Microinteractions show feedback, enhance the feeling of direct manipulation, visualize the results of actions, and help complete individual tasks. Every UI/UX design and development agency knows the importance of microinteractions in design, and in this article, we’ll tell you about their secret.
What are microinteractions?
Contents
Micro-interactions are events built into a product that together perform one small task.
Microinteractions were first described in Dan Saffer’s book as small details that usually perform one of the following necessary functions:
- Provide feedback or the result of some action.
- Perform a separate task.
- Enhance the feeling of direct manipulation.
- Help users by visualizing the results of their actions and preventing errors.
Here are some examples of specific micro-interactions:
- When you switch an iPhone to silent mode using the button, a short vibration turns on, and the silent mode icon appears on the screen.
- An animated UI element showing clickability (or a button that changes color on hover).
Why microinteractions are so important
If microinteractions are just tiny design elements, then why care about them at all? The very best products are good in two ways: features and details. Features are the aspect of a product that attracts people. Details allow product developers to keep them. Due to the details, the application stands out from competitors.
Microinteractions:
- improve navigation;
- make it easier for users to interact with your product;
- provide instant and up-to-date information about the completed action for the user;
- give advice to their users;
- enrich user experience;
- encourage sharing, likes, and comments under the content;
- target users’ attention;
- make the product more emotional.
In addition, well-designed microinteractions are a clear sign of user care, which enhances trust and brand loyalty.
Who is behind the design and creation of microinteractions?
This is the task of UX / UI designers – specialists in interfaces and shaping user experience.
They think through the mechanics: what situations require micro-interactions and what exactly the effects should be. At the same time, it is important that the reactions are not only convenient and attractive but also fit into the overall design of the site or application.
When the concept is ready, other specialists can be involved in the work: for example, motion designers create animation or illustrators draw complex elements.
Why microinteractions work
Microinteractions work because they are oriented to the natural human desire for recognition. The user understands that the system has recorded his action and wants to get a visually pleasing response. And micro-interactions can help the user understand the system.
Identifying opportunities
The great thing about micro-interactions is that they can be used in many places and with many potential actions. Although they are usually used in the following cases:
Show system status
Jakob Nielsen’s first usability heuristic principle is to keep the user aware of what’s going on. Users expect an instant response. But there are situations when the application needs time to complete the action.
Therefore, the interface should tell the user what is happening.
Conclusion: Don’t let the user get bored. Tell them what’s going on and how long to wait (the loading scale captivates the user and helps him not to get confused).
Pay attention to changes
Sometimes you need to not only display a notification but also make sure that the user sees it. Animations will help you with this. They will grab the user’s attention and will not let you lose sight of the information that you consider important.
Conclusion: In most cases, animation effects are used to draw users’ attention to important details. Use the KISS principle – microinteractions should be simple and small.
Maintain context
Use motion to smoothly transition the user from one navigational context to another and explain how the organization of elements on the screen has changed. This is especially important on mobile devices and smartwatches as it is simply impossible to fit a lot of information into a small screen.
Conclusion: Maintain clear navigation between pages so that users understand what’s coming from. Transitions between different visual states should be clear, smooth, and easy. Logically link all transitions into a single theme.
Render input
Data entry is one of the most important elements of any application. And micro-interactions make this process special. You can provide feedback through existing interface elements.
Conclusion: Micro-interactions help reveal information and also help users achieve their goals.
Call to action
Microinteractions have the power to inspire users for real interactions. They can bring empathy to the user experience. Most importantly, make sure that visual cues and animations are relevant to your users. And keep the long term in mind won’t the microinteraction get bored when the user encounters it for the hundredth time? Or will it always be clean and unobtrusive?
Conclusion: Focus on emotions because they play a huge role in user interactions. Start from context and user research and design for the long term.
Things to remember:
- Microinteractions: feedback, notifications, and instructions are the mediators of interactions.
- Microinteractions should save time by transmitting information instantly without distracting or tiring the user.
- If you know your users and context, you can make microinteractions even more precise and effective.
- Microinteractions must pass the test of time. What seems fun the first time can become annoying with constant use.
- Make microinteractions more human and focus on visual harmony. In order for the microinteraction to come to life, all movements must be very smooth. Good design is always a full stack: from the functional part to microinteractions.
Final thoughts
Microinteractions are one of the best ways to provide the user with pleasant feedback from the application. It all comes down to a human-centric approach to design, with the user in the lead. While microinteractions are often considered secondary in design, they actually create a feeling of comfort and well-being for the user. If you want to create a product with a great design that users will love, we recommend that you turn to Dworkz. This is a UI / UX design and development company, whose specialists are focused on developing services specifically for your target audience.