Dynamic display ads are the recommended way to run display campaigns on Google Ads and the Google Display Network. Dynamic ads with animations and motion graphics are more likely to catch a user’s attention and result in a click.

However, not all campaigns have the budget or time to create a full suite of HTML5 display ads recommended by Google Ads. Rather than using static image ads, .gif display ads can offer a nice balance between production cost and end results.

The Problem: Google Was Rejecting Our .gif Display Ads

The Google Ads platform is picky about which .gif assets it allows to be uploaded for use. Even worse, in our experience, we kept receiving the same error message that didn't even correctly identify the problem with the assets we were trying to upload. “We've detected strobing or Flashing effects. Make sure the frame rate of your ad is less than 5 FPS for GIFs. 

" kept popping up, despite our .gif display ads being below 5 FPS. So, what do you do?

In our experience, the answer lies within specifically, how you are exporting the animation from After Effects into a .mov file and then, what method you are using for compression and how you are converting that compressed file into a .gif. Previously, we created .gif display assets as a video file exported from 

 at 4fps, then converted that .mov into a compressed, web optimized .mp4 using 

's free video compression tool and lastly, to a .gif using Photoshop’s import “video frame to layers” feature, or 

free video to .gif conversion platform. It's a process, but one that met the picky standards of Google. Until it didn't. 

Assets produced this way were being denied by Google Ads and causing frustration. We had to figure out why. It took some trial and error, but the solution to this issue is relatively simple. Once you know it.


The Solution: Export .gif Ads as PNG Sequences from After Effects

The solution that we found to make Google Ads accept our .gif ad assets was instead of exporting them from After Effects as a .mov and converting that .mov file to a .gif file; we exported as a "png sequence" for each ad. Essentially a series of images/frames rather than a movie. This allowed us to have full control over the mysterious frame rate issue and the png images/frames rendered higher quality as a frame by frame animation rather than a .mov file, converted to an animated .gif. We then used the png sequence and brought the series of images into Photoshop to create the .gif files for use in Google Ads. A step by step breakdown of this process:

Create your dynamic animation for the display ads in After Effects

Export your dynamic display ads as a .png sequence from After Effects

Import your series of images into your Timeline in Photoshop as “frames”

Customize your frame rate, timing and tweening 

Export for web from Photoshop as a looping .gif

A few parameters that Google Ads has in regards to these ads that you should keep in mind include:

The simpler the animation, the easier this is to meet

Animation length must be 30 seconds or shorter - 

Recommend a short, looping animation. You don't have a users attention for long with display ads. Make the movement more ambient rather than necessary to the message  

Animations can be looped, but the animations must stop after 30 seconds

Animated GIF ads must be slower than 5 FPS - 

Make sure you set your frame rate in step 1 - Go to After Effects > Compositions Settings > Frame Rate to adjust

Full Display Ads Specifications from Google

So there you have it, use this process to create .gif display ads accepted by Google Ads. There are other ways to do it, but we've found this process to provide the best quality, the most control and the best chance to meet the 150kb max file size requirement.

Remember, if your budget or production timeline is tight, .gif display ads are the perfect solution for your next campaign. Good luck!

Researching and planning is key to effective marketing strategy. We use data, insights, our gained knowledge and research born from curiosity to plan inventive, value-drive marketing plans for our clients.

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Marketing Campaigns

How To Upload .gif Display Ads to Google Ads

I remember when I first started out as a designer (professionally), having to play Photoshop Tetris with cut up image blocks to piece together a full email layout. As a UX designer, we are taught that nothing is more important than usability and utility … and let’s just say, nothing puts those things to the test quite like Photoshop Tetris. Thankfully we have more sensible solutions now, but email design still comes with its added constraints and limitations. Luckily, I’ve had enough time and practice to be able to share a bit of knowledge, tips & tricks with you fine folks. So, let’s cut it up:

That’s the main thing. What works for one browser/client combo, may break for another.

