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GIF animation was discovered by an alert Web designer shortly after the standard reference version — GIF 89a — was released. Other Web designers were surprised and delighted to learn about this new feature, which was the first and only tool for adding animation to Web pages without plug-ins, add-ons, or updated browsers. It was like adding a third dimension to text and graphics, the other media available on the Web.
Yet today, the uses that are most often made of GIF animation are somewhat disappointing. Most Web sites don't use animated GIFs at all except in banner ads or JavaScript pop-up ads, which users generally dislike. Apparently, Web advertising hasn't yet reached the advanced status of Super Bowl ads, which are sometimes more popular than the game itself.
Why users don't like GIF animation
People dislike GIF animations because they're low quality and distracting. The format, used without optimization, tends to display frames slowly, making the animation look clunky. (Ten frames per second is the minimum needed for motion to appear smooth; GIF animations are lucky to achieve one frame per second the first time through.)
GIF animations also are frequently used for advertising. So not only is the animation on a Web page distracting, it's most often used for something that's trying to pull the user away from what they came to the Web page for. If an up-to-date browser appeared tomorrow with the option to turn off animations, many users would take advantage of it.
These negative factors have a cumulative effect. Users get so accustomed to finding animations annoying that they tend to do so even when that reaction isn't justified. You have to swim upstream quite a bit to overcome this built-in negative user reaction to GIF animations.
Making GIF animation better
You can do a few things, at this late date in the life of GIF animation on the Web, to make your animations useful, interesting, attractive, and fun — a benefit to users rather than a distraction:
- Give users control. Users love the Web because it gives them control. GIF animations take control away from users. You can give users back control by letting them know that an animation will be on an upcoming page and by only playing the animation once or twice before stopping it.
- Use high-quality graphics. It's not true that if you build it, they will come; but it is true that if you make it look good, users are more likely to look at it. Seeing high-quality images will also break users' expectations of GIF animations and cause them to give yours a second chance.
- Make a point. Even animating your company logo occasionally can serve a purpose, and explanatory graphics can actually be interesting and valuable.
- Test usefulness and usability. Test your animations on real users to see if they're used and appreciated, and to make sure they don't detract from the rest of the Web page or Web site they're on.
- Optimize, optimize, optimize. Consider not optimizing file size when you first experiment with GIF animation — concentrate on creating high-quality images that have a point to them instead. But then use all the tricks you can to make your high-quality, useful GIF animations run fast and smoothly on your users' browsers. You'll have your users clicking the Reload or Refresh button to see your animations again in no time!
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