UX UI Animation
In my continued reading of Animated Storytelling, this week, what stood out most to me was how animation becomes intentional design rather than decorative movement. The chapter reinforced that timing has so much meaning. The way something enters, exits, eases, or pauses completely shifts how it’s perceived.
It made me think about animation less as “effects” and more as behavior. Movement guides attention. It creates hierarchy and signals interaction. Even subtle motion choices communicate tone. That mindset directly influenced how I approached this week’s interface project.
Research & Inspiration
When researching UI animation examples, I gravitated toward interfaces that feel responsive and playful.
I was especially drawn to:
Microinteractions that respond to user input
Hover effects that subtly scale or bounce
Graphic elements that react with personality
Motion that reinforces interaction instead of distracting from it
What stood out most was how the strongest UI animations are subtle. They don’t overpower the interface but make the digital space feel alive. A lot of my inspiration focused on fun movement within graphical elements and text as well as simple shapes that feel dimensional because of how they move. I wanted to bring that same sense of warmth and responsiveness into my own animation.
My Branded Interface Animation
I wanted to create something that felt aligned with my personal brand instead of building a generic UI element. I used my cloud logos as interactive interface components and built a looping sequence around them
The animation flows as follows:
The clouds fade in softly.
A cursor clicks on each cloud.
When clicked, each cloud:
Scales up slightly.
Performs a subtle rotation shake.
Plays a click sound effect.
After all four clouds are activated, a Continue button appears.
The cursor clicks Continue.
The clouds rise upward and exit the frame.
The animation loops seamlessly.
I was intentional with the motion. Scaling alone felt too flat, so I added a slight rotation to give the clouds personality. The small shake makes them feel reactive rather than mechanical.
Timing was also important. I staggered the clicks to create rhythm and guide the viewer’s attention from one element to the next. Using Easy Ease in After Effects helped soften the movements so nothing felt robotic. I also added subtle background music to give the interaction more dimension. Even minimal audio makes the interface feel more immersive.
This project reinforced that UI animation isn’t about complexion, rather it’s about feedback and clarity. Small movements create behavior, which creates experience. Using my own brand elements made this feel more purposeful to further reflect my visual identity.
Hey, I’m Ashley!
I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.