There exists a sea of inconsistencies across browsers and platforms that you must be aware of in order to make sure an email functions cross-platform … Which makes designing for email uniquely challenging. Email forces designers to simplify, limit chaos of content and reduce cognitive load for the user. You don’t have a lot of space and you don’t have a lot of time, so using both wisely becomes immensely important.

Overcomplicating with tons of drop shadows, too many grid alignments, massive visual assets, or fancy fonts (which usually means image-based text

 us to pay closer attention to decisions being made, it’s also making us more thoughtful designers. In designing for email you 

 to prioritize and strategically solve the challenge at hand.

It’s a balancing act between performance and design. An email can look beautiful, but not be effective, in which case it’s not a successful email. Emails are not meant to be a piece of art, they are measured by specific metrics that dictate good vs bad. Design works as an addendum to the customer experience of the email’s content and messaging. It’s used as an aid to the overall strategy and as a line item on the grading rubric of performance for the success or failure of a campaign.

The biggest mistake that is consistently made in designing emails is simple – complexity 

. We try to limit that desire to overcomplicate in our own process at VIA by collaborating early and often with the development team. When designing an email, a designer and developer get together and go over the goals at hand and constraints within our email editor of choice. This helps eliminate future issues and aligns our priorities before any design work is done. It ends up being a huge time-saver and efficiency boost.

After eliminating complexity in handoff and process, you then must focus on the design itself. Remember, it’s about serving the person you're sending the email to, not your personal design vision or preferences. Email isn’t the place to test out complicated layouts and fancy designs. Use that energy on the consumer, their needs, and the effectiveness of having a focused message.

Tip: If you are really looking to get cute, throw in some fun or engaging copywriting. Copy can go a long way with holding your audience’s attention. BUT, keep it short and sweet. Most people spend less than 15 seconds reading marketing emails, so prioritizing is key.

So, going back to the constraints and limitations that I keep referring to. You must be asking – “Are there 

 rules I can follow?” It’s a loaded question but a valid one. My answer is – There isn’t really a single checklist to follow. Rules are ever-changing, BUT there are guidelines and standards to keep top of mind to improve your chances of success. Let’s run through some.

The first is simple and it’s that you need to 

. A common example of what not to do here (it’s one that I see often) is having an image with a block of text or headline in it. It looks PERFECT on desktop. It’s large and in charge, eye-catching and memorable. But when you go to open it on your phone, you need a magnifying glass. People utilize mobile email. Cater to them.

. Use trends that lend to legibility like high contrast and large body copy. Make it scannable and quick hitting. A tried-and-true layout doesn’t have to be boring – It can be adapted for any brand and made unique.

To ensure email renders for every client, 

for your design. I personally keep designs to 600px wide.

If you are using visuals in your email, be sure to 

 before uploading. Especially on mobile, large images take large amounts of loading time. I find that 

 is incredibly helpful for sizing down images without compromising quality. You’ll also want to save images out 2x the intended size to ensure that they are nice and crisp. Then, you can adjust the image attributes or CSS to scale down

. This will make your email more accessible. If your image doesn’t load, the text will still be shown (or read for screen readers), so the message isn’t entirely lost.

 Personalization has been linked to success in emails. Whether that’s using the person’s name in the email subject (personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened), catering content to specific audiences, or using relatable, custom photography that speaks to your brand.

This one is a bummer, but it’s important. 

. Email-safe fonts have the highest likelihood of being downloaded on your audience’s computer, thus rendering in the email without altering the design. Here is a list of the fonts considered most bullet proof:

. Make your email design digestible and give each section its own space to live. This helps guide your user along a curated path, without being overwhelmed by content and calls to action. It limits cognitive dissonance and increases likelihood of conversion. Win, win.

, I tend to stick to 1 column layouts, at least 16px font size for body copy, and keep said copy short and focused.

(easy to click) with not a lot of copy (easy to scan). Typically, I go 50px tall for CTAs and for the button-copy, I use a verb or action word to reiterate the call for the user to complete an action (EX: read, visit, learn, explore).

Make sure your images are large enough and 

. If they are tiny and busy, the message can easily get lost when scaled down.

