UX design requires a lot of attention to tiny details. These elements, known as micro-interactions, may seem tiny and negligible at first, but can significantly affect end-user experience.
Framer is one such tool that can be used by app developers and designers. It has an easy to use interface that allows designers to bring their designs to ‘life’. With Framer, you can easily design any type of micro-interaction you would want your app to have.
Before you think of placing micro-interactions on your prototype, you should always consider your end users and how they will interact with your app. Micro-interactions can enhance user experience if used properly, but they can also be a reason for users to abandon your app if wrongly placed.
Are you ready to jumpstart your project? Here are 10 simple micro-interactions that can make your app ‘alive’.
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Visual switches
Switches are excellent visual elements in any application. They allow users to toggle between two mutually exclusive states. Instead of just having an off and on button, interactive switches can be used to provide visual feedback to your users. This is important, especially in mobile applications.
Switches can also be designed to match the overall app’s design. Framer has an excellent tool that allows developers to create switches right out of the box, and to customize it to their own design.
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Hover animations
Hover animations are widely used in applications, and can significantly add points to your overall design. For example, you might have encountered a page where hovering on a particular button leads to a list of animated icons popping out. Its usefulness can be debated as it depends on the site or app you’re using, but most users find it interesting and exciting to interact with. The Framer tool provides an easy way of implementing this in your projects.
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Interactive buttons
Action buttons are a must-have in any application. They often represent a particular action, and may at times contain several other actions. These buttons allow users to take action based on the information shown on it. Even users with low levels of computer literacy will be able to find their way based on their interaction with buttons.
Action buttons are important in applications, not because of their functionality, but the sort of micro-interaction that users experience when clicking on it. Buttons need some sort of visual element that portrays the clicking action whenever a user taps on it. This allows end users to know they have successfully submitted a particular action. You can easily design your own button by using this tutorial.
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Refresh interaction
Pull to refresh is a common and intuitive micro-interaction in many applications. Instead of having to introduce new elements, you can enable your users to pull down the list to refresh it. It also complements and continues the swiping action whenever your users want to refresh their list. You can also animate the resultant icon after the pull action has been initiated (another micro-interaction), depending on your preferences.
The beauty to it is that they can be designed to fit your application’s design pattern. This creates a seamless user experience that radiates the ease of using your app.
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List item swipe action
The list item swipe action is one of the best micro-interactions ever invented. The swipe action is important because it continues the user’s interaction with that particular app. For example, many users scroll through apps by swiping upwards or downwards. Therefore, it’s important to continue this action by allowing users to be able to dismiss items through the swipe functionality as well. Framer has an excellent out of the box solution for this.
The list of uses is endless. It can be used to dismiss notifications, to archive content or delete content from your feed. In some apps, it has been used for scrolling through photos. This is definitely a nifty element to have in your next freelancer project.
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Login loader interaction
You have probably experienced this whenever you login to some of your mobile apps. It might seem like a tiny micro-interaction, but its effect can be quite broad. Button loaders are effective instruments for keeping your users engaged whenever they login. It always gives them a sense of how long the app might take to load, depending on how you style your button loader. It also gives users something to focus their attention on between the time they press the login button, and the time it takes to load their home page.
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Animating states
This is similar to the login loader interaction but is much broader in use. Some actions within the app may take time to finalize. Therefore, a solution has to be effected in order for users to remain on the screen as they wait for their completed action to load. These animations are great areas for design creativity and have been detailed in Framer’s resources. Standard solutions can be used, but you can also design your own micro-interaction that complements the whole site.
Some solutions that have been used include placing advertisements, taking the user through a step by step process of what is happening in the backend or a simple percentage. However, before you start including funny animations, it’s important to consider who your audience is and whether - or how - they will interact with it. For example, some users may completely abandon your app if they find too many advertisements on it.
If you are having trouble understanding how animating states works, you can find thousands of freelancers here who are willing to help you out.
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Like button interaction
If you are designing an app or site where the content can be rated by your users, the like button feature is an excellent tool. There are tons of micro-interactions you can use on it. For example, some sites have a like button feature that instantly shows a count to users whenever they like a particular piece of content. Others might change color and become inactive once you’ve clicked on them. This micro-interaction might seem simple, but it is one of the ways users will be able to interact with your content.
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Dragging interaction
The dragging tool is an excellent way for users to interact with elements that can be sorted on your app. If you have been hot on the details, something always happens whenever you are dragging an item. Either the item itself shrinks in size, or the background becomes blurred - or both. This is a small micro-interaction that enhances the dragging action. It usually gives end users a sense of control and highlights which particular element is in focus.
The drop action itself is also another micro-interaction and if designed properly, it can greatly increase your site’s usability and attractiveness. Here’s how you can implement this solution.
Note
Micro-interactions enhance your site’s appearance and how end users interact with it. Most importantly, they add a touch of personality to your site or app design. This is because micro-interactions vary depending on the type of site you are creating. Business sites are quite different from entertainment sites, and this difference can only be illustrated with your choice of micro-interactions.
Comment, share or give us your thoughts on micro-interactions, and how they have changed the way you develop your projects below!
