What is the first thing that you see when you open a mobile application? It’s the app’s user interface that you come across as soon as you click on its icon. Now, suppose that the user interface is dull, boring, and not user-friendly. What impression do you think will it have on the user? Obviously, the user won’t be impressed with this and will not be inclined towards using it. 

In order to avoid this scenario, there’s a need to impart uniqueness to your app. This can be done by adding animations to your application by availing of the development solutions proposed by the professionals in the field of mobile development. 

How do animations improve user experience? 

There indeed are a number of ways in which animations help you improve user experience and ease out the process of implementation of tasks. Let’s have a look at the most prominent ones. 

  • By making the application highly responsive towards customers’ activities.
  • By improving user interaction and thereby, encouraging the user to establish friendly relations with the app.
  • By making the app more appealing, which, in turn, makes it unique and different from the rest.
  • By enhancing user engagement and making him get used to the app, it helps in gaining the customers’ trust and loyalty.

Therefore, in order to ensure that the animations are implemented in the right way, you ought to follow the principles of designing UI/UX. 

How are the different types of animations used? 

It is significant to know that the animations for mobile applications such as an Android app or an iOS app should be designed in such a way so as to meet the requirements of the operating system. This ensures that the application will run smoothly on the mobile platform. In light of this, let us focus the attention on how different types of animations are used in mobile apps. 

  • Visual feedback animation is used to inform a user whether a specific activity was a success or a failure.
  • The main task of progress animation is to tell the user that he is progressing ahead in a process initiated by him — for example, an uber like application showing the process after you book a ride.
  • Navigation animation makes it easier to switch between different elements of the app. This animation becomes even more vital in the case of a complex application where the number of features is extensive.
  • Apart from these, there is the marketing animation that appears on the welcome screen of an app. This type of animation helps to catch user attention the very moment he opens the app. Animated stickers also prove handy in enhancing user engagement with the app. 

Best practices for employing animations for mobile apps

Now that it’s established how vital animations are for mobile apps, you should get into some market digging to figure out the best practices to pick. This will assist in instilling the best mobile animations that aim to enhance the user experience dramatically. You should keep retesting your application while putting yourself in the user’s shoes so that any anomalies can be chalked down beforehand.

1. Utilize native elements

Making use of native components allows you to prevent your users from getting confused when it comes to navigating across the application. Keeping such an element will come in handy when a user wants to jump from one page to another without having to follow a substantial instruction set. This intuitive navigation routine makes it seamless to work around with a mobile app. Thus, finalize a native UI element that is to be integrated throughout the interface. 

2. Maintain consistency in app design 

There’s no other way to create a fluent application than to ensure all the animations and design elements remain consistent. Subsequently, you will not only keep the user from any undesired confusion but also improve the usability of your platform. Be proactive about being on a conventional route when it comes to finalizing the navigation components. If you’re planning to infuse diversity in terms of design components, keep these in a way that an overall consistency doesn’t get lost. 

3. Have a robust search option 

Since your mobile application will consist of a significant amount of data, keeping it well-structured becomes the key. For this, you must incorporate a simple in-app search engine that lets the user have everything on his/her fingertips. Failing to find an advanced search feature often compels users to shift to a competitor; therefore, ensure searchability across your mobile platform. 

4. Use decent animations for transitions 

Animating the design elements proves useful when you want the user to experience seamless navigation. You can animate various actions so that one doesn’t end up seeing that boring processing logo every time a task is finished within the app. Additionally, you can use animations for shifting from one page to another so that the process becomes a bit more innovative. However, this turns out to be a grey area as developers often end up overdoing animations. It’s suggested to stick to one or two animations that are suitably utilized in the applications without making it too hectic. 

5. Keep the design minimalistic

Having too many functionalities will not only hike the developing cost of your app but also steer the user away from finding it worthwhile. A simple and minimalistic design, on the flip side, will improve the usability front as there won’t be any confusion in using the app. Thus, list down all the goals that a user might be turning to your application for, and try to come up with a design that achieves these tasks most straightforwardly. 

Different types of elements used in the application can be made to look attractive and interesting just by the use of the optimally applicable animation. Amongst the multitude of apps existing in the market, the one with the best design only can withstand the market’s fierce competition and add more to your business. 

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