Whether you are designing for a client or just for yourself, integrating animation into your designs does have its advantages. What’s more, there are ways that you can incorporate animation seamlessly and make it look professional rather than quirky and superfluous.
When the right colors, movements, sounds, and consistency are used, animation can provide a potent experience for the visitor and make your website stand out from the myriad of others trying to compete for your customer’s attention.
When it comes to designing for the web, one of the most important trends is Material Design. It’s had a massive effect on how we think about building websites and apps. Hence, when you hire graphic designers, ensure that they are well-versed with the trends and criteria for integrating animation with web design.
Do’s
Leverage for effective engagement
Animation can grab your visitors’ attention and keep them coming back for more. It also helps you communicate more effectively with users by conveying information more quickly, smoothly, and intuitively than static images or text.
It can help you tell a story, engage your visitors and make your website more memorable. It’s a powerful way to improve the user experience and create a better brand image. Animation is an excellent tool for engaging users, especially when explaining complex concepts.
A good example is the music industry, where artists use music videos to tell stories. The storytelling element helps them build connections with fans and increase album sales. You can do the same by using animations to create engaging content that resonates with your target market.
Use animation sparingly
Too much movement on a page can make it difficult for users to focus on what they need and may cause motion sickness (primarily if you’ve already implemented parallax scrolling) or make them feel uneasy about how long the animation will take before they can interact with content again (if there is no interaction). Instead of having multiple animations across different parts of your page, consider combining them into one more extensive sequence.
Animation can be great for storytelling, illustrating key points, or reinforcing information, but it’s not an essential part of every page on your website – so stay moderate!
Keep the animation brief
If you’re going to use animation, keep it short and sweet. You don’t want to lose your audience with an overlong sequence of animation effects that could have been achieved in a fraction of the time with simple text or images.
You want it to last only a short time; otherwise, you risk losing your audience’s interest. A short animation keeps visitors engaged while waiting for content to load or other actions to take place.
Make the animations mobile-friendly
The rise of mobile devices has changed the way we consume information, so keep this in mind when designing animations. Too heavy or slow animations will make your website unusable on mobile devices.
It is crucial to remember that most people will view your website on a mobile device. Animations should be designed to work well on small screens, not only for aesthetic reasons but also for usability.
Ensure that the animation reflects the theme
If there’s one thing we can learn from Disney’s classic animated films, each character has a distinct personality and purpose. In The Little Mermaid, Ariel is playful and curious; in Aladdin, Genie uses slapstick humor.
Similarly, your website should have an identity reflected in every element — including its animations. If the content on your site is serious and professional, avoid using animations that are overly playful or cartoony (unless they serve a specific function). Also, avoid using more serious animations if your content is light-hearted and fun.
Dont’s
Don’t compel the user to see the animation
Animation is often used to guide users through a process or explain an idea visually, but you should only force them to see your animation if they want it. There are many cases when people don’t care about seeing moving things on the screen (they want information), so make sure that they have control over when they see the animation and when they don’t.
For example, if you have a homepage carousel that moves horizontally, don’t make people wait until after they’ve scrolled down to see the next slide. Instead, please keep it in view as they scroll down, so they don’t feel compelled to click on each link before seeing it animate into place on their screen.
Avoid using animations just for the sake of using them
Animations are great for adding interactivity to static content but don’t use them just for aesthetic purposes — this is called “animation for animation’s sake” and can slow down load times and distract from the main content on your site or app. Instead, think about how each type of animated element could improve your user experience by guiding their attention or enhancing their understanding of something important on your website.
Animation is a powerful tool, but it shouldn’t be used just because you can — not even if you’re trying to add some fun to your site or app. If you decide to use animation, ensure it has a purpose beyond being “cool.”
Keep in mind the preferences of your audience
If you have a young and hip audience, you should use more modern and quirky animations. However, consider using a more straightforward style if your target market is older. Whatever you choose, it’s essential to ensure that the animation matches your website’s overall look and feel.
Some people like animation, and some people don’t. When designing for a specific demographic, such as young children or older adults, you should consider this when deciding whether to use animation.
Wrapping Up
The best design doesn’t look good, but it’s functional and interactive. An unobtrusive animation is the epitome of this philosophy. It’s a tool and should be noticed when designing websites or apps.