The UX Designer Toolbox

Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Wireframe & UX Templates, UI Kits & Design Assets Starting at only $16.50 per month!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Conducting UX Surveys: Their Role and Execution

UX surveys serve as channels to collect insights directly from users about a product or service. They come in various forms, from online questionnaires to in-person discussions. These surveys aim to acquire both qualitative and quantitative data about user satisfaction, ease of use, and areas of potential improvement.

Conducting UX surveys follows a structured process. You begin by setting clear goals, and deciding what you aim to learn from the users. Then, you design a set of questions that invite insightful and actionable responses. Following the data collection, the task of data interpretation begins, leading to design changes that respond to the user’s needs.

Quantitative vs Qualitative: A Balancing Act

Quantitative surveys are useful when your goal is to collect numerical data. These types of surveys are great for tracking metrics such as usage frequency, user demographics, or user preferences. They offer the advantage of capturing data from a large audience, which can then be statistically analyzed to discern broader patterns and trends.

However, qualitative surveys offer something different. They are used when you want to dive deeper into the user’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Crucially, open-ended questions are the cornerstone of qualitative surveys, encouraging users to express their opinions freely. Although they might not yield broad statistical data, qualitative surveys provide detailed, nuanced information that can be invaluable for your design process.

Effective UX Survey: The Practical Steps

A well-designed UX survey is a careful process, requiring both strategic thinking and an empathetic understanding of your users. We’ll observe some of the indispensable steps that can guide your survey creation.

Objective Setting

Every UX survey must start with clear objectives. Whether you’re seeking to understand user behavior, assess user satisfaction, or gather feedback on a new feature, defining these goals will steer the development of your survey. It influences the kind of questions you will ask, the selection of respondents, and even the choice of the survey method. Clear goals ensure the collected data is genuinely useful and purpose-driven for your design strategy.

Drafting and Revision

The initial draft of your survey questions serves as a blueprint that should ideally be subjected to a review process. Don’t hesitate to involve your team, respected peers, or mentors in refining the questions. Their feedback will help eliminate ambiguities, prevent biased questions, and ensure the questionnaire resonates with your target audience.

Choosing the Right Platform

Selecting the most suitable platform for your UX survey significantly affects response rates and data quality. The nature of your survey – whether it’s a quick poll, an in-depth questionnaire, or an interactive survey – plays a huge role in this decision. Other factors to consider include the complexity of your survey, the technical competency of your target demographic, the platform’s user-friendliness on various devices, its visual appeal, and cost-effectiveness.

Question Design

The construction of your questions can be vital for the insights you gather. Close-ended questions, such as multiple-choice or Likert scale items, provide structured responses that are easier to analyze and compare. Meanwhile, open-ended questions encourage users to express their thoughts freely, providing deeper context and insight into their experiences. The key is to strike a balance: ask specific, direct questions to capture hard data, and open-ended ones to allow space for unexpected but valuable feedback.

Strategic Question Ordering

The placement of questions in your survey requires careful thought. Given the reality that some respondents will not complete the entire survey, it’s practical to position the most critical questions at the beginning. With this, you can somewhat secure the most valuable data, regardless of whether the user completes the entire questionnaire. Still, ensure a natural flow that doesn’t feel abrupt to the participant.

Testing the Waters

Prior to a full-scale launch of the survey, it’s beneficial to conduct a pilot test with a smaller, yet representative, sample of your user base. This approach allows for the identification and rectification of any potential issues – from ambiguous questions and technical glitches to unexpectedly long completion times. Moreover, pilot testing provides an opportunity to assess the survey’s ease and relevance, ensuring that the final version is as refined as possible before it reaches all users.

Wrapping Up

UX surveys can yield valuable user perspectives, but they should be seen as guides rather than definitive decision-makers in design choices.

Additionally, remember that a survey is a time commitment for your users. Avoid deterring completion or introducing response bias by overloading it with questions. Aim for a concise, engaging survey with a balance of question types.

Instead of duplicating data from analytics, use surveys to uncover user motivations, thoughts, and feelings that analytics can’t capture.

Lastly, consider both the user experience and your analysis capabilities when formatting questions. Open-ended questions offer rich insights but can overwhelm users and complicate analysis. Pilot-test these questions and refine them based on feedback. Some may work better as closed-ended questions for easier response and analysis.

For additional insights on managing broader yet valuable UX aspects, such as minimizing decision fatigue, feel free to check out this article.