 There are technically ways of including video in an email, but the success rate is low. Almost half of all email clients don’t support the technical requirements required to play a video in an email. You’re better off converting that mov or mp4 to an animated gif. Shorter load time, higher success rate and auto-plays.

Here are some examples of successful results following the above criteria by brands that consistently put out engaging, successful email campaigns.

Branded illustrated email campaign examples.

Branded email campaigns are an extension of the user experience.

Email Campaign Layouts

I’ll leave you with a bit of confidence in where I see email design going and our current process here at VIA.

Clean code supported by a modular based design. 

Component based design allows you to mix and match to create unique templates that feel consistent but different at the same time. Rather than 1 restrictive template design, you have 9 or 10 modules to pull from for different instances or content types. It makes the design more flexible. I’m a strong advocate for creating patterns or building a visual design language and emails are just another outlet where I find that to be a successful approach. Here are a couple of examples of companies reusing components / establishing a design language to come across as consistent, but unique each time they send something out.

5 colorful examples of Mail Chimp email campaigns.

Mail Chimp's email integrations allow for custom email campaigns.

Mail Chimp Email Campaigns

5 examples of email campaigns formatted in Zapier.

Zapier connections make personalized email marketing campaigns easier.

Zapier Email Campaigns Triggers

 to keep in mind when designing for email, but I hope the tips and tricks provided in this article help give you a solid foundation to build on. 

Email can be a beast and each discipline has their own set of principles and rules that they need to follow (which is why we did this series ☺). Be on the lookout for more posts on email in the future!

Reach out if you have any questions! Unless it’s about Photoshop Tetris. Can’t help you there. I’m retired.

View All Entries in the Email @ 50 Series:

Part I: Email @ 50: Email Marketing Still Works... Half a Century Later

Part IV: Email @ 50: Retrospective + The Future of Email

Email

Email stands the test of time as a reliable, trusted, always-there medium - and we’re big believers in its place and power with users. From developing interested audiences to supporting customers post-purchase and beyond, we can help you attract high-value, qualified emails leads and provide them engaging, valuable content through sophisticated email campaign strategy, design and development.

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User Experience (UX) is the driving design philosophy around building web and mobile applications, putting your audience (the “User”) first. The methodology requires research, wireframing, UI design, branding, and user testing to achieve exceptional results. We have the expertise in User Experience to design any experience you require.

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Web Design

Email @ 50: The Art of Email Design 

1. Design for your user, not for yourself:

Your user should be your focus at every step of the design process. The most basic principle of interaction design is to meet the user’s needs. What are they looking for? Answer that first. What other products are they familiar with? Learn from those. Are there any common threads or patterns in the products that your users frequent? Borrow. Observe your user’s behavior, analyze existing data, form scenarios and flows and most important of all, test, refine, repeat.

The U in UX does not stand for “you”. At its core, user experience design is about eliminating ego from your process and doing what is best for others. This makes user testing and engagement with your product vital. Put your product in front of an audience, form user interviews, ask questions and don’t be afraid to fail. Your end product will be better for it.

It’s not stealing, just borrowing. When you begin to learn about your user, you will gain insight into what they are used to interacting with. The more familiar your design is to your audience, the faster and easier it will be for them to use. Consistency in UI, user flows, design patterns, even tone and language are all at play here. You don’t always have to reinvent the wheel, just get some new rims.

4. Make it (for lack of a better word) useable

Duh, right? Well... If only everyone followed this rule. Let’s get one thing straight – Accessibility should not compromise design, but rather give you a toolbox of constraints to create a better product for all. We design products for people to use and it’s crucial that said products can be used by as many people as possible. Consider color blindness – don’t use color as a sole means to communicate something, let it be a compliment. Triple check contrast – There are some great tools out there that can help with this 

 is one of them. Create CTA’s that look like buttons and links. Don’t get too crazy (goes back to familiarity). This is just the tip of the iceberg. In general, always try and remove obstacles for your users, design for disabilities and test, test, test. There are tons of plugins and resources out there when it comes to accessibility. Use 'em!

