by Charles Patterson

I n the past couple of years UX has changed. A lot. Not just the techniques, but also the expectations of users. This has an effect on UI design also. The constantly developing background technologies made animation finally viable. It’s not considered as a curse sent upon users by some witches of Salem, something that holds back people.

In fact, it has become a real cornerstone of User Experience since if something moves, it appears to be more alive, responsive. But this is just the tip of the iceberg since animation has many other benefits.

As I mentioned there were times when animations slowed down devices turning out to be a terrible idea for UX. Since those days are gone now you have the opportunity to pump your site/app full with fancy animations and effects.

Wrong.

UX isn’t about making a website or app that feels like a movie directed by Micheal Bay.

Always keep in mind that the coin has two sides and less is often more! With that being said let’s get into the process itself.

Be responsive!

Google’s search app on iOS uses several animations to make the interface appear more responsive when results are being loaded.

by Noah Levin

Due to the immediacy of these transitions, you get the sense that the app is reacting to your input despite the fact that nothing has actually loaded yet.

by Noah Levin

„It’s the interface’s responsibility to mediate an information exchange which makes it so important. The challenge for designers is to determine when their design gets in the way of this central UI tenet.” Sophie Paxton

You have to answer two simple questions:

1. When should you discuss the animations with your developer?

As a UX designer, you have to determine where does your work connect to the development. In my previous article, I’ve talked about the two types of developments. The waterfall and the agile style. With agile, the designer has the opportunity to work with the developers in parallel on the project. To answer the question: simply as soon as possible. For an example during and within an early sprint cycle, regardless of the type of sprint you are doing. If you wish to know more about agile, lean and design sprints I suggest you read this article.