The UX Designer Toolbox

Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Wireframe & UX Templates, UI Kits & Design Assets Starting at only $16.50 per month!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Decision Fatigue in Web Design

Decision fatigue can lead to a decline in the quality of decisions after a continuous decision-making process. In web design, users can experience this fatigue when faced with too many choices, leading to indecisiveness, frustration, and eventual disengagement.

Hick’s Law plays a part in this, suggesting that the time to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Nonetheless, Hick’s Law is just a fraction of a much broader picture. Balancing user choices and decision fatigue effectively also requires understanding principles like settling for the first reasonable option, avoiding potential losses, and making decisions based on readily available information.

Strategies to Minimize Decision Fatigue

To help users make confident decisions without causing fatigue, several tactics can be implemented.

Streamlined Navigation

Develop a logical, intuitive navigation path to eliminate unnecessary decision-making. For example, clear categorization in a website’s menu helps users find what they need without going through numerous options.

Prioritized Choices

Present the users with essential choices first and omit irrelevant ones. A home page showcasing the most popular products instead of an extensive catalog can prevent choice overload.

Restricted Options

Limit the number of options at each decision point to avoid overwhelming users. For instance, in a subscription selection, offering three plans – basic, premium, and advanced, can be more effective than having numerous slightly differing options.

Design Strategies to Reduce Cognitive Load

Strategic design choices can further alleviate decision fatigue.

Consistent Design

Keeping design elements consistent throughout the website simplifies cognitive processing. For instance, maintaining the same style for all buttons or icons aids user recognition and reduces the cognitive load.

Utilizing Familiar Patterns

Use recognizable icons and layouts to reduce cognitive effort and decision-making time. Employing standard symbols for shopping carts or menus enables users to interact with your website effortlessly.

Anticipatory Design

Predicting user actions and simplifying processes can lessen the number of decisions a user needs to make. Autofilling forms based on past user data is one such example.

Effective Error Handling

Minimize frustration and decision fatigue by guiding users effectively when errors occur. For instance, a clear error message with a suggested solution can keep a user engaged, even in the event of a mistake.

Final Thoughts

Taking into account the principles of decision fatigue and integrating the mentioned design strategies, your web design can become more user-friendly, reducing decision fatigue. Our overview aims to set you on the right path but remember, UX practices often involve deeper explorations and constant testing. Your understanding of decision fatigue will deepen as you engage more with UX research and real-world testing.

While we’re grappling with the complexities of choice, remember there’s another potent tool at your disposal – social proof. Using elements like reviews, testimonials, or popularity indicators can steer users toward decisions others have already made, thus easing their decision-making process. To learn more about how social proof can reinforce user decisions, we invite you to read our article on the topic.

In a world where choice overload is a reality, appreciating the power of simplicity and efficiency in decision-making is invaluable. It’s about striking that optimal balance – giving users ample choice without sparking decision fatigue.

Let’s delve into the importance of UX design for screen readers, practical adaptation strategies, and the continuing commitment toward digital accessibility.

The UX Designer Toolbox

Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Wireframe & UX Templates, UI Kits & Design Assets Starting at only $16.50 per month!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Screen Readers: Essential Instruments for Digital Accessibility

Screen readers act as interpreters between the digital content and the visually impaired users, transforming visual data into speech or Braille output. A well-crafted UX design for these tools acknowledges the linear and sequential content interpretation that screen readers follow. To put it simply, a screen reader reads the content line by line, from top to bottom, requiring designers to create logical and understandable content flow.

Practical Suggestions for Adapting UX Design for Screen Readers

Modifying your UX design for screen readers is an iterative process that requires planning, attention to detail, and ongoing enhancements. Let’s explore some actionable suggestions.

Consistent Layouts

The fundamental principles of accessibility are predictability and consistency. Applying these principles to your web page design, with uniform layouts, allows users to intuitively anticipate the positioning of elements. Consistent placement of menus and sidebars across various pages, for example, fosters efficient navigation, especially for those relying on screen readers.

Descriptive Labels

Pay attention to the labeling of interactive elements. A button labeled as “Download Tutorial” gives users a clear direction, as opposed to a vague “Click Here.” Descriptive labels significantly improve navigability, making your site more user-friendly for visually impaired users.

Comprehensive Image Alt Text

Make your visual content accessible to screen readers with comprehensive alt text. Alt text serves as a narrative for images, assisting screen readers in conveying the purpose and context. Alt text like “Pie chart showing website traffic sources” is a valuable nugget of information for users reliant on screen readers.

Accessible Forms

Think about how your form controls can be understood by screen readers. Accurate labeling of each form field, such as indicating “Enter your name” in a name field, can improve interaction for users relying on screen readers.

