Micro interactions are developed to aid the user experience. Their main purpose lies in creating moments that are engaging, welcoming, and make users feel comfortable about browsing.
What are micro interactions?
Micro interactions are designed to be experiences that enable users to feel more welcome on the sites they browse. The idea is to retain users and get them to browse other content on the website. A micro interaction usually has four parts. These include:
- Triggers: These are used to start the micro interaction. They can either be system or user initiated. When user-initiated, the users have to initiate an action that results in the micro interaction. When system-initiated, the software is designed to detect certain triggers, which, when detected, trigger the interaction.
- Rules: These are used to determine what will happen once the trigger is initiated.
- Feedback: These allow people to know what is happening through the micro interaction. Everything that the user is shown, or how they feel, or interpret the micro interaction, is known as the feedback.
- Modes and Loops: These determine the meta rules related to the micro interaction, such as what might happen should the conditions related to a micro interaction were to change.
Why are micro interactions important?
Micro interactions are essentially design elements that help the consumer connect better with the brand. But why are they so important?
Consider what separates a good website design from great website design. The answer lies in attention to detail. Here is why micro interactions are essential for websites:
- Improve how users navigate around a website.
- Provide tips and advice to users when necessary.
- Users will find it easier to interact with the website.
- Improve user experience and make it more rewarding.
- Provide immediate feedback about an action that has been completed to the user.
- Control and direct the attention of the user.
- Communicate to the user information about certain elements.
- Encourage engagement with the content, such as liking, commenting, or sharing.
In addition to these, using micro interactions in your website also enables the development of an emotional connection. This aspect of emotions is crucial when it comes to developing a dedicated consumer base.
When a website is well designed, with micro interactions, it shows that the business cares about the user. It also shows that time and attention to detail were heavily focused on in an effort to improve the experience of the user.
In times when micro interactions are done properly, they can leave users with positive feelings in relation to your website. This can be the case even without the user understanding this.
When do you use micro interactions?
When it comes to UI and UX, micro interactions are seen as powerful. Here are some ways you can use micro interactions and how they impact the user experience:
1. Swipe
Smoother than tapping, this enables people to switch between tabs and find information easier.
2. Inputting data
Many people understand the frustrations related to creating new accounts. Micro interactions that encourage them to fill out data fields, such as showing the strength of a password, can enable people to better fill out such fields.
3. Animations
Animations can improve the user experience when it comes to micro interactions. They showcase good design and can develop points of interest in the website. However, you should be careful that you don’t create animations that end up distracting the users. Animations should be designed to engage.
4. Status of the current system
The user should always have a general idea of what is happening on the website, as well as the app, as they’re using it. When not informed, you run the risk of users getting annoyed and leaving the website. Examples of this include showing a progress bar, indicating how long it would take for a certain process to complete.
5. Interesting tutorials
A tutorial, together with micro interactions in it, can better enable users to understand how an application works. It does so by making how the application works simple, as well as showcasing features and controls. This makes it easier for users to understand the tutorial and take away useful information from it.
6. Call to Action
Also known as a CTA, this is a micro interaction that gently nudges the user to interact further with a website or app. By following the CTA, users can experience a sense of achievement. This makes the process engaging for users and makes it more likely for them to pursue the CTA.
7. Use buttons that are animated
Pay attention to the shape, the color, the animations, and even the placement of the buttons of your app or website. This is in order to improve the user experience and make it seamless.
Conclusion
Micro interactions can improve user experience. Follow these tips to better add micro interactions to your app and website.