It can be tempting to want to pack everything in one place, but in web design, the focus should always be on the project goals and conversion. Focus on what is important in that journey from start to finish and everything in between. What is going to lead to more user engagement? Reduce any unnecessary operational and cognitive costs for your user and focus on content value.

Knock, knock? Who’s there? It’s familiarity again. UX-focussed copywriting has really taken off as a best practice in the past year. People are busy, and they don’t want to have to strain to understand or use your product. Make the language simple and easy. Use familiar language, figure out what your audience already knows and what they WANT to know. Consider the tone your communication needs to adopt and keep that consistent. Be clear and be concise.

Users crave feedback. If you click something, there needs to be something in return – 

changes color, changes shape, vibrates, morphs. 

Give your use SOMETHING. This helps communicate status, gives a sense of direct manipulation of the product, shows results of an action and increases engagement. Define user-initiated triggers, set rules around these triggers, create feedback – What happens/what does your user see? Create loops and modes that determine meta-rules based on different conditions.

8. Hand over the keys and let them drive:

Remind the user where they are within your product using visual cues, allow them to back-pedal so that they don’t get lost in sub-page land, utilize page templates and component based design principles for repetitive functions and improved efficiencies. All of these things help – and users will have a better experience if you give them control over what they interact with, how they interact with it and where they ultimately go.

It takes a user a half of a second, to evaluate the design of a website, and decide to stick around, or bounce. Make it easy for them to find what they need QUICKLY. Trim content, reuse components and patterns that reduce cognitive spend, allow users to dig deeper if they desire (use CTA’s like “read more”, expandable/collapsible sections, content that can be made discoverable as it is needed, not shown all at once). Learn to listen to your user and do less talking.

So you’ve already cut slim on content, now it’s time to organize that content to create an obvious emphasis. Show the user where their focus should be. High contrast, scaling elements up in size, adding design elements like a drop shadow or stroke. Things like this make the focus, locatable, navigable and easily accessible.

So, that’s it. See? User experience is more than just a business buzzword. It’s what allows you to define customer journeys, it creates an emotional response from your audience and ultimately, it’s what defines a successful product. A positive experience = a happy user. Good design, an effective build, optimized content – None of that matters if your user cannot efficiently interact with your product. Prioritize UX best practices and give yourself the best shot at flipping a site visitor to a loyal customer/consumer.

User-focused design is at the core of what we do. User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design are two of our most critical specialities. Designing thoughtful experiences and intuitive website, app and content interfaces for your potential customers is always job number one for us.

UX / UI

10 essential UX best practices to keep in your tool-box

So, what is a prototype and why is it important?

, and baking prototyping into your workflow can begin to shift the way you think and approach design problems as a whole. Consider prototyping as the final test - Does a specific simulation of the final product and interaction between the user and the interface work? Does it make sense? Is it intuitive? Does this specific interaction solve a problem? Prototyping answers all of these questions for you, the client, and the project - It ultimately puts the usability of the interface to the test before the development gets tagged in.

Design and all of it's processes are simply a means of communication. Wireframes, prototypes, design comps, mockups. These are all dialogue in the conversation with your users.

I apologize ahead of time, but I'm a sucker for a good metaphor. So, hear me out ...

When you first go to build a home from the ground up, there is nothing more than a vision. You may have some inspiration to go from, best practices, themes in mind such as

 it has to have a bathroom in the basement

. But think about it this way ... It all starts with a massive hole in the ground. It's a process to get to what you were envisioning..

 Wireframes organize the information on the page. They give an outline for layout, begin to convey direction, hierarchy and information architecture. Wireframing should be low fidelity and to the point. No colors, no design elements, no polish. Simply strategy.

Your design comps are your visual representation:

 While a wireframe mostly represents structure, a comp shows how the product is going to look. These designs (like wireframes) are not clickable. You are identifying color scheme, visual style, typography, photo treatments, patterns and experimenting with the visual side of the product. Think of it as picking paint colors, choosing finishes, and shopping appliances.