Logical Content Structure

Well-structured, logically ordered content is crucial when designing for screen readers. As these tools interpret content from top to bottom, it’s essential to place significant messages and calls to action strategically for maximum impact.

An insightful study by the Nielsen Norman Group illustrates the hurdles that screen reader users encounter, especially on mobile devices. The study emphasizes that although third-party solutions can be part of the answer, solely relying on them may fall short. While they might tick the boxes for standard accessibility requirements, these tools don’t necessarily account for the specific needs of your users.

Thus, integrating accessibility improvements within your design process provides a more inclusive and tailored user experience. The goal is to create a balanced approach, incorporating third-party tools as a starting point while continuously refining your design based on user feedback and evolving accessibility standards.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your UX design for screen readers isn’t a task you complete and forget. It’s an ongoing process, driven by user feedback and the changing landscape of accessibility standards.

Taking on this task presents the potential to cater to a wider audience, delivering both ethical and commercial benefits. The strategy of improving website accessibility can also foster business value, extending your reach to a more diverse user base.

Ensuring digital accessibility is a commitment to understanding and learning from the experiences of all users. It’s not just about compliance but about providing a seamless user experience irrespective of abilities.

UX Consideration for Ghost Buttons

Ghost buttons are typically bordered by a fine line and contain plain text within. Often used as CTAs, they provide a neat appearance, grabbing attention with high contrast while offering a fresh take on the “flat” look.

Furthermore, they’ve become popular because they’re simple to design, help create focal points without overwhelming the user, and improve aesthetics by maintaining a clean UI. Plus, they easily integrate into any design due to their ability to blend with the environment.

Despite their benefits, ghost buttons must be used wisely. Inappropriate placement can cause them to blend too much with the overall layout, and in worst-case scenarios, they can be mistaken for input fields. It would be best if you were cautious when using them, especially on a background image, as they can fall too far into the background and lead to text legibility issues.

Now that we understand certain UX implications, let’s create one using HTML and CSS.

Setting Up the Structure for Our Ghost Button

The first step to creating a Ghost Button with CSS involves setting up the HTML structure. In this setup, we’re using the <a> element to serve as the base for our Ghost Button. Here’s how it looks:

<a href="https://1stwebdesigner.com/designing-engaging-3d-buttons-css/" class="elegant-ghost-button" target="_blank">Featured</a> 

Styling the Ghost Button with CSS

The next step is to define the appearance of our ghost button. Here’s a look at the CSS code we’ll be using:

body {
  background: #1b1f25;
}

/* Styling our Ghost Button */
.elegant-ghost-button {
    text-align: center;  /* Centers the button text */
    color: #ffffff;  /* Sets text color */
    background: #1b1f25;  /* Matches button background with body background for the 'ghost' effect */
    border: 1px solid #ffffff;  /* Sets a thin white border around the button */
    font-size: 18px;
    padding: 12px 12px;
    display: inline-block;  /* Enables the button to align better with other elements */
    text-decoration: none;  /* Removes the default underline of the anchor text */
    font-family: "Maven Pro", sans-serif;
    min-width: 120px;  /* Ensures a sufficient clickable area */
    transition: background 0.3s ease-in-out, color 0.3s ease-in-out;  /* Adds a smooth color transition on hover */
}

/* Changes color and background on hover to provide dynamic feedback */
.elegant-ghost-button:hover, .elegant-ghost-button:active {
  color: #1b1f25;
  background: #ffffff;
}

Initially, the body background color is set to #1b1f25, a dark hue that will contrast effectively with our ghost button.

Then we move to the .elegant-ghost-button class to define our button’s look and behavior:

• text-align: center – This property is used to horizontally align the text within the button, aiding in visual balance.
• color and background – The color property is set to #ffffff, which results in white text. The background is the same color as the body’s background. This helps create the ‘ghost’ effect, where the button appears to blend with the background.
• border: 1px solid #ffffff – This property outlines the button with a thin white border, further defining the ghost button effect.
• font-size and font-family – These properties specify the text’s size (18px) and font (“Maven Pro”, sans-serif) for an easy-to-read and attractive button label.
• padding: 12px 24px – The padding property provides space around the text and also defines the button’s dimensions.
• display: inline-block – This property ensures the button aligns properly with other inline elements.
• text-decoration: none – This property is used to remove the default underline that usually accompanies anchor text.
• transition – This property smoothens the color change over a 0.3 seconds duration when the button is hovered over or clicked. The effect is engaging, as the background color turns white and the text color darkens to #1b1f1f.

