What are the mobile animation design guidelines for iOS and Android?

2 Types of mobile animation

Mobile animation can be categorized into four main types: functional, visual, motion, and micro. Functional animation is used to enhance the functionality and usability of the interface, such as showing how to use a feature, highlighting an important element, or guiding the user through a task. Visual animation is used to improve the aesthetics and appeal of the interface, such as adding some personality, emotion, or style to the design, creating a unique brand identity, or adding some fun or delight to the experience. Motion animation is used to create realistic and natural movements of the interface elements, such as simulating physical properties, transitions, or transformations, applying easing curves, or creating parallax effects. Micro animation is used to create subtle and refined animations of small interface elements, such as icons, buttons, or indicators, to add some detail, polish, or feedback to the design.

3 iOS animation guidelines

iOS is known for its minimalist and elegant design, which relies on subtle and smooth animations to create a sense of depth, hierarchy, and continuity. iOS animation guidelines are based on the following principles: defer to content, provide context, use fluid motion, and be consistent. Defer to content means that animation should not distract from the content, but rather enhance it and make it more accessible and engaging. Provide context means that animation should help the user understand where they are, where they are going, and how they got there, by using clear and coherent transitions and gestures. Use fluid motion means that animation should create a natural and responsive feel, by using realistic physics, curves, and timing. Be consistent means that animation should follow the system conventions and patterns, and use the standard components and frameworks provided by iOS.

4 Android animation guidelines

Android is known for its versatile and customizable design, which uses bold and expressive animations to create a sense of motion, material, and interaction. Android animation guidelines are based on the following principles: authentic motion, adaptive design, and meaningful feedback. Authentic motion means that animation should reflect the real world, by using natural physics, curves, and timing, and by following the material design principles of elevation, transformation, and choreography. Adaptive design means that animation should adapt to different devices, orientations, and modes, and use the responsive components and layouts provided by Android. Meaningful feedback means that animation should provide clear and relevant responses to the user's input, by using touch feedback, progress indicators, or status notifications.

5 Best practices of mobile animation

Regardless of the platform, mobile animation should follow some best practices to ensure a positive and consistent user experience. When creating animation, use it sparingly and purposefully, with simple and subtle effects. Make sure to test animation on real devices in various scenarios, such as low battery or poor network, to ensure performance, accessibility, and compatibility. It is also important to follow the platform guidelines and conventions, as they can help create animations that match user expectations and preferences. Utilize platform-specific components, frameworks, and resources to design and implement animation.

6 Mobile animation resources

If you want to learn more about mobile animation design, there are a variety of resources available. The iOS Human Interface Guidelines: Motion and Material Design: Motion are official documentations that explain the principles, patterns, and techniques of iOS and Android motion design, respectively. Lottie is a library that allows you to render After Effects animations natively on iOS, Android, and Web without coding or additional files. Principle is a design tool that enables you to create interactive and animated prototypes for iOS, Android, and Web with import and export features. For inspiration and examples of mobile animation design, you can check out Dribbble, a platform where you can browse the works of other designers and follow the latest trends and styles.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?