Micro-interactions are small moments where the user and design interact. When they are well designed, micro-interaction enhances the user's experience with the design. When they are poorly designed, they damage the experience.
The micro-interactions are small, suitable animations or feedback that occur in an app or website. They give a better user experience by providing visual cues and responsiveness. For example, a button changing color when clicked is a micro-interaction.
Various Types of Micro-interactions are:
- Buttons: The buttons are usually interactive elements that respond when you click or tap.
- From Validation: The form validation provides feedback on input fields, like error messages or checkmarks.
- Notifications: Notifications mean alerts or badges that inform users of new messages or updates.
- Loading indicators: The loading indicator visual cues that show the progress or activity while waiting for content to load.
- Hover Effects: Changes in appearance when the cursor hovers over an element.
- Sliders: The interactive bar that allows users to adjust settings or values.
- Tooltips: Small pop-up messages that provide additional information when hovering over an element.
- Toggle Switches: Interactive switches that can be turned on or off
Benefits of Micro interactions in Web Designing
- Improved user engagement:
Micro interactions can make a user's experience with a platform more enjoyable and rewarding, leading to increased engagement and usage. - Enhanced usability:
Increasing the usability is a way to improve their ease of use. It involves the design of interfaces and interactions which are easy to use, efficient as well as user friendly. By including some of the features above, such as clear navigation, logical organization of content, intuitive forms and helpful feedback. - Increased user satisfaction:
When interacting with a product or service, higher user satisfaction is defined as the level of contentment and fulfilment that users are experiencing. It is a way of measuring whether the product or service fulfils their needs, expectations and preferences. When users are satisfied, there is a greater likelihood of being positive about the product and continuing to use it or recommending it to others. - Micro-interactions for Calls to Action:
Micro-interactions for calls to action that lead users to interact with a particular part of the Web or App are simple, unobtrusive animations and images pointing them in this direction. It can be used to show buttons, forms and other user interaction elements that are more noticeable and interesting when the user clicks or taps them. These small interactions give the user feedback and confirmation, informing them that their action has been recognised and launching a response which they want. - Data Collection and Feedback:
The collection and retention of information from users, e.g. their preferences, habits or demographic characteristics is part of the data collection process. On the other hand, feedback is the information or response given to users based on their interaction or input. Understanding user needs can assist in improving products or services. Therefore, data collection is a way of gathering information. - Feedback and Confirmation:
Feedback is a reference to the information or answers that users are provided based upon their actions and inputs. The user can be notified of the results of this interaction through a variety of forms, e.g. graphical signs, messages, sounds or animations. In contrast, confirmation is a special type of feedback which indicates to users that an action has been successfully completed. This ensures that requests and inputs are received and taken care of properly by users. - Mobile Optimization:
Mobile optimization is an optimisation process of a website or application for tablets, as well as smart phones. It ensures responsiveness, speed and user friendliness of Mobile devices through the design and development of User Interfaces and User Experience. In mobile devices, it facilitates better performance, accessibility and visibility of the website or app.
How to Use Micro-interactions?
1. Trigger: The triggers are the sorted program, which are the automatically executed or fired when some events(insert, delete, and update) occur.
- In a user-initiated trigger, the user has to initiate an action.
- In a system-initiated trigger, software detects certain qualifications are being met and initiates an action.
2. Rule: A rule determines how a micro-interaction responds to a trigger and defines what happens during the interaction.
3. Feedback: The message sent by a receiver back to the source is called feedback. The feedback is important in two way communication.
- it makes communication meaningful.
- It is the end results of an idea and makes communication a continuous process.
- It is the help to achieve the goal of the communication.
- It is the also help to problem solving and decision making.
Example of Micro instructions preloads, chatbots, gamified animations, and celebratory gifts.
4. Loops and Modes: The loop and modes determine the meta-rules of the micro interaction.
What Practices to Avoid?
When it comes to the micro interaction in web designing. It is best to avoid excessive animations or distractions and user friendly.
When it comes to the micro interaction in web design. It is avoiding overwhelming to the user with many interaction or mackling them for complex.
There are the several practices way to avoid it.
- Restrain yourself
- Do not sacrifice a narrative in the name of catharsis.
- What cannot be done in one motion should not be done at all.
- The problem is not animation, the problem is design.
- Ignoring User Needs.
Example 1: A Navigation Menu using HTML and CSS having micro interactions
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport"
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>Interactive Navigation Menu</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css" />
</head>
<body>
<nav class="navbar">
<ul class="menu">
<li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="#">About</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Series</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Gfg</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Contact</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
</body>
</html>
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
}
.navbar {
background-color: #333;
color: #fff;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
}
.menu {
list-style: none;
display: flex;
padding: 0;
}
.menu li {
margin-right: 20px;
position: relative;
}
.menu a {
text-decoration: none;
color: #fff;
transition: color 0.3s;
}
.menu a::before {
content: '';
position: absolute;
bottom: -5px;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 2px;
background-color: #e91e63;
transform: scaleX(0);
transform-origin: 0 50%;
transition: transform 0.3s;
}
.menu a:hover {
color: #e91e63;
}
.menu a:hover::before {
transform: scaleX(1);
}
Output: Click here to see the live output
Navigation Menu
Example 2: A Card Flip Animation using HTML and CSS having micro interactions
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
<meta name="viewport"
content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<title>Card Flip Animation</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css" />
</head>
<body>
<div class="card">
<div class="card-inner">
<div class="card-front">
<h2>Front</h2>
</div>
<div class="card-back">
<h2>Back</h2>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
height: 100vh;
margin: 0;
}
.card {
width: 200px;
height: 300px;
perspective: 1000px;
}
.card-inner {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
transform-style: preserve-3d;
transition: transform 0.5s;
}
.card:hover .card-inner {
transform: rotateY(180deg);
}
.card-front,
.card-back {
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
position: absolute;
backface-visibility: hidden;
display: flex;
justify-content: center;
align-items: center;
background-color: #3498db;
color: #fff;
font-size: 24px;
}
.card-back {
background-color: #e91e63;
transform: rotateY(180deg);
}
Output: Click here to see the live output
Card Flip Animation
Conclusion
In conclusion, micro interactions are a vital and versatile element of web design that offer a wide range of benefits. When implemented effectively, micro interactions play a crucial role in creating user-friendly, engaging, and successful websites and applications. They are a valuable tool for designers to enhance usability and achieve business objectives.