In addition to the static properties of the button, the hover effect is crucial to its interactivity. The .elegant-ghost-button:hover, .elegant-ghost-button:active selectors are used to switch the background and text color when the user interacts with the button, providing clear feedback that the button is clickable.

In a more practical scenario, these properties and their values might require adjustments to resonate with your website’s design theme and functional requirements. For instance, you may need to modify the button’s dimensions, colors, font properties, and transition duration to align with your site’s aesthetic. To improve the responsiveness across different devices, you might need to employ media queries to adjust padding and font size according to the viewport size. Lastly, for layouts using flexbox or grid, the management of the button’s size and positioning would need to be considered.

The Result

See the Pen
Ghost Button CSS #1 by 1stWebDesigner (@firstwebdesigner)
on CodePen.0

Final Thoughts

Ghost buttons introduce a minimalist and clean design to web pages, making them particularly useful in contexts where a simplistic, understated aesthetic is desired. However, due to their subtle nature, they may not stand out as prominently as other design elements. As such, using them as the primary CTA on your webpage might not be the most effective strategy.

They often shine when used for secondary or tertiary actions, where their understated elegance can enhance the overall design without drawing unnecessary attention. For instance, they can be used as navigational buttons, form submission buttons, or secondary action prompts that complement a primary, more conspicuous CTA.

Remember, successful design hinges on understanding and applying elements in their effective contexts. Ghost buttons, when used judiciously, can contribute to a visually pleasing and user-friendly interface.

Social proof is the psychological phenomenon where individuals follow the actions of others, believing that those actions represent the correct behavior.

Think about the long lines outside an Apple Store during a product launch. Those lines make us believe that the product is valuable and desirable because so many people want it. The same concept applies to the web where social proof can take various forms.

Your Web Designer Toolbox

Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Web Templates, Icon Sets, Themes & Design Assets Starting at only $16.50/month!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Harnessing the Power of User Testimonials and Reviews

Trust is intangible, yet it can make or break the relationship with your users.

One of the most compelling forms of social proof comes from testimonials. When potential customers see positive statements from those who have used your product or service, it helps ease their decision-making process. These endorsements act as assurances of your product’s value.

In addition to testimonials, other user’s reviews, and ratings can greatly influence prospective customers. Collective user feedback often offers an unbiased perspective on your offerings, making potential customers feel more confident about their purchase decisions.

Boosting Your Online Credibility with Endorsements and Affiliations

An endorsement from a reputable figure in your industry can significantly bolster your brand’s credibility. Such approvals validate your offerings and can set you apart in a crowded market. Your alliances also reflect your credibility. Displaying logos of esteemed clients or partners you’ve worked with can subtly yet effectively boost your brand’s trustworthiness.

Showcasing Popularity and Expertise

Your social media presence can reflect your brand’s popularity. Showcasing follower counts, likes, or shares illustrates your brand’s reach and influence. Your accolades and certifications showcase your commitment to excellence in your industry. These badges of honor provide further assurance of your expertise.

Leveraging Social Proof Strategically

Successful implementation of social proof requires careful planning and execution. Every audience is different, and the types of social proof that resonate can vary greatly. It’s crucial to identify what appeals most to your target demographic. For maximum impact, social proof elements should be placed in high-visibility areas on your website, such as landing or product pages.

Always prioritize genuine content, especially when it comes to user testimonials and reviews. Authenticity not only upholds ethical standards but also strengthens your brand credibility. Affiliations with authoritative figures or organizations in your industry are a testament to your brand’s credibility and should be prominently featured.

Final Thoughts

Social proof, when used right, can turn a skeptic into a believer. It’s more than just showing potential customers that others approve of your product or service. It’s about strategically showcasing that your offerings are trusted, credible, and desirable—thereby nudging users to follow suit. Remember, you can also employ tactics such as time-limited offers, exclusive content, or highlighting limited stock. After all, when users see others seizing an opportunity, they feel the urge to jump on the bandwagon.

Your Web Designer Toolbox

Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Web Templates, Icon Sets, Themes & Design Assets Starting at only $16.50/month!

DOWNLOAD NOW

Wappalyzer

Wappalyzer is an indispensable extension that identifies the technologies used on any website. With just a click, you can get detailed insights into the frameworks, libraries, content management systems, and more, providing valuable context when troubleshooting or researching new projects.

Lighthouse

Developed by Google, Lighthouse is a powerful tool for checking a website’s performance, accessibility, and SEO. With this extension, you can quickly generate reports that provide actionable recommendations to improve your site’s overall quality and user experience, ensuring that your project adheres to best practices.

