Comments on: User interface animation: why’s it any good?

By: Miguel

Miguel — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:30:42 +0000

Hello Zeh, I’ve used your great zminimaltextslider for years, is there an AS3 version?
My AS3 is very poor and I need that tool, please can you give me some help?

Thanks and have a nice day.

miguel

By: Frank fernandis

Frank fernandis — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:01:36 +0000

Many of us have been so bombarded with bad press on client-side Java that advising anything other than an HTML-based front end would be like digging your own grave.

By: Zee

Zee — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 09:23:15 +0000

Speaking of tweening, animation and what not, how can you implement easing into your zminimaltextslider component?

Thanks Zeh!

Zee

By: shredders

shredders — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 07:00:17 +0000

Animations express a sense of process and continuity that is difficult to convey through other techniques. Although interfaces can often benefit from animation, User Interface Management Systems (UIMSs) rarely provide the tools necessary to easily support complex, state-dependent application output, such as animations.

By: arthur debert

arthur debert — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 13:50:53 +0000

Hi Zeh.

Right on.
I guess in the end it all boils down to feedback.
Our sensorial machine, be it the organs themselves (eyes etc) or our minds reading those inputs have evolved on the physical world, and are used to have continuos feedback on the real world.
When you open a door, that door will slide. I you want to browse a magazine you must grab it, bringing it to your reach…every page you turn will move and fold, revealing where you came from.
The digital world is discrete, you can just jump from one things to another. Animations used in transition make the flow more obvious and really aids in understanding where we are / where we are going to. Adding transitions hits the spot with our expectation to have continuos transitions between states, since the feedback is instantaneous.

very good read.

cheers
arthur
p.s.: on a side note. Thinking about hacking… seems that running a full blow debugger , with breakpoints and such follows the same idea. If you have a few print statements spread in your code, it’s harder to understand transition (in your data and logic) and that’s where a debugger can help.

By: Dave_Matthews

Dave_Matthews — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 14:38:19 +0000

Thanks for the link,Zeh. Clients like this quality of documented reassurance backing up the ‘felt’ delight of modest and thoughtful guiding animation in an interface.

Bjorn’s reference to ‘flow’ defines the experience well.

Our work at 2GoTo.com tries to give the end user state-flow control of the interface.

By: Nikita

Nikita — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:43:24 +0000

Absolutely my point of view on graphical user interfaces!
It’s great to find this ideas

By: Bjorn

Bjorn — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 05:54:46 +0000

A good discussion to raise.

Certain programmers have raised their opinions with me saying the animations are completely unneccesary and annoying. They would believe that consistency and conformation to standards are the key to succesful usability within UI design of applications.

My point of view is that i have dedicated my work towards flash because i believe the opposite.

To me the current designs of most applications are boring and the standards are only succesful because of repition of use.

I am a believer in flow.
Most people find it difficult to efficiently concentrate on 2 processes at once. I believe application use, should essentially be guided (similar to the install wizard) and from that concept animations can be utilised very succesful in creating a linear flow process that is intuitive to a first-time user of an application or RIA.

Flash and the RIA movement puts the power back to the developer in creating innovative user experiences.

I dont believe the formula to succesful UI design should ever be set in stone.
It is a constantly developing field and flash developers are frequently creating new concepts and ideas that set new standards.

By: flashape

flashape — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 18:56:04 +0000

that’s about as well put an explanation as you’re going to find on that subject. flash’s ability to animate a change in state has always been what’s set it apart.