There’s an old saying, “A picture speaks a thousand words”. But in the world of UX, animations can speak far more!
The godfather of animation and cartoons Walt Disney once said, “Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive. This facility makes it the most versatile and explicit means of communication yet devised for quick mass appreciation”.
We humans are visually driven creatures and animations only enhance the impact of imagery on our minds. Our attention is automatically drawn towards moving objects with catchy and bright elements and its these elements that help differentiate a UX from its competitors.
The growing advancements in technology have led to incorporating animation to enhance UX designs increasingly popular among designers. Animations in design now serve a purpose that goes beyond just delight; it’s now used as an important tool for successful interaction.
Animation may be used in a wide range of scales and contexts to unite beauty and function: it can influence behaviour, communicate status, guide the users attention and help the user see the results of their actions. Here are just a few examples to illustrate places where you can add some animations in your UI to improve the experience:
Loading Screens – Keep users engaged in replacement of loading status bars that reminds the user that they are waiting.
Seamless Transitioning – Helps users understand the pace and flow of an interface as well as guide them to the next step of an interaction.
Explain relationships – helps inform the user of relationships between elements and the interactions.
User Action Reinforcement – can help inform the user if their action on the interface is correct or incorrect
Visual Completion Notifications – Can be used to visually notify users the results of their actions.
Animation is a powerful and sophisticated tool that can be used to enhance the user experience – only if used the right way. Animation in design can only enhance user experience if it’s incorporated at the right time as well as the right place. All animations must be meaningful, functional and serve a purpose. Rather than trying to identify places where animations can be added after building the design, UX designers need to consider animations into the design from the very beginning and think of it as a natural part of the design.
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