Web Developer

The Web Developer extension equips your browser with a plethora of web design-related tools. It offers various features including DOM manipulation and CSS inspection to form control and responsive design testing. While it may seem more oriented towards developers, as a designer, understanding and using these features can facilitate a healthy collaboration with the development team.

CSSViewer

CSSViewer is a simple yet handy Chrome extension that allows you to inspect the CSS properties of any page element. By hovering over the desired element, you can instantly view its dimensions, fonts, colors, and other CSS properties, making it easier to debug and refine your designs.

Axe

The Axe extension assists in auditing your website for accessibility issues and offers practical guidance on addressing them. This tool is designed to eliminate false positive results, saving you time by focusing on genuine issues.

Bonus Pro Tip

For an additional productivity boost, consider using a Chrome extension like Tab Wrangler to automatically manage and close inactive tabs, reducing clutter and freeing up valuable system resources during your development sessions.

UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS: 500,000+ WordPress & Design Assets

Sign up for Envato Elements and get unlimited downloads starting at only $16.50 per month! DOWNLOAD NOW

Smooth Scrolling

Smooth scrolling is a popular UX feature that makes scrolling through web pages smoother and more fluid. With this feature, instead of abruptly jumping to the next section of the page, the user will be smoothly transitioned to the next section.

To add smooth scrolling to your website, you can use the following JavaScript code:

$('a[href*="#"]').on('click', function(e) {
  e.preventDefault()

  $('html, body').animate(
    {
      scrollTop: $($(this).attr('href')).offset().top,
    },
    500,
    'linear'
  )
})

This code will create a smooth scrolling effect whenever the user clicks on a link that includes a # symbol in the href attribute. The code targets all such links and adds a click event listener to them. When the user clicks on a link, the code will prevent the default action of the link (i.e., navigating to a new page) and instead animate the page to scroll smoothly to the section of the page specified by the link’s href attribute.

Dropdown Menus

Dropdown menus are a common UI element that can help to organize content and improve the navigation of your website. With JavaScript, you can create dropdown menus that are easy to use and intuitive for your users.

To create a basic dropdown menu with JavaScript, you can use the following code:

var dropdown = document.querySelector('.dropdown')
var dropdownToggle = dropdown.querySelector('.dropdown-toggle')
var dropdownMenu = dropdown.querySelector('.dropdown-menu')

dropdownToggle.addEventListener('click', function() {
  if (dropdownMenu.classList.contains('show')) {
    dropdownMenu.classList.remove('show')
  } else {
    dropdownMenu.classList.add('show')
  }
})

This code will create a simple dropdown menu that can be toggled by clicking on a button with the class dropdown-toggle. When the button is clicked, the code will check if the dropdown menu has the class show. If it does, the code will remove the class, hiding the dropdown menu. If it doesn’t, the code will add the class, showing the dropdown menu.

Modal Windows

Modal windows are another popular UI element that can be used to display important information or to prompt the user for input. With JavaScript, you can create modal windows that are responsive, accessible, and easy to use.

To create a basic modal window with JavaScript, you can use the following code:

var modal = document.querySelector('.modal')
var modalToggle = document.querySelector('.modal-toggle')
var modalClose = modal.querySelector('.modal-close')

modalToggle.addEventListener('click', function() {
  modal.classList.add('show')
})

modalClose.addEventListener('click', function() {
  modal.classList.remove('show')
})

This code will create a modal window that can be toggled by clicking on a button with the class modal-toggle. When the button is clicked, the code will add the class show to the modal window, displaying it on the page. When the close button with the class modal-close is clicked, the code will remove the show class, hiding the modal window.

Sliders

Sliders are a popular UI element that can be used to display images or other types of content in a visually appealing and engaging way. With JavaScript, you can create sliders that are easy to use and customizable to fit your website’s design.

To create a basic slider with JavaScript, you can use the following code:

var slider = document.querySelector('.slider')
var slides = slider.querySelectorAll('.slide')
var prevButton = slider.querySelector('.prev')
var nextButton = slider.querySelector('.next')
var currentSlide = 0

function showSlide(n) {
  slides[currentSlide].classList.remove('active')
  slides[n].classList.add('active')
  currentSlide = n
}

prevButton.addEventListener('click', function() {
  var prevSlide = currentSlide - 1
  if (prevSlide < 0) {
    prevSlide = slides.length - 1
  }
  showSlide(prevSlide)
})

nextButton.addEventListener('click', function() {
  var nextSlide = currentSlide + 1
  if (nextSlide >= slides.length) {
    nextSlide = 0
  }
  showSlide(nextSlide)
})

This code will create a slider that can be navigated by clicking on buttons with the classes prev and next. The code uses the showSlide function to show the current slide and hide the previous slide whenever the slider is navigated.

