Motion grabs attention and can enhance your perception.
There are decades of psychological research to back the above statement.
Want to try it yourself?
Give yourself a static image, your mind would start wandering on its own. You would end up imagining the scene. Though it’s just a picture. No actual motion.
It is so since our minds our naturally wired to process dreamy visuals or let’s say amazing scenes.
Well, that’s about the physical world. What about the digital world?
What can actually delight the web experience of your prospect?
There are tons of websites with thousands of static pages.
Hundreds of entrepreneurs and thousands of companies are craving their prospect’s attention. They’re all struggling relentlessly to distract the viewer. Perhaps, that’s one reason for the growth in video editor freelance rates.
How to distract your prospect?
Can you do that with a simplistic web design? You may be better off. But, there has to be more to grab and hold the viewer’s attention for an extended period of time.
So, how can you enhance the user experience of your website?
Animation. Integrating beautiful animations can delight the website experience. The viewers would not only love it, but you’ll have a significant increase in the dwell time.
That not only makes them buy into your ideas and solutions but can also skyrocket conversions.
Animation is no longer a Saturday morning cartoon thing. You can use them to transform your website experience and draw a handful of actually interested buyers with much ease.
Include animation in your website
You don’t have to aim for grand animations. Experts from top British Animation Studios believe small transitions that are well-timed can be perfect too. You don’t have to aim for large-scale effects. Keep it simple.
And, what makes animation a fine investment is they load really quickly. Plus, you don’t need as much high bandwidth as you would for videos. So, it’s not really a headache. Quick to upload, perfect for site load time.
We don’t have to deal with Adobe Flash anymore. It was a nightmare for web users of the past. And, so our websites no longer need to be old school.
In fact, brands that belong to the advertising, branding, and tech niche, have already curated some fantastic transitions. They have transformed their web designs to their viewer’s liking.
The word ‘animation’ may ring a bell and the first thing anyone can imagine would be images of childhood cartoons like Spongebob and Scooby Doo.
But animation is a broad term and is used for text animations as well as long-form videos.
What to do?
Now, when it comes to adding animations, there’s a whole plethora of creative ideas. You’re not limited by anything, except your creative instinct.
You can choose to tweak small animations in the entire design, or you can use animation elements. These may be used to create a hover effect, animated menu bar, or even enhance the experience of the homepage.
We even have businesses improve their CTR with an animated Call to Action.
You could either choose to be minimalistic or can go all out when adding animations. It all depends upon you.
But, wait.
What if, there’s a quick hack to figure out if your animations are worth it?
What should you focus on more when curating animations?
Ask if your animation tells a story
Storytelling. Stories allow your audience to resonate on a deeper level with the content. So, to ease your job, make sure that your animation aims to;
- Guide the user through the site
- Excites them and enhances their experience
- Increases dwell time on site
- Tells a story, and allows viewers to stay connected
Don’t just add animations for the sake of adding animations. Make sure your animation meets the above goals.
When should you consider using animation?
Now, let’s dive deeper into what we finished above. How would you know if you should add animations to your web design?
You should add animations keeping in view your digital strategy for content as well as your web design.
See it as an investment
Having animators work for your website can be expensive. So, it would serve you best, if you know when exactly you need animation. You want to be a tool for business growth than an expensive gimmick.
Too many flashy animations won’t make up for a user-friendly experience. It would be best to have UI and UX designers work it out for you. Plus, you’ll also need to be well-informed about what your customers are looking for.
Hear it from your customer
One way to know that is through attribution tools. But, we would suggest you interview your visitors or customers. There is no better way to shape customer experience than knowing from them what they actually want.
You can have a feedback form or something that can fetch you such details.
Don’t animate for traditional niches
Besides, if you’re a business or brand working in the industrial niche. Let’s say you’re selling machines. You don’t really need animation.
If you wish to light up the UX, you can focus on small transitions. But, don’t overdo it. People especially in this arena of B2B, are looking for precise info.
Plus, B2B is more about building relations. So, your ideal prospect might not look up a lot of details on your site (except for usual contact info).
Bottom line
To wrap up, motions can grab attention. The use of animations is not limited anymore. Brands have gone a step ahead in designing their websites and content strategy. Animation has quite easily become an integral part of the two.
Though it could be overwhelming to use animations in your design, it’s best to know if it’s really for you. Ask yourself if it’s for your niche. If it’s make sure that it doesn’t confuse the viewer. Focus on the UX and don’t forget to catch attention.
