The Importance of Micro-Interactions in UX Design

To create user interfaces that really capture the attention of users it is important that you pay attention to details.

One of the details that maybe doesn’t seem worth spending time on but definitely is worth rolling up your sleeves and digging into is micro-interactions. Micro-interactions are the little actions that happen before, during, and after a user engages with a website or mobile app and should be a part of your website or mobile app development process.

Micro-interactions help guide users when they are using your interface by offering noticeable responses to behaviors confirming that the system has received their input. To summarize a micro-interaction, when a user takes an action, the interface responds in a pleasing way that engages the user.

Use micro-interactions to improve user engagement

Well thought out micro-interactions improve user engagement on websites, mobile apps and other products.

Take the time to consider the experience a person has with your website or mobile app, what do they see, feel and think while utilizing your user interface? Is it a joy to use? Are they excited? Do they want to tell their friends about it?

Often nuances such as micro-interactions are overlooked in the rush to get your website or mobile app live. But if you think about it, the user interfaces that you really enjoy using and that you tell your friends about are the ones where somebody took the time to sweat the small stuff.

Have you ever been on a mobile app or web site and thought to yourself “Wow! That is cool” when you were surprised by an unexpected detail? These are the kind of things that make an interface a joy to use and keep users coming back.

If you are not familiar with micro-interactions, here are a few basic examples that you might be familiar with:

• Preloading animations are a great example; they are an important part of an interface. While most users don’t want to sit and wait for data to load, they definitely don’t want to sit and stare at a blank screen while they are waiting. Let them know something is happening with a clever preloading animation.
• Pull to refresh animation are another common example that you are probably familiar with. By letting users know that you are refreshing the data in an interesting way it will make them more patient while waiting.
• Getting more specific, a great example is when you use the Pinterest app if you press and hold an image the share buttons will appear near the tip of your finger.

Usability

Usability is one of the key factors of great interface design. Great usability often includes micro-interactions. Micro-interactions encourage engagement and help users understand how an interface works.

These small details may seem insignificant, but from a user experience standpoint, they genuinely make a huge difference between an interface that is just ok and an interface that is exceptional. These micro-interactions help the user feel rewarded for taking an action and can help teach them how to use the interface in a pleasant way.

Image: Fouquier (Flikr) http://bit.ly/2QVLFUF