Micro-interactions are the small moments of delight and utility that can be found within any app. Designing these interactions is a challenge, but doing so will drive macro results for your business.

In-app micro-interactions are the small gestures that a user performs within your app. Designing these interactions can sometimes seem daunting, but there are some tricks to help you succeed. This article will discuss 5 tips to help you design the best micro-interactions and types, such as content management tools, navigation patterns, feedback mechanisms, and more.

1. Always Remember Your Audience

Designing an app is not just about creating a beautiful interface but also making sure that users can navigate through it easily. When designing micro-interactions, make sure they fit with the overall persona of the Product and don't distract from its purpose.

Designers should design for the user and not their own personal preferences. Designers are often guilty of designing something that looks nice to them but maybe ineffective or counterintuitive from a design perspective. Designers could avoid this by asking themselves if someone else was designing what they would create.

Another design principle designers should design for is the user's mental model. Designers would be surprised how often they design products that don't follow traditional conventions and break with common design patterns. By designing in line with these commonly accepted design practices, designers will improve their users' product experience by removing friction.

2. Design is a Process

Designing in-app interactions is not an easy task, and often you have to go through several revisions of your designs before landing on the right one. Always start with low-fidelity wireframes that are quick for designers and clients alike to review early on.

Remember that design involves multiple stakeholders, so make sure that designers create wireframes that are easy to understand and communicate. Once the design is approved, you can move onto the next step of high fidelity prototypes for designers and clients to review, focusing on how micro-interactions integrate into the overall app experience.

Only once the design is tested by designers should the final micro-interaction be implemented into your app. This process ensures that design will always deliver high-quality interfaces for your business.

3. Use Motion For A Positive Emotion

Designers should create micro-interactions that elicit a positive emotion from the user. Designing for emotions is not always an easy task, but there are some things you can do to design better in-app interactions. One way of designing emotional responses comes through motion and how it's used to convey information towards the designer's goal. Motion has been shown to elicit a positive response from users, which designers can use to their advantage.

One way designers are using motion is by animating micro-interactions on user's screens in order to get them feeling excited about the Product they're interacting with. For example, when someone finds an item they might be interested in purchasing while shopping, designers will often animate the Product to give it some life, making designs appear more inviting. Motion can easily take an ordinary micro-interaction and make designers feel alive with energy.

Another way designers are using motion is in their intro pages by animating elements on screen early on so that they catch a user's eye and draw designers in to continue exploring. Designers are beginning to learn how important it is that their intro pages don't bore users, so they're finding new ways to engage designers from the start.

4. Don't Be Intrusive. It Kills The UX Design

Designers should design for unobtrusive micro-interactions that don't distract designers or interfere with their experience. Designers have always been taught to design to be mindful of the user, which means designing away unnecessary distractions and focusing on creating positive experiences while still encouraging users to accomplish what they need to do.

One example Designers use in design is creating micro-interactions that don't interfere with a user's experience. Designers want to be able to accomplish what they need quickly and easily, which means Designing away any unnecessary distractions while still encouraging users' interactivity.

Another example of unobtrusive design could come from easing designs into using new micro-interaction in a way Designers don't feel overwhelmed. Designers need to learn the ins and outs of using designing techniques easily without feeling lost or confused.

5. Do Not Use Animation For Every Action

Designers should create designs where animation is used effectively to add value and enhance the overall experience. However, designers should not use animations in every action because this can be overkill. It can also make designs feel slow or even cause designers to lose trust in products if the design feels tricked.

Designing effective micro-interactions means using animation when it makes sense. Creating designs that allow designers to draw attention to a certain action. Designing these micro-interactions with animation can help designers quickly get their tasks accomplished and then continue on exploring.

Another example of effective animated micro-interactions could come from designing animations that communicate an element by loading or uploading. Designers will design for cases when a design is busy and then finish with a seamless transition that gets the user back on track.

5 Types Of Micro Interaction Designers should Design for five different kinds of motion

• UI Animation

UI Animations are used to enhance the design for designers that create an intuitive feeling. These animations can fade in or out as well as happen all at once.

• Functional Animation

Functional Animations are when designers use animation to help users understand what is happening in their design that add to the overall user experience and improve productivity.

• Transitional Animation

Transitional Animations are used in design when Designers want their users' Design interactions to look smooth. These can happen between screens or within a screen, depending on what is happening with design at that time.

• Ethical Design

Ethical Design uses motion, color, sound, and text design to design designs that communicate a message. Designers should consider what purpose the animation serves and who they are designing for when using this type of micro-interaction.

• Storytelling Design

Storytelling is another way designers can create an emotional bond with their users by drawing them into their design. These animations happen over time, like watching someone's design history allows designers to see the Design process.

Final Thoughts

Design is all about creating effective user experiences for designers. Designers should design like a product designer and not just an artist or graphic designer. Designing well-thought-out micro-interactions will help the Product feel more polished to the user, increasing trust in the Product over time. Designers are only limited by their imagination, so you can design like you would want to use design.

Designing effective micro-interactions requires a bit of planning in order to create repeatable patterns that work best with users' mental models while still providing positive experiences when they use Product. Using animations and design effectively and adequately can help designers feel more fluid, enhancing the overall user experience.

Resources

1. https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/42006719/REYNEKE-DOCUMENT-2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
2. https://saigontechnology.com/blog/top-3-misunderstandings-about-offshore-software-development
3. https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Digital%20platform%20services%20inquiry%20-%20March%202021%20interim%20report.pdf
4. https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tir2020_en.pdf

Thanh Pham (Bruce)

CEO

Saigon Technology

Vietnam

Thanh (Bruce) Pham strives to deliver successful projects maximising value for the Client by clearly establishing the project objectives and risks, controlling the programs and costs and pro-actively managing the project teams.

Email: thanh.pham@saigontechnology.com

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