Once web apps function like native apps, the design interactions would also change to address the use case — namely, the ubiquity of animations. As web developers, we need a good foundation to create animations that are both performant and maintainable, which is paramount to the native web app landscape. In this article Christopher Ng will show you how to go from After Effects to CSS transitions, animations and keyframes.
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Karim Maaloul decided to start a series of short WebGL experiments on Codepen, and he has finally found the time to compile them all together on a single website named “Moments of Happiness”. In this article, Karim has detailed the solution used to make a running cycle. On his Codepen page, all of these experiments are available, with the code at your disposal. Feel free to play around and make your own interactive toys. As you’ll see, all of the experiments share one principle: The behavior of each character responds programmatically to user input. No precalculated animation — every movement is defined at runtime.
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Today, most designers want to create prototypes with integrated pull-to-refresh animation, preferably a custom one. This tutorial explains how to build a prototype in Flinto, a tool that makes swipe-gesture animation possible, and obviously you cannot create a pull-to-refresh animation without a pull. In this article, Ellina Bereza & Simon Bronnikov will help you master Flinto, understand the logic of creating prototypes of this kind, and learn the process of coding these prototypes in your application. To follow the steps, you will need macOS, Sketch for Mac, Flinto for Mac to create the prototype, and Android Studio and JDK 7+ to write the code.
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In this article, Nick Babich will talk about the role of functional animation in UX design and see when to incorporate motion into a design. If you’d like to follow along and spice up your designs with animations, Adobe introduced Adobe XD which you can download and test for free, and get started right away. Identifying the places where animation has utility is only half the story. If you’re going to use animations in your designs, they should be built well, and that is only possible when an animation is a natural part of the design process.
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Sometimes animation that is nice and smooth in a simple demo runs very slowly on a real website, introduces visual artefacts or even crashes the browser. Why does this happen? How do we fix it? In this article, Sergey Chikuyonok aims to help you to better understand how the browser uses the GPU to render, so that you can create impressive websites that run quickly on all devices. Let’s do it!
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With so many amazing designers creating such beautiful animations, any developer would naturally want to recreate them in their own projects. Now, CSS does provide some presets for transition-timing-function, which add some level of smoothness and realism, but they are very generic, aren’t they? Motion curves are primarily used by animators to create advanced, realistic animations. In this article, Nash Vail will show you how motion curves work. Let’s begin!
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Designers love to get the big picture right, but if the details aren’t handled properly, the solution will fail. That’s why well-designed microinteractions make experiences feel crafted. As Charles Eames once said, “The details are not the details. They make the design.” Every element of the design matters. Details make your app stand out from the competition because they can be either practical and forgettable or impressive, useful and unforgettable.
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In this article, Cosima Mielke will provide you with tools and resources to simplify editing, converting, optimizing, and delivering SVGs. She’ll take a look at what you can do to make your SVG code lean and performant, dive deeper into dealing with browser bugs, and provide tips for designing an icon system. This piece boils the key takeaways from the mentioned resources down to easily digestible bits that you can squeeze into a coffee break for some in-between SVG enlightenment.
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Deviating from the traditional infographic form means that you tread into more complex media territory, but such experimentation with technology and narrative will be key in shaping the future of infographic design. In compiling this list, Babar Suleman received some great recommendations from friends and peers in the design world, and picking just 23 was not easy. Check out the list below to see if your favorite infographic made the list, and let us know about any others that should have been included!
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With the ever-increasing computing power of desktops, browser sophistication and use of native apps, every day we learn of new ways to push the limits of what defines a well-crafted UI. When used correctly, motion can be a key utility in helping your users achieve their goals. UX designers who are considering motion in their designs will find themselves under pressure to explain, communicate and defend why the extra effort is required. Know your audience, and communicate your intentions to the team early on. With UX animation, subtlety is key. Focusing on helping users achieve their goals is paramount.
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