"On May 13, 2025 Google unveiled "Material 3 Expressive" (M3E), a refresh to its Material Design (MD) design system built on top of the last big update, Material 3 (M3). Chock full of big buttons, stylised text, and passionate colour, M3E is, at first glance, an update primarily championing experimentation with form, colour and shape, a new, artistic approach to product design."
"M3E is at its core speaking to the problems that a large plurality of users, particularly older age groups, have experienced to varying degrees with the dominant UI design paradigm of the last decade or so - 'flat' UI design. These overly-simplified designs showed a lack of clear interaction signifiers, leading to click uncertainty, and barriers to quick scanning. Digging into the guidelines, the research, and the changes Google has pushed thus far,"
Material 3 Expressive updates Material Design with larger controls, stylised typography, vivid color, and playful shapes to strengthen interaction affordances. The refresh foregrounds clearer visual signifiers to reduce click uncertainty and to speed visual scanning. The changes respond to limitations of flat UI, which often lacks clear cues about interactivity and can impede older users. M3E combines aesthetic experimentation with usability goals, integrating research findings and usability testing to guide component design. The result emphasizes both expressive visuals and practical affordances to improve accessibility and discoverability across diverse user groups.
Read at Medium
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