Factors to keep in mind while adding motion design to your mobile app UI
If ever a book were written titled “Tips that help you get the best UI in mobile apps,” the above sentence would sum the complete book perfectly:
People judge by appearances.
This being said, every mobile app developer knows how important a role the user interface plays in the success of any application.
There are experts who argue that an extraordinary UX can compensate for the lack of UI. A very successful example supporting this statement is the google.com UI. It has nothing else on display other than just a simple search bar and the Google logo. This is a minimalistic design but the UX that the website has to offer is beyond extraordinary, and one cannot find another platform that has a similar user experience to offer.
When you consider making a mobile application for your business, you already know there would be a lot of competition in the market.
So, it is highly important that you grasp the role that an impressive UI has to play in gaining a good user base. The best way to have a seamless and smooth user interface is to add motion design to it.
Motion design is the feature that adds rejuvenating life to the static elements of the mobile app.
By adding motion design in the mobile app design, you can:
- Mask slow loading times.
- Define the app structure.
- Establish the brand identity.
- Make the app stand out among the apps with a similar concept.
- Give users subtle feedbacks for their actions.
- Reveal hidden features without being direct.
I have observed that sometimes, in the wake of improvising the UI, an app developer overdoes the motion design features. This may lead to the app getting too clustered and may fail at the market. So, to make sure that this does not happen to your app, I have listed down several factors that one needs to keep in mind at all times while adding motion design features to the app UI:
The main focus of the app:
It is hard not to get too carried away with so many motion design ideas racing through one’s head. But in this, one should not forget where the main focus of the application lies. The motion design features can help one highlight various significant points in the app. Through this, the user can be directed towards the aim that the app is meant to accomplish.
So, while adding motion design in the UI/UX of the mobile app for small features, do not lose the sight of the big picture.
The brand identity and the needs of the target audience:
The overall style and mood of all the motion design should be such that they complement the brand identity. Animations should directly match the product’s main idea and also be such that the target audience finds it pleasing.
For example, if you add an animation of floating balloons in a stock dealing application, there is no way a user would stick to the app as he or she may fail to take it seriously considering the childish animations that greet him or her every time the app is opened.
The social and ethical norms:
While designing an app, generally everyone involved is busy focusing on the technical and the ease of use aspect. In all this, the ethical and social norms are sometimes completely ignored. This can lead to your brand coming across as insensitive. For example, if your app asks for the age and gender of the user, having a default value displayed can offend the users.
Such small details would fail to come to the notice of app designer while designing it and that is why this factor is a tricky one.
Take home message
Motion design is really fun as it involves animating static pieces and playing around with effects. But one should keep in mind that it is a mobile app and not a cartoon. Avoid cluttering the mobile app UI by overusing the motion design features. For an enterprise mobile application to have a UI that keeps the user engaged, the app developer has to dot the I’s and cross the T’s carefully.
