After I researched the effects of animation on children I decided to animate certain sections of my app. I decided to start with an easy home screen loading icon. This was a good start as previous studies have shown any little amount of animations no matter how small they are make a big difference in making something feel immersive and interactive. Although, I wasn’t done there. I then went to each individual elemental character on my app and made a unique animation for all of them on Adobe After Effects. As I don’t have enough time to make the app fully animated I will instead use these animations in certain parts such as an element profile.
Why did I do this?
Animations can relate to the user as it gives them the chance to see characters act ‘liveable’ which in turn makes the child more likely to connect and relate to the elemental character. It lso bonuses as an alternative multi-sensory tool that children have shown to connect with more as concentrating on a static image is harder than most people think. However, shifting your attention to a moving image creates a stronger focal point. Essentially, it’s like watching cartoons over books, I know which one I’d want if I was a kid!