Animation is one of the main trends in modern websites design. Animation elements in interfaces take their usability to a new level, making them intuitive and accessible to the average user. On landing pages or, for example, corporate sites, it helps to more clearly tell the visitor about your product or show its benefits.
We have compiled a selection of the best techniques for creating web design animation, discussing their advantages, disadvantages, and uses.
Animation helps to manage attention and keep the user on the page. It also simply explains complex things and makes a show. Here are 3 useful animation actions.
The human brain is so arranged that it perceives better what moves. Therefore, text that can become animation can save a huge amount of time for your user and, as a result, will be better perceived by him. All long instructions, complex numbers and presentations will be better conveyed to the user in moving animation elements.
Every day we receive so much new information from various channels that our brain uses a defense mechanism, blocks unnecessary information, and pays attention only to the necessary and useful information.
Animation is perceived by our brain as entertainment content because it contains pictures, imagery, and personality. Therefore, animation catches user attention and is better remembered.
Important! The animation video length should not exceed 3 minutes, and if it is a training video, then 5-6 minutes. No matter how dizzying your animation is, the user will still not spend more than 3 minutes on it. Videos of the “How it works” format can be an exception.
What can be “animated”: everything previously presented with texts, content for the brand’s social networks, corporate characters/animals, difficult-to-understand information, boring presentations, and profitable promotional offers.
And while animation may seem entertaining, people don’t come to a brand to mess around. They won’t watch ads like a cartoon. Instead, the consumer will look for a solution to his problem, and animation will become a convenient format for conveying useful information.
It is essential to understand the needs of your audience, to offer them easy answers, packaged in a unique, stylish format. People want to get the information they need quickly and, preferably, in the form of a short squeeze. Animation satisfies this demand – it explains complex information in simple imagery. This is why the format of instructions, tutorials, comparisons, and big data infographics is so popular.
Important! The tone of the message should match the point where the consumer meets your video and address their problem. A girl looking for how to cure a dog is unlikely to accept a joke video from a veterinary clinic. But the seriousness of the bank and its long reads of instructions in small print will ideally facilitate a funny form of presentation with characters in which everyone can recognize themselves.
According to Forbes, the animation format helps to increase business income by almost 50%.
World companies Coca-Cola, Red Bull, M & Ms actively use animation in their web design, creating life and funny stories. Animation is a vivid way to express yourself and stand out from the crowd, seated in the consumer’s memory.
One of the main tasks of advertising is to build an emotional connection with the buyer and the brand development. Think of a couple of M & Ms or Nesquik rabbits — they are strongly associated with the product and elicit an emotional response.
Important! Some themes are best not “animated”. For example, brand managers at pharmaceutical companies know that animated drug ads are unlikely to work or resonate with consumers. This also applies to those who talk about illness, death, and other complex social problems.
Static pages are boring. Give users the experience they expect. What’s more, the animation makes your product more realistic, adding motion and time. Here are some animation tips for your website.
Keep in mind that the animation on your website should not be boring and annoying. According to statistics, 47% of users expect a web resource to load in 2 seconds or less. And 40% of users leave the website if it takes more than three seconds to download. Just imagine that even a one-second delay can reduce conversions by 7%.
Page load speed is crucial to the success of your website. Engage users within those few seconds and try to make the anticipation enjoyable. Use animation instead of those annoying rotating indicators. Your customers will be more satisfied and will have to wait even longer for the page to load.
Using animations on a website can help your users see the results of their actions. This is the simplest option, which does not carry a selling goal, only evokes the necessary emotions. For example, you went to the website of an online store. We wandered around the main page, decided to stay, opened one of the product categories — there is an animation that will congratulate you (“Hmm, knives and forks — a great choice!”). Then, added an item to the cart – another animation in the form of a tick (“Congratulations, now you have this item in the cart!”) And so on. The animation seems to confirm each action, fixing it in the memory of the visitor and evoking positive emotions.
Use animation to show incorrect user actions. Inform users of their wrong actions on the website using UX animation. For example, if a user enters incorrect data, you can use a horizontal shake. When visitors see such an animation, they immediately realize that an error has occurred.
Animation is used in design to focus visitors on essential steps. If you want users to act, animate that action to get users’ attention. For example, you can change the size or color of the button that users want to click.
Notifications draw users’ attention to updates or changes to the website. Make messages even more noticeable with UX animation and make sure users don’t miss important information.
Pops notifications take your website to the next level and allow you to identify exciting ways to get personalized message alerts and notifications.
Using animations in web design can benefit your site, but too many moving objects will ruin a good user experience and annoy visitors. Instead, use animation as a guide and help users understand what to do on your website.
If you decide to add animation to UX on your website, contact Gapsy to discuss a project or web design service. We will be happy to cooperate with you!
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