of genius, and at first glance at the cold space, the longer you stay, the more you can feel the unexpected warmth, just like the wonderful experience of jumping into the blue waves!
▲ Picture from: iF official website
Tomoyasu Works Youyasu Production: BRUSHUP: a series of Japan-made brooms & dustpans
The quality of Japanese craftsmen and the minimalist aesthetics are always fascinating. This Brushup cleaning tool reinterprets everyday cleaning tools with the most streamlined design, turning the ordinary into something new. We were deeply moved by this classic design language – if we want to truly practice sustainability, there is no better way to protect traditional craftsmanship.
▲ Picture from: iF official website
6. On Earth Day 2025, Google redesigned its logo with nature
▲ Picture from: https://doodles.google/doodle/earth-day-2025/
Earth Day is a global environmental protection event held on April 22 every year, aiming to raise public awareness of global environmental issues, advocate a sustainable lifestyle, and promote governments, enterprises and individuals to take environmental protection actions. Echoing the theme, Google designed the Google Doodle for the anniversary with aerial photos of the Earth.
Google Doodle is a customized version of Google’s Google icon displayed on its homepage to commemorate holidays or anniversaries. Since 2004, Google has created and showcased thousands of Doodle icons, covering a wide range of topics, from musicians to historical events. It can be said that every Doodle is a story. With these doodles, Google shows users that it values culture and its diversity, while also sparking interest in cultures and histories around the world.
According to the official introduction, the Google doodle for this Earth Day is designed to allow users to enjoy the diverse landscapes and features of the world. They selected aerial photos of natural landscapes that resembled the shape of Google letters to form the full word “Google.” The design of the Google Doodle on Earth Day not only shows the magic and magnificence of nature, but also conveys Google’s vision for the sustainable development of the earth.
Among them, six aerial photographs are taken from the atolls of the Maldives and their surrounding lagoons, the high-altitude mountain landscapes of the French Alps, the northern taiga forests and the banks of the St. Lawrence River on the north coast of Quebec, the water systems east of the Andes and the Mendoza River in the western province of Edosa in Argentina, the deep canyons of southeastern Utah, and the arid landforms of the remote interior of western New South Wales, Australia. These six landscapes have unique natural and ecological characteristics, such as the high-altitude mountainous region of the French Alps, which stands for the letter “O”, which is characterized by rocky forest formations, and the harsh environment has created a unique alpine ecosystem on which wildlife such as rock antelopes, marmots and golden eagles thrive.
Related links: https://doodles.google/doodle/earth-day-2025/
7. YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary in 20 ways
On April 23, 2025, YouTube celebrates its 20th anniversary, from the first 19-second video to more than 20 billion uploads (covering music, short videos, podcasts, etc.), and the data growth has also witnessed the continuous growth and growth of YouTube. To celebrate this anniversary, Youtube has prepared a variety of ways to celebrate the birthday, including releasing new features, reviewing interesting data, releasing hidden easter eggs, and holding surprise activities, inviting users to participate in the festive carnival.
▲Picture from: YouTube Official Blog official website
Review interesting data
In 2024, YouTubers will post an average of more than 100 million comments per day under their videos, and creators will like comments from 10 million viewers per day. It also introduced YouTube’s product TMI – it turns out that YouTube is not only celebrating its birthday this year – YouTube Music and YouTube Kids are also celebrating their 10th anniversary, and the internal code name before YouTube Music was launched was actually “Woodstock”. What’s even more interesting is that YouTube adds more than 20 million videos per day on average corresponding to the 20th anniversary.
Unlock the latest features
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, Youtube has announced the latest features that will be unlocked in the future. The first is to watch video content in a multi-view combination. In the coming weeks, YouTube TV members can try to create their own multi-view combined viewing experience for select non-sports content. The feature will be tested with a small number of popular channels and gradually expanded in the coming months.
▲ Picture from: YouTube Official Blog official website, multi-view combination to watch the video
The second is the TV renewal experience. This summer, Youtube’s TV side will usher in a comprehensive upgrade, including smoother navigation, playback and picture quality adjustment, and one-click direct access to the comment area, channel information and subscription entrance will also be launched one after another.
