* UX : User experience
What is “motion design”?
We use the term “motion design” to define the concept of movement and animation in a project. On a website you’ll see this in different ways, from a “call-to-action” animation to a “scroll” of page contents to the way a page loads. There are many applications possible.
So why animate your page contents? “Motion design” is a major web trend for two reasons: aesthetics and utility.
Web refinement through “motion design”.
When clients land on a webpage, the global look of the page draws them in and, if they like it, they might decide to continue navigating to the website’s internal pages. So you need to seduce the client: that’s where the idea of “motion design” comes into play.
Having animations on your page is a good way to seduce your clients, within reason. if you animate everything on a page the viewer will feel overwhelmed.
Subtlety is a good way to go. When planning “motion design”, animations need to be integrated as a slight movement of the page’s content as it scrolls, as menus showing up on loading the site, as animations over components (for example, having a bloc of color appear behind text), etc.
Guiding the user with “feedbacks”.
Another important aspect of “motion design” is to help the client’s visit and overall site experience. The best example is when a client fills in a form. The standard “feedback” is to have red indicate an error and green show that everything is fine. By adding some “motion design” the whole process can become more lively and comprehensive.
If we continue with the example of a form, what can “motion design” accomplish? With a multi-tiered form you could have a progress bar animation with “checkpoints”. Where there are “yes/no” elements to check the background color can change according to the answer. These examples are things that can be done without “motion design”, yet using this tool greatly enhances website experience.
Let’s push it further: when the client is ready to submit the form it usually loads and then a confirmation message appears to say if the form was sent or not; the “submit” button could easily vibrate if there’s a mistake. The possibilities are endless!
The relevance of “motion design” in real estate marketing.
These two forms of “motion design” are especially applicable to real estate marketing. An interactive website helps a real estate project seduce prospective clients. Good navigation and animations throughout the website help the client find pertinent information. And finally, since the main reason for a website is to get clients to contact you, “motion design” ensures your client knows for sure that their request has been sent to you.
To sum it all up, “motion design” is a considerable asset for web development. It provides a better user experience to your clients and helps them with “feedbacks”. Of course, moderation is key!
Keep in mind that “motion design” is not limited to web development; you’ll also find it in advertising, video, virtual reality, video games, etc. Do you feel this trend will grow? Perhaps in new areas?
