Making Motion Matter in UX
Patterns
•
July 1, 2025
I used to think motion in interfaces was just eye candy, something to make things look smooth, flashy, maybe even fun. But I’ve realized it’s more than decoration. Motion can help people understand what’s happening, where to focus, what things mean. It supports usability. Here are some of the ideas from UX in Motion and how you can use motion in your designs in ways that actually help people.
Why Motion Is More Than Animation
Motion = interaction in time. Sometimes motion happens while someone is doing something (realtime), like dragging a slider. Other times it’s after the action, like a screen transition. Both can help, if done well.
Animation alone isn’t enough. If motion is only for looks (lipstick after the meat and bones of UI design), you miss chances to make things clearer. Motion should be part of how people understand, not just how things feel.
Four Ways Motion Helps Usability
Expectation: Motion can show what will happen. If something moves one way, people anticipate movement. It helps reduce surprises.
Continuity: Good motion keeps things connected. Moving between screens, changing states, how things enter or exit — motion can make transitions feel more natural.
Narrative: Motion can tell a short story. Even small transitions or changes can show cause and effect. It helps a user see the path of interaction.
Relationship: Motion helps show how things in a layout relate to each other — hierarchy, connections, grouping. Which items are foreground vs background, what belongs together.
Key Principles to Use Motion Well
Here are some practical rules and ideas to keep in mind, so motion helps instead of distracting:
Easing: avoid linear motion whenever possible. Smooth starts and ends feel more natural.
Offset & Delay: introduce elements with timing differences so the user can see that they’re separate or related.
Transformation: changing shape, color, or size to show something changed or responded. Think: button becomes spinner, spinner becomes check mark.
Overlay & Masking: use revealing/concealing layers; show context behind or beside what’s currently visible. Helps reduce confusion.
Value Change: when numbers or data update, use motion to show the change — it makes data feel alive, real.
What to Try This Week
Try these small experiments in your next project:
Pick one interface component (a button, card, or menu). Introduce a small animation or transition with easing, and see if people understand its state better.
Use motion to connect steps. For example, when a modal appears, animate how content behind it shifts or dims so users feel grounded.
Take a static view (dashboard, stats display) and animate value changes so the user sees numbers updating rather than them just changing.
Wrapping Up
Motion is powerful, when it’s aligned with what people expect, when it supports flow, when it removes friction instead of adding it. It’s not about being flashy; it’s about being useful.
Next time you add motion, ask: Does this help someone know what just happened? Am I easing their path through the interface? If yes, you’re using motion well.
Why Motion Is More Than Animation
Motion = interaction in time. Sometimes motion happens while someone is doing something (realtime), like dragging a slider. Other times it’s after the action, like a screen transition. Both can help, if done well.
Animation alone isn’t enough. If motion is only for looks (lipstick after the meat and bones of UI design), you miss chances to make things clearer. Motion should be part of how people understand, not just how things feel.
Four Ways Motion Helps Usability
Expectation: Motion can show what will happen. If something moves one way, people anticipate movement. It helps reduce surprises.
Continuity: Good motion keeps things connected. Moving between screens, changing states, how things enter or exit — motion can make transitions feel more natural.
Narrative: Motion can tell a short story. Even small transitions or changes can show cause and effect. It helps a user see the path of interaction.
Relationship: Motion helps show how things in a layout relate to each other — hierarchy, connections, grouping. Which items are foreground vs background, what belongs together.
Key Principles to Use Motion Well
Here are some practical rules and ideas to keep in mind, so motion helps instead of distracting:
Easing: avoid linear motion whenever possible. Smooth starts and ends feel more natural.
Offset & Delay: introduce elements with timing differences so the user can see that they’re separate or related.
Transformation: changing shape, color, or size to show something changed or responded. Think: button becomes spinner, spinner becomes check mark.
Overlay & Masking: use revealing/concealing layers; show context behind or beside what’s currently visible. Helps reduce confusion.
Value Change: when numbers or data update, use motion to show the change — it makes data feel alive, real.
What to Try This Week
Try these small experiments in your next project:
Pick one interface component (a button, card, or menu). Introduce a small animation or transition with easing, and see if people understand its state better.
Use motion to connect steps. For example, when a modal appears, animate how content behind it shifts or dims so users feel grounded.
Take a static view (dashboard, stats display) and animate value changes so the user sees numbers updating rather than them just changing.
Wrapping Up
Motion is powerful, when it’s aligned with what people expect, when it supports flow, when it removes friction instead of adding it. It’s not about being flashy; it’s about being useful.
Next time you add motion, ask: Does this help someone know what just happened? Am I easing their path through the interface? If yes, you’re using motion well.
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