The Dark Side of Animation

The Dark Side of Animation

Everybody seems to love animation.  Watching buttons and images easing-in and easing-out of the screen is, well, easy on the eyes.  However, is spending the extra hour adding transitions to text or graphics really worth it?  No, in fact, it reduces learning by distracting the person from the information being presented.  

In a recent study, researches found that students performed better with static slides than with animated slides.  Why?  Because the animations were distracting the students from the information being presented.  

Animation should be used when it is necessary and only when it is necessary.  For example, an animation that demonstrates how connected gears move in opposite direction works because it illustrates the concept and isn't there simply as eye candy.  

Reducing clutter or fidelity is especially important when teaching concepts to novices who have no experience with the topic and lack a mental framework upon which new information can be organized and built upon.  

"The dark side of custom animation" in Int. J. Innovation and Learning, 2009, 6, 581-592