From subtle motions to big concepts, every animated element has a huge payoff when it comes to user experience.
So there we have it, nine awesome examples of UI animations from around the web. The subtle difference in speed and motion of each element makes the page feel more natural. On this hiring page, each UI element arrives at its final destination at different speeds-with the background shape even getting larger before coming to a resting position. Can you guess what animation principles are at play here? Yep-follow through and overlapping action. Look at the way each element comes into the frame in this animation. This option to manipulate website elements gives the user a sense of control, and boosts session time by keeping them on the page for longer. Users can’t help but explore what other elements will distort when they hover their cursor on them, and it can even become a fun, interactive game. Though simple, hover effects do wonders for interactivity. This cool hover effect by Sebastian Jungbluth features an illustration of the sea that distorts when in contact with a cursor. It’s not distracting enough to obstruct the page’s functionality, but still adds a compelling living element to the user experience. Despite this, the simple addition of falling snowflakes quite literally brings the scene to life, as if you’ve arrived at a Swiss cabin rather than a website homepage. What’s more welcoming than a cosy, snowy scene? On this homepage, the only animated element is the snow-the rest of the illustration is static. Good UI design is all about enticing users, and creating a welcoming environment that encourages them to explore. The distortion of the background is another simple touch that brings it all together. The addition of a second color for the ‘inside’ of the word also makes it feel more 3D, as if it’s twirling on an invisible pole. Firstly, Atanas cleverly curls the words round in a spiral-adding a double meaning to the word. In this animation of the word ‘curl,’ there are several things at play.
Not only does it bring words to life, it’s also a very powerful branding technique. Kinetic typography is pretty much everywhere right now. It’s easy to become fixated on the movements of the squares-and after a while it almost feels like an optical illusion. This clock-like animation by Oleg Frolov achieves all of the above by putting a clever spin on the classic progress bar. Having a visual representation of progress or loading time is a vital way of removing some of that frustration, keeping the users informed, and reinforcing the sense that they’re moving forward. Waiting for pages to load or forms to process is one of the biggest pain-points in a user’s journey. In short, it makes the user want to step into this world. The marshmallow peeking into the frame in the foreground also adds to the 3D effect, giving the page more depth. Even subtle motions like closing eyes or hands swinging as they move do wonders for the interactivity of the page. People are naturally drawn to designs that exhibit human-like traits, and these cute marshmallows do just that.
These adorable 3D marshmallow characters are a perfect demonstration of anthropomorphic animation-one of the hot new design trends of 2021. Hiring page transition by Aryo Pamungas.Kinetic typography motion by Atanas Giew.As is the case with any creative career, designers do their best work when they’re inspired-and what better way to get inspired than by browsing some of the unique, forward-thinking work other designers are already doing with UI animation? Motion and animation in UI design has come a super long way from the gaudy graphics of the early 2000s, and designers continue to play around with some of the core animation principles to produce innovative and memorable digital experiences.įrom funky to functional, we’ve pulled together a collection of nine awesome UI animation concepts that are guaranteed to fuel your creativity in 2022.