Microinteractions: What they are and why they matter

Microinteractions are subtle design elements in web design that enhance user experience by providing feedback and guiding users through websites, making them feel more intuitive and complete. Coined by Dan Saffer, microinteractions use animations, motion graphics, and visual cues triggered by actions like clicks or hovers to encourage specific actions and infuse personality into designs. They improve functionality by guiding visitors with features such as parallax scrolling and progress indicators, enhancing engagement with interactive elements like animated CTAs, and providing real-time feedback like color changes to confirm successful actions. These interactions make navigation intuitive, maintain brand consistency, and support functionality without compromising performance. Examples include COVILLA’s hover and parallax effects, AppMail’s scrolling effects, and Jomor Design’s hover animations, each using microinteractions to create engaging and immersive user experiences that reflect brand identity and encourage further interaction.