Mobile UI animation can enhance the user experience, convey feedback, and create delight. However, if done poorly, it can also distract, annoy, and confuse the users. In this article, you will learn how to avoid some common mobile UI animation mistakes and apply some best practices to create smooth, meaningful, and engaging animations for your mobile applications.
Animation should not be used as a mere decoration or afterthought in mobile UI design. Rather, it should have a distinct purpose and function. Animation can be used to indicate state changes, guide user attention, provide feedback, enhance navigation, or create personality. Before adding any animation to your mobile UI, you should ask yourself: what is the purpose of this animation? How does it help the user achieve their goals or improve their experience? If you cannot answer these questions, you may want to reconsider your animation.
One of the biggest mistakes I see with animations is that generic Lottie's are used, which don't fit into the brand guidelines of the app. That can create a subconscious disconnection between brand and animation, and distract the user. Custom animations are more expensive, but much better for the long term. Keep them on brand and in line with the current UI. Also, side note, animations are GREAT for when you're loading content or making an important request that is taking a while to load e.g. verifying ID. It keeps the user at ease - surprisingly a lot more than you think! Dynamic animations during loading (animation 1: initial load --> animation 2: getting data --> animation 3: almost there) as an example are really powerful
To avoid common mobile UI animation mistakes: - Keep animations subtle and prioritize essential ones. - Ensure uniform animation speeds and durations. - Adhere to iOS Human Interface Guidelines or Android Material Design. - Provide options to control or skip animations for user flexibility. - Avoid resource-intensive animations for better performance. - Test animations on actual devices to identify and address issues.
Animation principles are essential for creating realistic, consistent, and appealing animations in mobile UI. Easing is the rate of change of an animation over time, and it should be natural and smooth by accelerating and decelerating the motion. Timing affects the perception and emotion of the animation, so it should not be too fast or too slow. Spacing relates to the distance and direction of an animation, and it should not be too large or too small. Finally, staging is the placement and orientation of an animation, and it should be clear and visible while avoiding overlap or clutter.
Animation can have a significant impact on the performance and usability of your mobile application, so it’s important to test and optimize your animation to ensure that it works well across different devices, platforms, and scenarios. To do this, you should use tools and frameworks that support native animation, as this type of animation is more efficient and compatible than non-native animation. Additionally, code-based animation is more flexible, scalable, and lightweight than image-based or video-based animation. You should also use animation sparingly and selectively, as too much animation can consume a lot of resources and battery power, as well as interfere with the user's focus. Only use animation when it adds value and meaning to your mobile UI, and limit the number, duration, and intensity of your animation.
Use the android OS developer options to test the app with different flags and options under Drawing, Hardware-accelerated rendering and Monitoring. This allows you to visually see the performance impact and load. In addition its always a good idea to profile your app from time to time.
Animation is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as its effects and implications can vary depending on the context and preference of the user. To suit different situations and needs, you need to adapt your animation. For instance, consider the device type and orientation, as different devices have different screen sizes, resolutions, and aspect ratios that can affect your animation's look and behavior. Additionally, think about how your animation will handle different network and battery conditions, such as offline, slow, or low power. You may want to reduce, delay, or skip your animation in these cases. Furthermore, take into account the user's accessibility and preferences, such as vision, hearing, motion, or cognitive impairments. You may want to provide options to adjust, disable, or skip your animation in these cases. Adapting your animation in this manner will help ensure that it is suitable for all users.
First time? Start with considering the UX implications. * Do you NEED animation? * Is the animation is getting the message across effectively? Ask your mom if it makes sense... * Make sure any animation you "find" is properly licensed. * Consider the scale of your animation. Large animations for "Please wait" indicators can make short operations seem like they're taking a long time. * Consider when and how long you present your animation. Is it just a hint that something's taking too long? Is it a status indicator? Is it important to the UI, UX? * Review how others have successfully, effectively implemented it. There certainly are enough example GitHub repos out there.