Form Validation

Form validation is an essential UX feature that can help to prevent errors and improve the usability of your website’s forms. With JavaScript, you can create form validation that is responsive and user-friendly.

To create form validation with JavaScript, you can use the following code:

var form = document.querySelector('form')

form.addEventListener('submit', function(e) {
  e.preventDefault()
  var email = form.querySelector('[type="email"]').value
  var password = form.querySelector('[type="password"]').value

  if (!email || !password) {
    alert('Please fill in all fields.')
  } else if (password.length < 8) {
    alert('Your password must be at least 8 characters long.')
  } else {
    alert('Form submitted successfully!')
  }
})

This code will validate a form’s email and password fields when the form is submitted. If either field is empty, the code will display an alert message prompting the user to fill in all fields. If the password field is less than 8 characters long, the code will display an alert message prompting the user to enter a password that is at least 8 characters long. If the form passes validation, the code will display an alert message indicating that the form was submitted successfully.

In conclusion, JavaScript is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance the UX and UI of your website. By using these JavaScript snippets, you can create a more engaging and user-friendly experience for your users. However, it is important to use these JavaScript snippets wisely and sparingly to ensure that they do not negatively impact the performance of your website.

Pure CSS Glitch Effect

See the Pen Pure CSS Glitch Effect by Felix Rilling (@FelixRilling) on CodePen.dark

CodePen Challenge: Color Pop

See the Pen CodePen Challenge: Color Pop by Johan Lagerqvist (@lgrqvst) on CodePen.dark

Trippy CSS Effect

See the Pen Trippy CSS effect by kryo (@kryo2k) on CodePen.dark

Glitch Photo Filters CSS

See the Pen Glitch Photo Filters CSS by Sergey (@canti23) on CodePen.dark

Perspective Split Text Menu Hover

See the Pen Perspective Split Text Menu Hover by James Bosworth (@bosworthco) on CodePen.dark

Clean CSS Glitch

See the Pen Clean CSS Glitch by Piotr Galor (@pgalor) on CodePen.dark

Creepy Squiggly Text Effect with SVG

Text Shuffle & Distort

See the Pen Text shuffle & distort fx by Blaz Kemperle (@blazicke) on CodePen.dark

Glitch CSS

See the Pen Glitch CSS by Iliuta Stoica (@iliutastoica) on CodePen.dark

Infinite SVG Triangle Fusion

See the Pen Infinite SVG Triangle Fusion by Rob DiMarzo (@robdimarzo) on CodePen.dark

Glitch Effect in CSS

See the Pen Glitch effect in CSS by Thomas Aufresne (@origine) on CodePen.dark

Buttons with Trippy Background Animation on Hover

Trippy – CSS only

See the Pen Trippy – CSS only by Emmanuel Lainas (@RedGlove) on CodePen.dark

Laser Text Animation

Glitch Text

See the Pen Glitch Text by Chase (@chasebank) on CodePen.dark

Oddly Satisfying CSS Only Triangle Animation

See the Pen Oddly satisfying CSS Only triangle animation by eight (@eight) on CodePen.dark

Paint on Heat Distortion

See the Pen Paint on Heat Distortion by Matt Popovich (@mattpopovich) on CodePen.dark

Trippy Squares – Left to Right Wave

See the Pen Trippy Squares – Left to Right Wave! by Praveen Puglia (@praveenpuglia) on CodePen.dark

Glitch Clock

See the Pen Glitch Clock by Konstantin (@fearOfCode) on CodePen.dark

Glitchy and Psychedelic CSS Effects

There’s something simply awesome about an unusual distortion effect. Using them correctly can help you make an awesome website that people will love to explore. Too much distortion can be an eyestrain, but a cool trippy background animation or some glitchy text can pull the whole design together.

You also should be careful with implementing too many CSS effects onto your website. Too many animations can lead to a slowdown. If you find your website loading slowly, this guide can help you cut down on bloat and let you keep your awesome new effects.

Next time you’re making a dark website, a site with tech or programming focus, or a page you want to be unconventional and unique, try out one of these free glitchy CSS effects. You’ll love the character it can bring to a design.

So, if you’re not sure how to get started with CSS animations or where to find some to use on your site, we’ve got you covered here. This collection of 17 options should entice you at the very least.

