Leon van Bakel is a Senior UX/UI Designer at tretton37, a globally recognized Swedish software consultancy. With over 14 years of experience in digital design, he has an impressive track record of creating innovative, user-centered solutions across a range of industries. Leon has worked with major brands, including leading product design efforts for global healthcare and IoT projects. His deep understanding of design thinking and his expertise in blending creativity with functionality make him a credible voice on how design will evolve in 2025.
In this interview, he shares his insights on the design trends set to shape the future, offering valuable perspectives for both designers and business leaders alike.
Let's dive right in.
What’s a design trend you worked with in 2023 or 2024, and how did it shape your project?
I always approach design trends with a critical eye while ensuring I stay informed about emerging developments. I view trends as a double-edged sword—some may fade quickly, while others define the future. It’s a bit of a lottery, so I try to maintain a balanced perspective. While I keep up-to-date with trends and understand their implications, I prefer to anchor my work in more evergreen principles, blending proven methodologies with a forward-thinking mindset.
For me, successful design is about combining facts, historical context, analytics, intuition, and trends to create solutions that stand the test of time. This approach has shaped my projects by allowing me to innovate where it makes sense, without being overly swayed by fleeting trends. It ensures the outcomes are not just trendy but also meaningful, sustainable, and effective in meeting user needs.
Significant focus of my work was on AI. I dedicated time to understanding its mechanics, exploring how it can be effectively used in the design process, and integrating it seamlessly into products. This included leveraging AI to streamline workflows, enhance personalization, and improve overall user experiences. Beyond the technical aspects, I spent considerable effort examining the broader implications of AI—how it influences design thinking, shifts the way we approach problem-solving, and redefines the boundaries of what’s possible in product design. Designing for AI required me to think critically about ethics, user trust, and how to create meaningful interactions between users and intelligent systems. This exploration has been both a challenge and an opportunity to push the boundaries of innovation in design.
Is there a design trend you’re excited about for 2025? Why do you think it will matter?
Hyper-personalization
One design trend I’m particularly excited about for 2025 is hyper-personalization. With the advancements in AI, we’re moving beyond generic, one-size-fits-all designs toward interfaces that adapt dynamically to individual user needs and actions. Instead of command-based interactions, we’re entering an era of intention-based experiences where AI anticipates user goals and adjusts the interface in real-time to support them. This augmentation of the user experience creates a more intuitive, efficient, and seamless interaction, making technology feel more like an extension of the user’s own thinking.
Assisted learning
"Another trend I’m enthusiastic about is assisted learning. AI has the potential to go far beyond traditional chatbots, transforming into personalized teachers or assistants. Imagine an AI that reads a manual for you, explains how your medication works, or helps you navigate a complex system with ease. These capabilities could revolutionize education, healthcare, and daily life by offering contextual, on-demand knowledge tailored to each individual’s needs and learning style.
I believe these trends will matter because they address a fundamental shift in how we interact with technology. By making experiences more human-centered and adaptive, hyper-personalization and assisted learning can bridge the gap between users and increasingly complex systems. They promise to empower individuals, democratize access to knowledge, and set a new standard for intuitive, meaningful design."
Can you share a project you’re proud of where a design trend played a big role? What made it successful?
Comprehensive design system
While design systems might not be considered a ‘trend’ anymore, they have evolved into a movement that profoundly impacts how teams collaborate and create. By establishing patterns, guides, and interaction principles, I was able to craft a cohesive story that not only defined how the app should work but also empowered developers to understand and engage with the design on a deeper level.
What made this project successful was treating design as a living, evolving entity. The system wasn’t just a static set of rules; it acted as a tool developers could actively use and contribute to. This approach allowed them to express their creativity while maintaining a harmonized experience for users. By bridging the gap between design and development, the system ensured consistency, scalability, and an enhanced user experience that everyone involved in the project could take pride in.
Renal care AI prediction models
"Another project I’m proud of involved integrating large language models (LLMs) into critical calculations for three key indexes: mortality rate, hospitalization risk, and thrombosis prediction. Working in renal care, where health and life expectancy are critical, this project aimed to provide medical teams with highly scientific and comprehensive insights.
What made this project stand out was its ability to combine advanced analytics with assisted learning. LLMs not only calculated these vital indexes but also offered contextual explanations, helping the medical staff understand the data in depth. By suggesting actionable steps based on these insights, the solution empowered the healthcare team to make informed decisions, optimize patient care, and potentially save lives. The integration of AI in this way was a game-changer, offering both precision and practical support in a high-stakes environment."
What’s a tool or process you used recently that made a big difference in your design work?
Tools
"A big difference in my design work was variety of conversational AI, similar to ChatGPT. While these tools might not be groundbreaking individually, their ability to augment my skills and provide a kickstart in areas where I lacked expertise was transformative. They helped me tackle tasks I wasn’t particularly confident in and allowed me to approach problems with fresh perspectives.
What amazed me the most was their ability to support brainstorming and creativity. I previously believed AI lacked creative capabilities, but it proved to be a powerful collaborator in ideation. That said, I’ve learned that the key to unlocking its potential lies in mastering how to craft effective prompts. Like any tool, the more skilled you become at using it, the faster you work and the better the outcomes. AI has not only accelerated my workflow but also expanded the range of what I can achieve in my design process."
Process / method / mindset
The Future Ripples Method
Emphasizes the importance of mapping out the broader consequences of design decisions through anticipatory practices, encouraging designers to consider long-term implications beyond immediate usability.
LINK
New kind of design
The Critical Design website explores an alternative approach to traditional design, focusing on challenging assumptions, provoking thought, and envisioning speculative futures to push the boundaries of design’s role in society.
LINK
What’s a lesson you’ve learned about using design trends in your work that could help other designers or business leaders?
One of the key lessons I’ve learned about using design trends is that it’s not about the trend itself, but how well you understand and apply it. Trends aren’t a magic wand—they require a strong foundation of knowledge, critical thinking, and effort to translate them into real value. It’s essential to approach trends with a balanced perspective; while some are overhyped and short-lived, others have the potential to drive meaningful change.
To effectively use trends, you need to analyze data, gather information, and leverage historical insights while grounding your approach in experience. Combining this with future thinking or speculative design allows you to test and refine ideas before committing to them. Another important aspect is building resilience - both in your approach to trends and in the solutions you design. This means ensuring that what you create can adapt and evolve as trends shift or as user needs change. Resilience ensures that your work remains relevant and valuable, even as the landscape continues to transform.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to businesses trying to stay ahead in design?
Stay critical and intentional—don’t chase every trend, but instead focus on deeply understanding them, leveraging data, historical insights, and future thinking to create meaningful, resilient designs. Combine evergreen principles with innovative approaches like AI, speculative design, and design systems to empower your team, adapt to change, and deliver lasting value to your users.
Why do you think paying attention to design trends matters for a company’s success, especially in 2025?
Trends often signal shifts in user expectations, emerging technologies, and market dynamics. Staying informed allows companies to adapt, innovate, and remain competitive, particularly as technologies like AI, hyper-personalization, and assisted learning redefine how users interact with products and services. However, it’s not just about following trends—it’s about strategically integrating the right ones into your long-term vision to ensure relevance, deliver exceptional experiences, and foster trust with your audience.
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