Micro-interactions are small, preferably functional animations that support the user by giving visual feedback and displaying changes more clearly.
I looked at this last semester when I didn’t really realise its significance so I wanted to revisit and specifically look at the first Heuristic, “Visibility of system status”. The idea is that users should at least think they know what is happening at all times within a system. This can be helped massively through micro-interactions, both to give feedback on interaction and to let the user know something about that interaction.
For example, if a screen is taking a while to load, the user may not understand what is happening, but if the text appears acknowledging it taking a while the user will feel more a ease as the system has acknowledged it. I find this interesting as it is more purely psychological. The system can acknowledge something through a micro-interaction but it doesn’t really mean anything, the system can just set it so this acknowledgement happens when a certain time has passed but the user will receive it as if the system is responding to their specific instance. It’s interesting that a micro-interaction like this can make the user feel at ease and like the system has tried something different when in fact it could just be running into the same error without trying anything new to combat it.
Overall I find it interesting how certain micro-interactions could be used to essentially cover up a flaw in a system by making appear approachable and personable.
I found the idea of micro-interactions really interests when they were discussed in week 11 so decided to read this research paper on their effects on perceived usability.
What I found initially interesting from the paper was how micro-interactions related back to concepts I had looked at before, like skeuomorphism. Basically, micro-interactions serve to replicate physical forces and reactions in a digital space, making it feel more natural for the user. Nothing in the real world instantly changes so micro-interactions feeling natural are one of those things I’d never really considered before but when I think of now feels obvious.
I had been fascinated with skeuomorphism when I first researched it due to how designers used previous imagery to make designs more understandable, but by its very nature skeuomorphism quickly becomes outdated due to it being visual. What’s really interesting to me about micro-interactions is how it transcends the idea of ageing that skeuomorphism easily fell to. While visual designs constantly change in the real world, Newtonian physics is an unchanging constant, so I think it's likely that micro-interactions will forever be a design fundamental in the same way the forces they replicate are in the real world.
The next main part of the paper I found interesting was the experiment itself. After understanding the concept of micro-interactions I thought for sure they would have a big impact on perceived usability but the results proved less so than expected. The median of the scores for both groups was very similar, which would indicate micro-interactions had little effect on perceived usability. However, the upper quartile for group B was considerably higher which does indicate that micro-interactions do have a notable effect on usability. While the median scores proved similar, looking at individual questions proved that micro-interactions did make the UI feel better and it was more enjoyable to use. I found this quite unexpected as I thought micro-interactions would have a bigger influence in regards to perceived usability but equally I think that user enjoyment is almost just as important so micro-interactions are still really valuable within UI design.
Overall I enjoyed reading this paper and it helps me more carefully consider micro-interactions. This is really the first academic paper I’ve read but as someone who is really interested in the human psychological side of design, I found myself really enjoying it and being really interested in the ideas presented. It’s definitely something I want to explore more in the future as it’s not only interesting for me but understanding these ideas will have a big impact on my own work going forward.
<aside> 💾 Can micro-interactions in user interfaces affect their perceived usability?
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I definitely feel I have a good understanding if the importance and impact of micro-interactions. I think researching the ideas and concepts of micro-interactions this week rather than just examples of micro-interactions has really helped as it’s given me a more in-depth understanding which will allow me to utilise them better in my work.