▲Picture from: YouTube Official Blog official website
The upcoming YouTube TV app has been redesigned with videos from @LoFiGirl.
The feature update preview also includes voice reply comment upgrades, using Ask Music to create personalized radio stations, and 4x speed playback, waiting for users to explore their experience.
Hidden treasure features
Youtube also took stock of many treasure functions in the product, such as long pressing anywhere on the video player to turn on 2x speed, and locking the screen to prevent accidental touch; Open the Android version of YouTube or YouTube Music, hum a few lines to listen to the song, and directly add it to the playlist to loop the reminiscence; and in the parental selection mode (YouTube Kids), the “personally review content” function is enabled, and parents can manually select the content that their children can watch, making parenting more secure. In addition, creators can now associate short videos with long videos, live broadcasts, or other short videos in Youtube shorts, allowing viewers to explore more relevant content with one click on the site.
Abundant birthday eggs
The most attractive and birthday atmosphere is the birthday egg that Youtube has planted in the station to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The first is the new holiday limited logo, which uses a festive balloon to celebrate the birthday as the main body, conveying a strong and youthful and active festive atmosphere as a whole – the bottom is a silver digital balloon representing the “20th” anniversary, and above is the classic red play button logo of Youtube. The official also introduced the story of the creation of the original YouTube logo’s classic red and white play button icon – co-founder Chad Hurley created it in 2005 on his way to the office, drawing inspiration from the logo of the Silicon Valley commuter train CalTrain and the design of TV Guide magazine.
▲ Picture from: YouTube Official Blog official website, Youtube’s 20th anniversary festival limited new logo.
The second is the video interactive easter egg, which includes likes in selected videos, which can trigger birthday-themed progress bar special effects and animations; desktop users can enter “bday” anywhere on the watch page to instantly travel back to the old version of the YouTube interface; YouTube TV members can immerse themselves in a 48-hour limited-time birthday-themed meditation channel and switch between party modes at any time. In addition, Youtube has also designed a 20th anniversary live broadcast gift (only available during the week of Youtube’s 20th anniversary), allowing users to give virtual cakes or party hats to their favorite creators, turning the live broadcast room into a birthday party scene in seconds.
▲ Picture from: YouTube Official Blog official website, Youtube 20th anniversary limited live broadcast gift.
Related links: https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/happy-birthday-youtube-20/
8. Figma announced the launch of 5 blockbuster new features at Config 2025
▲Figma Config 2025 conference site.
Image source: https://config.figma.com/san-francisco/
Figma held its Config 2025 Annual Conference in San Francisco on May 6, 2025, and officially launched five strategic feature updates – including Figma Draw, a vector drawing tool, Grid, a brand marketing suite, Figma Buzz, a website publishing solution, Figma Sites, and Figma Make, an AI-powered prototyping generator. This upgrade provides designers and teams with full-process solutions from creative conception to product implementation through deep integration of design, development and release, indicating that Figma is gradually evolving into an “intelligent and collaborative integrated creative development platform”.
Figma Draw: Enhanced vector drawing capabilities
Draw mode supports more professional and refined vector drawing functions such as dynamic strokes, path text layout, and shape generator. Users can complete complex illustrations and icon designs directly within Figma, reducing reliance on external tools like Illustrator.
In the Figma design file, users can switch to Draw mode by clicking the icon on the right side of the bottom toolbar.
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31440394517143-Explore-Figma-Draw
Multiple brushstrokes at your disposal: In Draw mode, you can choose from three different brushes – pen, brush and pencil. Among them, the brush tool has about 60 built-in brushstrokes with texture, which users can use to create more stylish illustrations and enjoy the fun of drawing with brushstrokes.
▲ Image source: Figma Community documentation “Draw Playground”
Path Text Layout: In the past, this function could only be used by adding plugins, but now you can easily implement text layout around the path within Figma by clicking on the text tool, selecting lines and entering text, injecting more possibilities into layout design.
▲ Image source: Figma Community documentation “Draw Playground”
Shape Generator: Previously, users could only extract or delete the overlap between two shapes through Boolean operations. Nowadays, selecting multiple vector objects in path editing mode can also apply the same path generator function as in Illustrator, which greatly improves the design efficiency of graphics.
