Today, animation elements are rarely used in website design, as it was a few years ago. However, web developers do not remove animation for web site from the list of their working tools, since in some cases it acquires functionality and practical importance. Let’s see when it makes sense to use animation in web design?
An Introduction to Animations in Web Design
As practice shows, even the most effective anime interface can lead to failure if it does not fit into the general concept of the resource. By itself, animation is associated with play, entertainment, something funny and positive. If implemented in a lively menu, it will whet the interest of users, moreover, it will be completely inappropriate on a site with a strict, elegant and sophisticated design.
Situations Where It Makes Sense to Use Animations in Web Design
Good interactive elements always have a purpose and are part of the project. Imagine yourself in the shoes of your audience, what would you expect from the animation on the site?
Animation added to pages should be useful, make the interaction of content with usability richer and more productive. If the animation does not make sense either from the point of view of use or from the point of view of style, then leave this venture. In addition, it should be borne in mind that some browsers are not capable of playing media components, so developers should provide for the ability to view website design animation on all browsers.
Highlight Actions Using ‘Microinteractions
Microinteractions reflect system states, help prevent user errors, and link the interface to the brand in website footers. They definitely have a trigger on which they fire. As a rule, they are used to solve no more than one problem. When used correctly, this tool creates a positive user experience.
Reveal Hidden Menus Using Animations
Using animation to create a commercial is a great way to present your product or service. A team of animators and designers will take care of how to present your brand, showing all its benefits. After all, thanks to animation, you can embody all your desires that were impossible to realize in real life. While this may seem like a daunting task, it makes sense. Many people are impressed by animated characters. The perky and cute heroes of your advertising will help to get the best attitude of potential customers to your product. You will have a great opportunity to bring into reality the character you have long dreamed of.
Display Hidden Information Using Hover Animations
Hover effect is the animation of an element when you hover over it. There are a few tricks you can use to make your button interactions more interesting. This effect of animations for websites creates a positive user experience.
Create Sliding Galleries Using Transitions
You have probably seen the effect of animations on websites of sliding curtains on the Internet. This is when several images are superimposed on each other and if you hover the mouse cursor over a certain picture, then it opens by hiding the rest. This type of animations on websites is an effective instrument.
Conclusion
If you want to understand when it makes sense to use animation in web site design, then test it against content. To do this, use prototyping. The faster the testing method, the better. Experiment with animation by testing its functionality with different tools – CSS? Edge Animate, After Effects and the like. The code in this case does not matter, the main thing is to look and try one or another version of the animation on the site.
This point comes out of the following – if there is a goal, then there are tasks, the solution of which will lead to this very goal. The most common tasks solved by animation in web design are:
- provide hints to the user;
- direct it to the desired sections or pages;
- relax and make the interaction with the site smoother.
It is better to refuse animation if it interferes with the performance of conceptual tasks. For example, you want to increase sales of stock products, and an animation takes them to a catalog with new products. It is easy to guess that the results from the campaign will be low.
