Motion design is the use of animation, transitions, and movement in an app’s interface to guide users, create feedback, and enhance overall experience.
Why It Matters
- Makes apps feel smoother and more engaging for users.
- Helps direct attention to important actions or elements.
- Enhances usability by providing intuitive feedback through motion.
- Strengthens brand identity with custom transitions or animations.
- Can reduce perceived loading times and improve user satisfaction.
Use This Term When...
- You're working with UI/UX designers to enhance user interaction.
- You're deciding how to onboard users or show feature walkthroughs.
- You're improving accessibility through animated hints or gestures.
- You're designing microinteractions (like button presses or swipes).
- You're refining animations for responsiveness across devices.
Real-World Example
In one of our projects，The app leveraged subtle Motion Design in transitions and onboarding animations to guide users intuitively. This added polish to the UX and made the app feel modern and responsive, boosting retention rates.
Founder Insight
Founders often overlook motion as just “decoration.” But well-placed motion enhances function — not just aesthetics. It's a key part of guiding user behaviour.
Key Metrics / Concepts
- User Engagement Rate – How interactive users are with motion-enabled features.
- Animation Frame Rate – Smoothness of motion, ideally at 60fps.
- Perceived Load Time – How long users feel they are waiting (improved by motion).
- Bounce Rate – Can drop if users are engaged through transitions.
- Tap Response Feedback – Visual cues that confirm user actions.
Tools & Technologies
- Lottie – Lightweight tool for adding animations to apps using JSON.
- After Effects – Used to create complex motion graphics and export for dev use.
- Framer Motion – Popular library for creating smooth motion in React-based apps.
What’s Next / Future Trends
Motion design is shifting toward subtle, AI-driven animation that adapts to user preferences and accessibility settings. Expect motion to play a role in personalisation and context-aware UX.
Related Terms
- Microinteractions – Small animations that respond to user actions.
- UI Design – Visual structure that includes motion elements.
- UX Design – Broader experience that motion helps to enhance.
- Mobile-First Design – Where motion needs to be optimised for smaller screens.
- Onboarding – Motion helps guide users through early app use.
Helpful Videos / Articles / Pages
Call to Action
Curious about how motion design can enhance your app’s user experience? Reach out and we’ll help you bring your screens to life.