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Principles of Functional Animation in Interface Design Ávila Muñoz, Raquel Clemente Mediavilla, Jorge Pérez-Luque Maricalva, María José 316.77 655.26 Functional Animation Animation principles Motion Design Usability User Experience User Interface Design Diseño gráfico (Ciencias de la Información) Comunicación social 6308 Comunicaciones Sociales The use of animation in visual interface design has historically been the subject of severe criticism. Reported issues highlight the tendency of designers to get carried away by the attractive nature of animation, sometimes sacrificing basic usability principles. This research aims to establish a set of principles to guide motion design decisions effectively. In the absence of closer references, the classic principles of Disney animation have been insistently looked to. This approach raises the question of whether it is relevant to apply principles designed for the entertainment of a passive viewer in the functional and interactive environment of an interface. To address this, we identify principles supported by empirical evidence or consensus among multiple authors in the literature. Additionally, we conduct a content analysis of the design guidelines of the main mobile phone platforms to extract recommendations that can be elevated to general principles. This procedure allows us to take into account the specific characteristics of interaction on mobile touch screen devices, where animation is considered a key element of the user experience. Our research culminates in the identification of nine key principles for functional animation: Functionality, Appropriateness, Attention, Coherent behavior, Stylistic consistency, Moderation, Smoothness, Duration, and Accessibility. Depto. de Ciencias de la Comunicación Aplicada Fac. de Ciencias de la Información TRUE pub 2025-10-23T12:10:19Z 2025-10-23T12:10:19Z 2023 journal article VoR https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/125319 2522-4875 2524-2148 eng 5. Ávila Muñoz, R., Clemente Mediavilla, J., y Pérez-Luque Maricalva, M. J. (2023). Principles of Functional Animation on Interface Design. New Design Ideas, 7(2), 208-223. http://jomardpublishing.com/UploadFiles/Files/journals/NDI/V7N2/Munoz_et_al.pdf Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access application/pdf Jomard Publishing