Two things really stood out to me about this article:
- If you are working with 60fps, you have to design 58 frames moving you from A to B. That's staggering (and yeah not actually design those screens, but more “think about” how you move between them).
- The ripple effect that Stamatiou has animated to show a sense of transition is really good.
Yes this is an article about Android design, but more than that it is an article about modern design. UI is in motion, and it's not simply a matter of saying this screen looks like this, and that screen looks like that. You have to be able to design the transition from screen to screen as well.
To me, that's what takes an OK app to an outstanding app. The best example I have of this is Vesper. The design is good, not revolutionary. The app is OK, functionality wise, as it doesn't do much of anything new.
But what makes Vesper so great is that animations. The way the arrow stretches as you swipe to archive. Those little touches move it from just another app, to something special — even with its limited functionality.
Stamatiou:
Things like page transitions will still exist but involve more of the elements on each page. You'll begin choreographing. In the next few years consideration for motion will be required to be a good citizen of your desktop/mobile/wearable/auto/couch platform. It will be an expected part of the design process just like people will begin to expect this level of activity and character in software.