▲ Image source: Figma Community documentation “Draw Playground”
In addition, Figma Draw mode has also been updated with quite a few functions, such as lasso tools, pattern filling, object duplication and arrangement, adding noise, progressive blur, etc., which greatly improves the flexibility and convenience of designers when expressing themselves creatively.
Grid: The 2D grid automatically lays out the model
Previously, Figma’s automatic layout model was a one-dimensional layout model, which could only arrange elements in a row or column, but could not be flexibly arranged in both dimensions. The updated Grid layout is a 2D layout model that supports stretching across multiple rows or columns, helping designers easily implement 2D layout styles such as Bento
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31289469907863-Use-the-grid-auto-layout-flow
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31289469907863-Use-the-grid-auto-layout-flow
Figma Buzz: Brand asset management tool
Buzz is a new file type within Figma designed to help designers manage their brand assets. There are two different workflows when collaborating in Figma Buzz: creating and publishing templates (such as the brand design team) and using and editing these templates (such as the marketing team).
Brand design teams can create and share brand-related resources and templates within Figma Buzz, creating brand assets quickly and at scale, so team members can access what they need when and where they need it. Meanwhile, Buzz’s clean design editor allows marketers or other teams to quickly create the resources they need to quickly create branded design materials such as social media posts, digital ads, event materials, and more.
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31194937548951-Explore-Figma-Buzz
Figma Sites: Publish designs directly to websites
Users can directly convert design drafts in Figma into responsive websites without writing code or relying on third-party tools, especially suitable for marketing pages, portfolios, product prototype displays, and other scenarios.
▲ Image source: figma official website
The main feature of Figma Sites is that after dragging the Figma Design file directly into it, the responsive component can be used to generate responsive websites for different resolutions, reducing manual adjustments when designing for different screen sizes and improving efficiency.
▲ Image source: figma official website
In addition, there are a large number of templates and preset components built into Figma Sites, which users can drag and drop directly into the website to quickly build layouts.
▲ Image source https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31242773374615-Insert-blocks-embeds-webpages-and-design-libraries-into-a-site
Figma Make: AI-generated interactive prototypes
In Figma Make, users can directly generate interactive prototypes by inputting natural language descriptions or dragging into existing designs. This feature is based on the Anthropic Claude 3.7 model and supports code generation and real-time preview. At the same time, without writing code, users can instantly turn their designs into fully functional and publishable web applications.
▲Image source: https://www.figma.com/make/utm_source=figma&utm_medium=sites&utm_campaign=recap
When users create functional prototypes, web applications, and interactive UIs using Figma Make, they can attach designs and images to the prompts in addition to inputting text prompts, guiding the AI to generate the desired effect. This means that users can simply copy and paste a framework from a design file and let the AI turn it into a workable prototype.
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31304529835671-Attach-designs-and-images-to-a-prompt
Related links: https://config.figma.com/
9. Google unexpectedly revealed a new design language: Material 3 Expressive
▲ Image source: https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/31304529835671-Attach-designs-and-images-to-a-prompt
In a now-deleted blog post discovered by 9to5Google, Google accidentally revealed the next major overhaul of Android: Material 3 Expressive. (This blog post has now been published on the official website of Google Design, and you can click on the relevant link at the end to view the details)
At the heart of Material 3 Expressive’s design philosophy is to create “expressive design”. Hope to go beyond “boring” and “clean” designs and create interfaces that connect with people on an emotional level.
Back in 2022, there was a question within Google’s design team about “Why do all these apps look so similar?” So boring? The question of “. To solve this problem, the Google design team used 46 independent studies, covering hundreds of designs, and more than 18,000 participants from around the world to create a system that is both expressive and highly available.
In this blog post, the Google Design team shares the research process and data behind Material 3 Expressive’s bold and innovative design direction, as well as users’ perceptions of emotion-driven UX preferences. Through extensive empirical research, the Google design team has proven that expressive design is not only more visually appealing, but also improves the user’s perception of the product itself, making the design easier to use.
Expressive design is easier to use
One of the key features of Material 3 Expressive is its emotion-driven design, which emphasizes human sensual feelings and presents a more personal and bold visual style, which improves product usability while also making it more attractive. Visually, the M3 Expressive is embodied in vibrant colors, intuitive dynamics, adaptive components, flexible typography, and contrasting shapes.