Cloudy Spiral CSS Animation

See the Pen
Cloudy Spiral CSS animation by Hakim El Hattab (@hakimel)
on CodePen.

Add a touch of whimsy to your site with this CSS animation that features a perpetual cloudy spiral. It’s sort of mesmerizing!

Pure CSS Slider

See the Pen
Pure CSS Slider by Damian Drygiel (@drygiel)
on CodePen.

And then there’s this slider animation. Use it to add interest to the presentation of information on your site. It’s easy to customize and adds that little bit of interactivity visitors crave.

Parallax Star Background in CSS

See the Pen
Parallax Star background in CSS by Saransh Sinha (@saransh)
on CodePen.

This lovely star background uses a parallax effect to create a dark and enticing scrolling experience.

Minimal Pure CSS Slider

See the Pen
Minimal pure css slider by Elton Kamami (@eltonkamami)
on CodePen.

Here’s another slider option. This time, it’s got a minimal design but would serve well for displaying your best photos.

Pure CSS Watch Animation

See the Pen
Pure CSS watch animation by Grzegorz Witczak (@Wujek_Greg)
on CodePen.

If you need to portray the passage of time in some way on your site, this watch animation should get the point across.

CSS Animation Material Design

See the Pen
CSS Animation Material Design by Zoë Bijl (@Moiety)
on CodePen.

If you need to showcase what material design looks like, this quick little animation ought to do the trick!

Pure CSS 3D Sphere

See the Pen
Pure CSS 3D Sphere by Sergej Skrjanec (@iamlark)
on CodePen.

I could stare at this CSS animation all day! It showcases a 3D sphere that’s constantly changing shape and color.

Pure CSS Border Animation without SVG

See the Pen
[PURE CSS] border animation without svg by Rplus (@Rplus)
on CodePen.

Here’s another simple option that features a CSS border that changes upon hover.

Mr. JeellyFish Pure CSS Animation

See the Pen
Mr JeellyFish pure CSS animation by Fabio (@FabioG)
on CodePen.

Irreverence can be a great quality to add to your online presence. And Mr. JeellyFish here is definitely an example of that. Watch as he bobs along the screen.

Animated CSS Mail Button

See the Pen
Animated CSS Mail Button by Jake Giles-Phillips (@jakegilesphillips)
on CodePen.

Get visitors to send you an email in a much more engaging way than clicking a simple link with this mail button animation.

Underwater Pure CSS Animation

See the Pen
Underwater Pure CSS Animation by Travis Doughty (@tdoughty)
on CodePen.

In this CSS animation, whales swim into and out of view. The art style featured here is very geometric and immediately eye-catching.

Squishy Squashy

See the Pen
Squishy Squashy by JustGoscha (@JustGoscha)
on CodePen.

Watch as this yellow cube bounces and squishes against the edge of a box before changing directions.

The Glowing Loader

See the Pen
The Glowing Loader – Pure CSS Animation by Maxime Rossignol (@Maxoor)
on CodePen.

And then there’s this one that shows a dash and a dot chasing each other around the field of view.

Pure CSS Animation Demo

See the Pen
Pure CSS animation demo by Marian-COJOC-ro (@marian-cojoc-ro)
on CodePen.

Upon hover, tiles flip over to reveal a contrasting color. It gives the appearance of a sphere being formed across a square.

Color Palette with Pure CSS Animation

See the Pen
Color Palette with Pure CSS Animation by Nitish Khagwal (@nitishkmrk)
on CodePen.

If you offer design or artistic services, this color palette animation would make for a stunning fit.

The Chatbot

See the Pen
The Chatbot (Pure CSS Animation) by Tucker Massad (@tuckermassad)
on CodePen.

Want to visually indicate that your site has chat services? This chatbot CSS animation is as adorable as it is effective.

The Flying Robot

See the Pen
The Flying Robot (Pure CSS Drawing/Animation) [codepen challenge] by Tucker Massad (@tuckermassad)
on CodePen.

What site couldn’t use a flying robot gracing its pages, that’s what I want to know. This little guy whizzes across the screen in a flying saucer before pausing, popping up into view, then zooming away.

Enjoy These Pure CSS Animations

Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what pure CSS animations are and how you might be able to use them on your website. They range from super practical to downright silly. Even so, each of these animations will at the very least spark some inspiration.

Happy browsing and creating!

There can be some confusion when it comes to the terminology used to describe these techniques. As with so many aspects of design and development, we are inundated with buzzwords. Sometimes they become so mixed up that we (mistakenly) use them interchangeably. True, both adaptive and responsive design share a similar end goal: to ensure a great user experience on large screens, small screens and everything in-between. But they take very different approaches to get there.