Your prototype is high fidelity representation of the final product.

 You are taking the visual identity you have built and considering all of the user interactions. How will a user navigate the product, how can you make things as easy and seamless as possible? Prototyping is done in a number of different platforms, but most importantly, there is no back end or development needs. It allows design to test interfaces, validate through user testing and receive approval on decisions before development gets to building. This translates into saving time, money and effort in future phases. Would you choose the color of a room for your house without consulting your significant other? Of course not. Prototyping will allow you to test paint colors before you commit.

Each step is necessary and each step tests, validates and/or drives a crucial decision along the way. Both wireframes and prototypes serve distinct roles in the design process and communication with your user. Wireframes are your base and construction plans of what you’re building. Prototypes are a visual representation, they are suitable for public consumption/viewing before you give the builders final sign-off. Both are very important and one should not replace the other.

There are TONS of tools and applications out there that allow virtually seamless wireframing-final product functionality, in fact, some even provide you with HTML and CSS at the end. But, they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Often times, I prefer the more specialized tools that are meant for 

 specific purpose (be it wireframing, designing, or prototyping) but, you may see it differently. Below is a short list of ones that I recommend exploring:

Wireframing vs. Prototyping and Everything In-Between

Let’s run through some go-to UX resources and prototyping tools to improve your workflow:

Ever have a client that just can’t quite grasp the concept of a static wireframe? “How in the world does this translate into what I am envisioning (no pun intended)? Cue one of the more popular prototyping resources amongst designers – Invision.

Collaboration: Ability to leave feedback, comment or even draw directly on others designs.

Advanced transitions to create robust, interactive design interfaces.

Easy to send shareable link to a client. No need for any design applications.

Seamless integration with Sketch and Photoshop through it’s 

 plugin. Prototype directly in your design files, one click sync your artboards to Invision.

You are uploading static images and making them clickable. No design capabilities within Invision’s interface.

Not ideal for wireframe creation or tweaking 

Where Invision caters more to static designs, UXPin has a robust design platform within itself. Equipped with ready to use UI libraries, custom and pre-built transitions, CSS styling and more.

Responsive design. Ability to set breakpoints.

User interactions, animations and transitions built in. Not just screen linking.

Functional elements generated from production code.

Lack of integrations with design apps such as Sketch and Photoshop. If you wireframe in UXPin, the only export options are static.

A relatively new offering in the Adobe portfolio that was created to rival Sketch. Includes out of the box prototyping capabilities. XD hold it’s own.

All in one platform – Wireframing, designing, low fidelity prototyping, high fidelity prototyping, user flows and collaboration.

Easy integration with other Adobe products.

Real-time viewing, commenting and sharing capabilities.

Offers CSS and HTML for your designs, so you can borrow code directly inside the interface.

No plugin capabilities. What you get is what you get.

In Sketch 49 update came the long awaited ability to turn static designs into living, breathing prototypes. Design, link, prototype, preview and share all without ever leaving Sketch.

A preferred design resource for many web designers and people working on user interfaces. Now you don’t have to leave it. Everything is in one place <3

Sketch Cloud – Allows anyone on the team to share, download, and comment directly in Sketch.

The Sketch mirror app lets you preview your prototypes directly on your IOS device so you can see how things will actually look and function once developed.

Plugins. If you think “Man, I wish I could do [fill in the blank] in Sketch.” There is likely already a plugin for it – Search github.

Ideal for fast prototyping but not as robust as other alternatives.

 Like I said before, each prototyping resource offers a different set of unique advantages that cater to different needs. We’ve come a long way from presenting pen and paper sketches to show the client how their website will lay out/work. Things can now move, bounce, react, link, and transition 

 before anything ever touches the hands of development. It makes designers lives easier, it makes the clients understanding stronger, and it creates a more seamless development/design collaboration. So go out there and get your hands dirty, figure out what works best in your workflow and get to buildin’. Happy prototyping!