▲ Image source: https://m3.material.io/
In the past, people might think that this type of interface design with a wide variety of colors and bold shapes was not very easy to use, but the Google team has experimentally proven that expressive design is actually easier to use. While innovating the color, size, and shape of interface elements, M3 Expressive also follows sustainable design principles to ensure that users’ attention can be drawn to key elements and find their goals faster.
To validate the ease of use of the M3 ExpressiveUX design, the researchers had participants interact on 10 applications in both versions of Material 3 and Material 3 Expressive. In the email-app experiment, the M3 version of the email app interface placed a small “Send” button on the toolbar at the top of the screen, alongside other controls. The M3 Expressive version has a larger “Send” button, located directly above the keyboard, and uses a secondary color to catch the user’s attention. Excitingly, the experimental results showed that the participants’ eyes caught the button four times faster in the M3 Expressive version than in the M3 version when asked to perform the “send email” task.
▲ Image source: https://design.google/library/expressive-material-design-google-research
At the same time, the Google design team also mentioned in the article that while expressive design offers exciting possibilities, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, a personalized design design that works well in an email application may not be suitable for the banking interface.
When expressive design breaks basic interaction paradigms, it can also lead to poor usability and negative emotions among users. In experimental results for playlists, neatly arranged carousels and vertical lists still have higher usability scores than cluttered unstructured interface designs with no information markers.
▲ Image source: https://design.google/library/expressive-material-design-google-research
Today, the Material 3 Expressive open-source design system is generally available, and this update includes new components, a new dynamic physics system, new font styles and typography, an expanded shape library, and color schemes with an expanded range of colors. Go to the official website of Google Material Design to learn more about the concept and details of the M3 Expressive design.
Related links:
https://design.google/library/expressive-material-design-google-research
https://m3.material.io/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=IO25
10. Explore infinitely: Apple launches new website “Snap shot”
Apple launched a new web portal called “Snapshot” on April 30, 2025, which aims to integrate celebrity news and media content from its three streaming platforms (Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcasts) to provide users with a one-stop entry point for celebrity information.
▲ Image source: https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/29/apple-launches-snapshot-a-new-way-to-discover-artists-actors-and-athletes/
The site currently features 36 world-renowned singers, actors, and athletes, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Brad Pitti, footballer Messi, and more. These celebrity photos are presented as horizontally scrolling cards on the site’s homepage that users can click to view their short biographies, representative work, and links to exclusive content within the Apple ecosystem (e.g., music albums, documentaries, podcasts, etc.). In addition to the works, the website also contains news feeds from members of famous groups such as Coldplay and BTS, aiming to allow users to follow the latest developments of celebrities through the website.
▲ Image source: https://www.theverge.com/news/658283/apple-snapshot-website-celebrity-profile-wiki-tv-music
As the drainage portal of Apple’s streaming platform, the “Snapshot” website allows users to watch more content in one stop by connecting Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcast services, thereby increasing the click-through rate and number of plays of platform content, and to a certain extent strengthening the linkage of services and content in the Apple ecosystem.
However, at present, perhaps because the website has not yet been officially released, its content is still slightly thin, and in the future, third-party cooperation may be opened to enrich the content ecology of the website. In addition, the functional experience of the website also needs to be further polished and improved, the current website does not launch a search function, users can only click on the celebrity card on the carousel wall to view more content information, the information search efficiency is low. The launch of Snapshot marks Apple’s continued exploration of content aggregation and user experience unity. Although the initial function is slightly thin, the development direction of ecological collaboration reflected behind it deserves our attention. Related links: https://snapshot.apple.com/
11. TikTok is about to launch its first AI image-to-video feature: “TikTok AI Alive”
TikTok’s AI Alive is its first-of-its-kind creative feature, providing users with a new way to convert static photos into dynamic videos, while ensuring the security and transparency of content through strict moderation mechanisms and metadata embedding. This innovative feature not only enriches TikTok’s creative tools but also demonstrates the potential of AI technology in the social media field.