Today, we’ll dig into those differences in an effort to help you choose the right solution for your projects.

What is Responsive Design?

The more commonly-used of the two techniques, responsive design rearranges content based on browser size.

CSS media queries are used to set one or more breakpoints – viewport resolutions at which selected elements of a website adjust accordingly. Breakpoints are often set to mimic the screen sizes of popular mobile devices, including phones and tablets.

One common example of this would be responsive navigation. Think of a full-width navigation bar displaying on larger screens (laptops and desktops). As the viewport shrinks, the menu could conceivably be set to adjust any number of ways to make use of the space available. Then, on the smallest of mobile screens, that same navigation is then hidden beneath a “hamburger” menu.

Responsive multi-column layouts are also quite popular. Designers often configure them to “stack” on top of each other on smaller screens. On mid-sized screens such as tablets, columns may remain in-tact or partially stack. The feature is actually built into CSS specifications such as Flexbox, which automatically adjusts columns according to screen real estate.

Advantages of Responsive Design

Perhaps the biggest advantage of using responsive design techniques is that users get essentially the same website on every device. That continuity allows frequent visitors to more easily find what they’re looking for.

In addition, adding responsive elements to CSS is relatively straightforward. It’s a matter of taking what’s on the big screen and adjusting accordingly for various breakpoints. Even older websites designed before the smartphone revolution can be retrofitted without too much trouble.

Lastly, since the content and URL of a given page is the same throughout the full spectrum of viewports, a responsive design is better for SEO. Thanks to that consistency, search engines tend to handle these websites a bit better.

Disadvantages

Going responsive is not all good news. Some website layouts may be fine on a big screen, but are more difficult to manage on smaller viewports.

Massive amounts of scrolling might be necessary – even if that isn’t quite as taboo as it used to be. Also, some interactive or code-heavy elements may simply be too slow and cumbersome to use on a phone.

What is Adaptive Design?

Adaptive design, also referred to as “progressive enhancement”, is the process of creating several fixed layouts for various screen sizes. In essence, a designer could create completely different experiences for phones, tablets and desktops.

The idea is that you start with something very basic and then “enhance” the experience for larger screens. The more screen real estate a user has, the more bells and whistles will become available.

One way to visualize the difference between adaptive and responsive design: observe how a given website reacts as you resize your web browser on a desktop device.

A responsive website will continually adjust content as you reach specific breakpoints. Columns may stack, containers and typography may scale.

With an adaptive website, there is an absence of a constantly-shifting layout. Instead, new breakpoints may bring completely new layouts – and thus, even some potential differences in content. For example, some items deemed unnecessary on a phone may be removed altogether.

Advantages of Adaptive Design

Implementing an adaptive design means really putting users first. By crafting a separate experience for a specific screen size, designers can limit the pain points that often come with responsive sites.

Mobile users, for instance, will see only the design and content elements that are relevant to them. The website should, in theory, be easier to navigate and content easier to digest on that smaller, touch-enabled screen.

Then, as more screen size and computing power come into play, those extra features are added in. Adaptive design is understanding that the web is not one-size-fits-all.

Disadvantages

Because you’re creating separate experiences, implementing adaptive design techniques can be very time-consuming. This is especially of concern for projects that are on a tight budget, deadline or both.

Then there is also the potential for an inconsistent user experience. Attention to detail is incredibly important here, as a website will need to provide a separate-but-similar look, feel and functionality. Missing a detail or making a few poor decisions in the design process could hamper the ability to use the website on one or more devices.

Speaking of devices, new ones are being released all the time. Some have unique viewports and could conceivably be served the “wrong” layout. Therefore, it may require routine checks to ensure your site is working with the latest technology.

SEO is also a concern for sites that serve up mobile-only editions using “m.yoursite.com” and the like. That won’t come into play in every situation, but still worth considering if your project is affected.

Choosing the Right Design Technique

How do you know which technique is the best fit for your project? In many cases, it may be a matter of time and money. To that end, responsive designs are quicker and cheaper to implement.

If you’re using third-party products like WordPress themes – which often come with responsive styles –  that decision has already been made for you.

However, adaptive design still has its place. For larger websites that have the budget and time resources, designers can craft an outstanding experience for every device using adaptive techniques.

Either way, the bottom line is ensuring that your website works well for every user. Thankfully, there are two highly-proven methods to make it a reality: adaptive or responsive design.