Micro-interactions are an important part of our digital lives, even if we don’t always realize it. Every day, from the moment your phone’s alarm wakes you up in the morning to liking your friend’s Facebook posts to receiving notifications about new emails and Instagram messages, we are exposed to micro-interactions.
We should also be thinking about and designing for them as digital designers. Are we consciously looking for ways to surprise and delight our users as we design and build new products? Most designs have places where a little animation and feedback could make a big difference in the user experience. Consider the Like button on Facebook, the pull-to-refresh action, or the typing indicator in a chat window. These are the ones to look for.
Micro Interactions Examples
- Scrollbar
Gives visual feedback to the user changing location within a page - Pull-to-refresh animation
Gives visual feedback to a user action - Swipe animation
Provides visual confirmation that a user has swiped a particular element. - Notification
Provides the user with feedback that a new notification has arrived