▲ Picture from: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/introducing-tiktok-ai-alive
TikTok launches new accessibility tools, including AI-generated ALT text
TikTok is actively expanding its accessibility tools to enhance the experience for visually impaired and low-vision users by introducing AI-generated ALT text, high-contrast mode, and device-level bold text preference support. These updates not only demonstrate TikTok’s emphasis on accessibility but also demonstrate its efforts to create a more inclusive platform.
▲ Picture from: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/celebrating-global-accessibility-awareness
12. Google I/O 2025 Developer Conference:
This Google I/O 2025 developer conference mainly showcases Google’s latest advancements in artificial intelligence, Android system, Chrome browser, search services, and YouTube. Among them, the launch of Gemini Ultra and related AI features is the focus of this conference.
Gemini Ultra provides the “highest level of access” to Google AI apps and services to experience the most powerful features and models of Google AI:
Gemini Ultra is aimed at filmmakers, developers, creative professionals, and those who want access to the highest level of Google AI. The main function is the Gemini app; Flow：Whisk； NotebookLM； Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Vids, etc.; Gemini in Chrome; Project Mariner； YouTube Premium and 30 TB of storage.
▲ Picture from: https://blog.google/products/google-one/google-ai-ultra/
Gemini will be integrated into Chrome
Gemini models will work with Google Search collections. It will enhance intelligence through AI Mode and become a powerful new AI search feature. A new AI mode tab supports questions up to hundreds of words, automatically breaking down query intent and generating structured answers.
Google has taken search capabilities to the next level with AI Mode, not only providing smarter search results but also introducing features like deep search, real-time interactions, agency capabilities, personalized recommendations, and data visualization. These updates are designed to help users complete tasks more efficiently while providing a more personalized and intuitive search experience.
13. Airbnb expands its services and experiences, with plans to launch more social and AI features
A range of new services and experience features are being introduced through its app, aiming to provide travelers with richer travel options and enhance the platform’s social and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
Services and experiences:
The new feature introduced by Airbnb allows travelers to book a variety of services and experiences, including massages, haircuts, chef-prepared meals, attending events, and more. These services can be attached to accommodation reservations or booked independently.
▲Picture from: Airbnb
Airbnb Originals：
Airbnb has launched exclusive experiences called Airbnb Originals, which are a way to “experience the city like a local”, a natural extension of B&B services, and to give users a better experience of the local culture.
▲ Image from: Airbnb
Airbnb’s new app adds social features
Airbnb plans to introduce more social features later in 2025, such as adding a group chat feature for users who have participated in the same experience so they can discuss experiences and share photos and videos. At the same time, the company said it is developing privacy features to ensure the safety of users in social interactions.
▲Picture from: Airbnb
Airbnb has further expanded its business scope by introducing new services and experience features, which not only enhance users’ sense of participation in travel, but also enhance the competitiveness of the platform. At the same time, through the application of social functions and artificial intelligence technology, Airbnb is striving to create a more interactive and intelligent travel platform to provide users with a more personalized and convenient travel experience.
14. Flipboard’s new open social networking app, Surf
Surf is an open social browsing app from Flipboard that makes it easier for users to create and discover custom feeds that match their interests. It allows users to focus on what they truly care about, such as hobbies, sports, communities, etc., creating an exclusive social media experience that is no longer limited to algorithmically generated timelines designed by social network owners.
Starter Sets features:
Simplify the process of creating custom feeds, personalizing them, and publishing them off-platform, making them more accessible for those who want to try their hand at creating feeds but aren’t sure how to get started.
▲ Image from: Flipboard
Supported content sources:
Surf can curate and explore social network content built on open protocols, such as Bluesky, Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, etc., and also Meta’s Threads.
Users can add their social account feeds and filter by the topic of their choice. You can also add specific sources through the search bar and use tools to filter these sources to include only posts that match dynamic topics. In addition to this, the new feature allows users to publish custom feeds to Bluesky. Once you choose to publish, the feed will appear in the Activity tab of the user’s Bluesky profile, but will only include Bluesky content when viewed on the Bluesky app.
▲ Image from: Flipboard
Currently, the social media field is gradually developing towards open protocols and users’ independent content customization, and the emergence of Surf follows this trend, providing users with a freer and more personalized social networking experience. The above information comes from legal public information on the Internet, if you have further questions, you can contact us.
