Micro-animations: How to Have a Big Impact on Redesign

You probably know what micro-animations are. In fact, you have definitely encountered them. When a burger menu slides down or a download progress bar fills out, you are watching a micro-animation. Those are very short animations that guide you through a website. They are an important part of user interface and user experience. Naturally, they preserve their importance in redesign.

Here, we want to cover all the key features and effects of micro-animations. We will look into what makes them important and connect their use with website redesign. So let’s begin!

Micro-Interactions and Micro-Animations

Micro-interactions and micro-animations are very similar. The easiest way of telling them apart is that interactions involve an action on the side of the user. With the burger menu example, when a user presses on the three lines, a micro-interaction happens. However, the thing that the user sees (the menu dropping down and, possibly, the lines morphing into a different shape) is the micro-animation. The two are connected to the point where it is easy to mistake them for one another. However, here, we will be focusing on the things that a user sees.

Micro-Animations and Their Functions

But why do we use micro-animations at all? Well, they have a few functions that are very important.

• Navigation. Micro-animations help users go through the website in an intuitive manner. Especially on a small screen, you have very limited space for hints, so you use a micro-animation. It helps users to see what to do and what they have done — for example, they might have opened a menu or closed a form.
• Focus. A micro-animation always attracts attention. Do you need a user to see that something on the page is important and needs their attention? Use a micro-animation!
• Rewards. You can reward your user for doing something with a micro-animation. For instance, consider payment pages. After your user makes a transaction, you can create a small animation to convey that it was successful. Or you can add an animation to a completed form. It does not have to be a lot, it can be just an animated green checkmark. But it rewards a user for the action while also communicating important information — that some action is done. Having multiple functions is very common for micro-animations.
• Aesthetics and engagement. While micro-animations are very useful, they are also typically created to be visually appealing. A user feels more engaged when a webpage responds to their actions. Users might not even notice that you are using animations, but they will enjoy the effects produced.
• Branding. In connection to aesthetics, always remember to make your website represent your brand. The micro-animations you use have to be in line with your brand, and that does not only mean colors or mascots. A cheeky animation will not go well with a serious brand. A simple animated checkmark might not convey your colorful and chaotic brand. Create a micro-animation that works well for your company.

How to Make a Good Animation?

Good animations are not easy to make! But you can follow a few suggestions for better results.

• Simple animations are better. They do not overwhelm the user. They subtly guide them toward the actions you want them to take — or they need to take to get where they want to be on your website. 
• The animation serves a purpose. You will be investing in your redesign, and animation design will take a certain amount out of your budget. That is why you cannot afford to create useless animations. Make sure that an animation serves a role — or better yet, multiple roles. 
• Think about the user. You should always consider the value that an animation brings to the user. Does it make the website more intuitive and convenient? Does it make something on the page easier to use? That is how you create a good user experience.
• Practicality is key, but aesthetics should be a guide as well. Create beautiful, sleek, elegant micro-animations that fit your brand well.
• Fun can be good! Of course, it might not be a part of your brand, in which case you can skip that aspect. But otherwise, consider creating micro-animations that are fun to watch. After all, one of the functions is to reward the user.

Less is more.

Ancient wisdom

Micro-Animations and Website Redesign

You typically need to redesign your website every three years or so. Sometimes, it is a good idea to make significant changes or even create a new website. Other times, you might just refresh the look of a few pages. Regardless, changes and new features often mean new micro-animations. 

You can reuse the animations you already have for new features. In fact, it is a very good strategy if you already have data to support the usefulness of these animations. Reusing animations is also a great idea because it will make new elements fit right into the website. 

However, sometimes you have to create new animations. Here are a few tips.

• Identify why you need a new animation. That can help you eliminate animations that are not that important. Check if the animation performs any of the functions of micro-animations. Then, make a decision on whether to develop a particular one. Use the results of this stage as a benchmark that will determine the success or failure of your innovation in the future.
• Together with your team (or freelancer), brainstorm the animation. Take into account all the tips above. The animation needs to be useful yet fun.
• Test the new animation extensively. You need to make sure that it works well. If you have the funds, consider A/B testing. In it, you will use two different types of micro-animation and, based on user actions and/or feedback, decide which version is better. 
• After deploying your new animation, monitor it and collect data on how it is used. Employ the benchmarks from the first point to determine if the animation performs its function well.

If the animation is not doing well, you can always change it. This way, the animation might be a reason for a mini-redesign!

In Conclusion

Micro-animations are the small animations that bring your website together. They are supposed to be both functional in helping the users of your website and pleasing to the eye. If you think about the user, you are more likely to create a good, helpful and beautiful animation for your website redesign. To get the best talent to work on your micro-animation project, consider Insolvo and its freelancers!