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Firefox/Features/UI animations: Difference between revisions
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* Adding visual appeal to tasks in the browser | * Adding visual appeal to tasks in the browser | ||
See [[#Background]] below for expanded explanations. | |||
== Team == | == Team == | ||
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* {{Bug|596954}} - Tab-related animation issues and enhancements | * {{Bug|596954}} - Tab-related animation issues and enhancements | ||
** {{Bug|455694}} - Tab move/detach animations: see [[Firefox/Features/Tab_move_detach_animations|feature page]] | ** {{Bug|455694}} - Tab move/detach animations: see [[Firefox/Features/Tab_move_detach_animations|feature page]] | ||
* {{Bug|610545}} - Arrowpanel Animation | |||
== Designs == | == Designs == | ||
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None so far. | None so far. | ||
== | == Background == | ||
This section was originally written by Jennifer Boriss for the [[Firefox/Projects/animation|Firefox 3.6 project]] that this supercedes. | |||
Animation in the browser is a tool, but not a goal unto itself. Wherever animation is used, it should be with a definite and purpose and benefit to the user. | |||
Like many web technologies, animation is a useful but easily abused tool. The early web and the dawn of the .gif format saw animation heinously overused websites, with blinking, spinning, and scrolling animations thrown in because they "looked cool." As the web stopped foaming at the mouth and begin the transition to what ''could'' be done to what ''should'' be done, animation became used more successfully as a tool. Some ways in which animation can be useful include: | |||
* '''Drawing attention:''' Our eyes are genetically optimized to be drawn to movement - a subtle movement means the attention of the user is diverted. If the user needs to be made aware of a change while their focus is drawn elsewhere, an animation can notify them. However, this diverts the attention of the user from the task they were engaged in, and should be used sparingly. | |||
* '''Tactile affordances/matching digital interactions to the real world:''' In real life, all of our physical tasks involve the manipulation of objects. The desktop and online environment often draw metaphors between real objects and digital objects in order to make the manipulation of digital objects feel more natural. For instance, desktop environments use metaphors such as dragging, dropping, opening, and closing. Similarly, the browser draws on some of our real life metaphors. Potentially, animation can draw links between the real and digital world, thus making online interactions feel more intuitive. | |||
* '''Making browsing more human/visually appealing:''' While a valid goal, this is a cautious one and thus last. Animation does have the ability to add fun, playfulness, and "humanness" to the browser - but going too far is very easy. Firefox, while a branded browser, stands best when it feels at home in its operating system. Since version 3, there have been separate designs of Firefox for the different operating systems so that the browser would feel more native. This is still a goal, but so is optimization of the web experience. Subtle animations can add a human touch, but also personality. The risk of personality is that a strong one can fight against the need for the browser to blend into the users' working environment. | |||
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