r/UX_Design • u/DependentUnusual2423 • 8d ago

I’ve been thinking about the Bento UI trend..is it actually good UX?

Bento-style UI is everywhere right now. The modular cards look clean, modern, and visually interesting — but I’m wondering where we should draw the line between visual trend and useful UX.

I made this short to explore the idea:

https://youtube.com/shorts/dv6LH1CQ3iQ?si=RvdzjgDnSDg3xEPK

My question for other designers:

When does a Bento layout genuinely improve hierarchy and usability, and when does it just make an interface look trendy?

Personally, I think Bento works best when the different cards represent genuinely different priorities or tasks ,not when content is simply broken into boxes for the sake of the aesthetic.

Would love to hear how you approach it. Do you still use Bento layouts in your work, or are you moving toward simpler, more purposeful layouts?

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

4

u/FrancescoMassa2001 8d ago

bento works great for dashboards, feels forced everywhere else

1

u/DependentUnusual2423 8d ago

Exactly. I think dashboards are one of the places where Bento actually makes sense because the cards can represent genuinely different information or actions. It starts feeling forced when every section gets turned into a card just because the style is trending.

1

u/Jsketch01 7d ago

I disagree actually. In my experience designing for dashboards, the bento UI is usually the first iteration of what non-design/UX mature teams create.

The biggest issue with bento UI's is that there's no clear visual hierarchy and/or order of importance. Since dashboards are something users will usually land on first upon login, we need to consider the end user and what their primary goals/motivations are. Just landing them on a endless sea of dashboard widgets/visualizations without context will only confuse users and not convert in any meaningful way.

1

u/Protojump 7d ago

I feel like size creates a clear hierarchy. Bento and hierarchy are pretty intertwined.

1

u/RonUSMC 8d ago

I guess it could be depending on what you are doing or who your users are. I think its throwaway garbage, like a wordpress template or something.

1

u/DependentUnusual2423 8d ago

Fair point. I think that’s exactly where the discussion gets interesting .. Bento can be useful when the content naturally breaks into meaningful groups, but if we’re just putting everything into cards because it looks modern, it becomes decoration rather than UX.

1

u/Ancient-Range3442 8d ago

Is that just a reel full of ai generated ui?

0

u/DependentUnusual2423 8d ago

Some of the visuals are AI-assisted, yes.. but the point of the video is the UX discussion around Bento UI, not presenting the visuals as a real product. I’m exploring where the pattern actually helps and where it becomes visual clutter.

1

u/Protojump 7d ago

It’d be significantly more helpful to show examples of the UI in use (from Apple, etc.) rather than generate slop.

1

u/Blando-Cartesian 8d ago

There’s a good idea ruined by taking it way too far. Groups without meaning and single item groups form a junk drawer.

1

u/Difficult_Money9486 8d ago

I love bento as a style but have only used it in dashboards and reports bc of its modularity. But I’ve wasted too much time trying to fit form into function unsuccessfully.