Favorite UX Resources for Prototyping

 It’s something we’ve all heard “Can you fit that above the fold?” that inherent, psychological desire to fill white space. But in doing so are you actually helping, or diminishing your user’s experience. Let’s dig in.

My opinion? The fold is an antiquated concept. The term quite literally derives from the days of the printing press – used to describe content that appeared above the fold of a newspaper. In the ’90s the web adopted this concept as fitting everything into one screen view. Scrolling, at first, was an unfamiliar and unnatural user behavior. But, it’s not 1997 anymore. People scroll and we have research to back that up. Placing as much content as you can at the top of the screen doesn’t guarantee it gets noticed. It’s actually likely that it gets scrolled right past, as many users immediately scroll before a page even fully loads. A study by 

 showed that “Based on 120,000 page views, 91% of those views were on pages that had a scroll bar. Of those, 76% included some scrolling action, and 22% were scrolled to the bottom of the page.” In this same study, they found that 75% of users spent most of their time right 

or below the almighty “fold”. Chartbeat, a data analytics provider, analyzed data from 2 

 visits and found that “66% of attention on a normal media page is spent below the fold.”

Now, my goal here isn’t to throw a bunch of stats at you. Rather, it’s to prove that the fold no longer exists. That’s not to say that the content at the top of the page isn’t important, because it is. What I’m getting at is that it is one piece to a larger sum.

Say your goal is to drive conversions: assuming that the best way to do that is by tossing a giant “call to action” above the fold would be misguided. You’re missing out on what is more important.

To gain conversions, you first need a deep understanding of your user, be able to cater your content to their wants and needs and provide an experience that will 

conversion through good storytelling and thoughtful content.

The point being, you’re not going to read a book and expect everything to be in chapter 1, are you? Likewise, you aren’t going to visit a website and expect your answer to magically appear on the first screen you land on. People will read past the first page of a book, just like people will scroll past the first viewport on a page. The issue isn’t whether the call to action is or 

 above the fold, the question should be rather, whether or not the call to action is at a point on the page where the user has become 

 crucial in drawing your audience in. It’s the main deciding factor in whether your page is worth exploring or not. But, that doesn’t mean you have to squeeze every, little thing in this space. Instead, design principles should be utilized to incentivize scrolling and success should be measured through your site’s analytics. Not working? Adjust and repeat. You have to provide your users with content that will keep them interested. Scrolling, the fold, none of that matters. Know your user. Keep them interested. Encourage them to explore.

: In my experience with designing for the web, the worst thing you could do to a homepage is to put everything important and actionable above the fold. Is that too dramatic for me to say? – Maybe. But in almost all cases, this habit creates hectic design and can overwhelm the viewer. And can you imagine how all that information would translate to a mobile screen!? The user won’t know what to look at first and will most likely start scrolling just to get away from the madness. To Morgan’s point, it’s the start of an unpleasant user experience.

Although I have 99.9% faith in the human race to scroll upon hitting a website these days, here are a few design tricks we use to encourage that scroll:


A well-designed homepage containing clear and minimal “calls to action” with secondary information slightly peeking above the fold is a safe and smart practice. Getting your primary message across clearly is first priority. Then, hitting them with some partially visible design elements such as a photo or headline is all you need to entice the user to start scrolling to see what’s next.


Sometimes you’re designing for an audience that isn’t the most tech-savvy. In this case, it’s okay to use obvious indicators to inform the user that they can and should scroll down the page. While this isn’t my favorite technique since it can be a little distracting, it gets the job done. This can come in the form of bouncing arrows pointing down at the top of the fold, and icon of a mouse scroll, or even the word “SCROLL”.


Giving the viewer one bright and shiny object to focus on such as a full-screen image, illustration, or video that begins to tell the story of your brand will rope viewers in. Unique content like this encourages them to learn more, and they will naturally begin to scroll. This is my favorite technique because when done correctly it seems effortless and unforced, but it does involve having a deep understanding of your target audience and their “user journey”.


