Articles tagged “animation”
13 articles about animation.
Rive vs LottieFiles: Rive Does What Lottie Can't
LottieFiles is great for simple playback animations. Rive adds interactivity, state machines, and real-time control. For modern UI animation, Rive is the clear winner.
Spline vs Rive: Rive Wins for UI Animation
Spline is the better 3D tool. Rive is the better animation tool. For most product teams, Rive's interactive UI animations matter more.
Best Animation Tools for UI Design in 2026
The top tools for adding motion to your UI, from production-ready interactive animations to lightweight vector effects and 3D scenes.
LottieFiles Review 2026: Lightweight Animations Done Right
Honest LottieFiles review: the best marketplace and editor for lightweight vector animations. Tiny file sizes, huge library, but limited interactivity.
Magic UI Review 2026: Animated React Components for Design Engineers
Magic UI is a collection of animated React components for landing pages and marketing sites. Free for basic access, $149 one-time for Pro. Best for developers who want polished motion without building it from scratch.
Principle Review 2026: The Mac-Only Tool for Designers Who Take Animation Seriously
Principle is a one-time $129 purchase for Mac. It produces the most convincing micro-interaction prototypes available in any design tool — but only if you're on Mac and focused on animation.
Rive Review 2026: The Best Tool for Shipping Interactive Animations
Honest Rive review: production-quality interactive animations used by Google and Duolingo. Steeper learning curve, but nothing else matches the output.
Spline Review 2026: 3D for the Web Without the Blender Learning Curve
Honest Spline review: the easiest way to add interactive 3D to websites. Great for product mockups, limited for production 3D work.
Animation Resources for UI Design
Curated list of animation resources for UI designers: libraries, community files, tutorials, and inspiration sites for Lottie, Rive, GSAP, and CSS animations.
How to Add Animation to UI
A practical guide to adding animation to UI designs. Covers core principles like easing and timing, the best tools for the job, and when motion helps vs. hurts UX.
How to Design Micro-Interactions
Design micro-interactions that communicate, not just decorate. Covers triggers, feedback loops, timing guidelines, and how to prototype with ProtoPie and Principle.
How to Spec Interactions for Developers
Spec interactions that developers can actually implement. Covers what devs need, minimum viable specs, animation tokens, Figma's Prototype tab, and ProtoPie handoff.
How to Use Rive
Getting started with Rive for interactive animations. Covers the state machine editor, timeline animation, and exporting runtimes for web, iOS, and Android.