This is a sticky subject, honestly. As a web user, you either don’t mind scroll jacking, or you absolutely hate it. “Scroll jacking” is when you land on a website, and it automatically begins to scroll for you. I would use this technique sparingly and subtly. This effect would work great for a portfolio website that has a ton of photography and visual content. But, if you have bodies of copy and important CTA’s scattered throughout the homepage, this might not be your best option. Here’s an example of a website that I think uses scroll jacking in an effective way: 

*Hierarchy Rules Everything Around Me – These are all great techniques to get people moving through the pages of a website, but underneath all the design tricks lies visual hierarchy. Establishing which elements are the most important at different scroll points with the UX and Strategy team is key and will help you create a very pleasant user experience.

I’ll be honest with you, when I was pitched the idea of writing an article about “The Fold” I folded up my eyes into the back of my head. It’s an argument that is as old as the Internet, a 

 that’s as outmoded as arguing about which was better: vinyl or cassette, when the real argument was about our need for access to music versus quality of audio.

So, yes – let me just state this right here: I believe the “fold” is real. But 

The fold is not a physical or dimensional barrier, but rather an emotional and psychographic one.

making them feel comfortable and interested enough

And I have to hand it to my colleagues Morgan and Ashley, they nailed it up above. They’ve hit upon two separate but critical components to catering to and audience:

First was Morgan’s thesis, which – if I might extrapolate – states: a user won’t use your website or app or email unless they are comfortable that they are 1) where they want to be and 2) you can provide what they need.

And as Ashley detailed: how you present that and provide that is up to you – but it should be both comforting, delightful and interesting.

An in case this still isn’t fully making sense, allow me this metaphor:

Think about your favorite grocery store. I know you have one. I’ll guarantee that your store doesn’t pack the front doorway with 200 crates of milk, sacks of coffee and anything from “that one aisle you’ve never gone down”, with someone waiting to bag your groceries. They know better. 

Groceries stores are masters as getting people past the entrance and all the way to the back of the store, and they do it from a holistic perspective, and not just by putting the $%&* milk at the back of the @%#* store. The moment when those sliding doors whoosh open and you step over the threshold, you aren’t bombarded with hard sells – it’s the soft lighting and the good smells. Sure – they’ve learned a thing or two and have put a small fridge case of milk up front – they know at least 

 is there just for that. But most are not. The real benefit here is not the sale, but the repeat visits. The customer feels great and remembers feeling great when they came in the last time.

And if you aren’t smelling coffee and baked goods right now… :)

The Fold: Above or Below?

Beautiful little hidden, contained product moments that revolve around a single use case. Micro-interactions may not always look the prettiest (the best of them may even go unnoticed) but they can be the difference between a user achieving a task or not.

Be consistent, purposeful, and guiding. These are the 3 things I always consider when adding animation to a site design or app.

Multiple interactions or animations happening at once will detract the user from the goal at hand. Decrease the users mental load time. Create a system or a few rules or interaction types. This will reinforce a users understanding rather than confuse the situation.

What is the goal for your user? How can the animation/interaction 

 to that purpose? Communicate an intended purpose. If animation slows down an experience or increases the users mental effort, it isn’t helping.

Make these experiences lend to the storytelling. What is your user doing and how can the UI help guide them? Purposeful and guiding animation can help draw the users attention to what is happening and compliment the understanding, while reducing confusion.

Let’s take a look at some examples and why they are successful:

 Keep the user informed through feedback and validation. Increases engagement.


 Provide the user with action/reaction. Delightful. Immediate feedback.


Apple iOS use of thumbs up action on phone.

Mirco-interactions such as liking a text are a vital part of the user experience.

Morgan Plappert

Journal Entries

How To Upload .gif Display Ads to Google Ads

Email @ 50: The Art of Email Design

10 essential UX best practices to keep in your tool-box

Wireframing vs. Prototyping and Everything In-Between

Favorite UX Resources for Prototyping

The Fold: Above or Below?

The Role of Microinteractions in Successful UX

The Importance of Curiosity in Design

UI Animation in eCommerce, Some Do's and Don’ts

SMC: Building a Partnership

Embrace iterative design, create better products