How to use micro-interactions in your website design

Micro-interactions are the subtle, often tiny design elements that respond to user actions, adding an extra layer of engagement and satisfaction to your website design. They might seem insignificant, but these small details can significantly impact user experience by providing feedback, enhancing usability, and making interactions more enjoyable.

Take Twitter (or X, as I'm still trying to make myself call it) as an example, and how every time you 'like' a tweet it gives you mini fireworks to both confirm your like and subtly brighten your experience. The vibration your phone gives off when Apple Maps is telling you you've gone the wrong way, capturing your attention without overwhelming your senses. Or the subtle ice animation that takes over your card image when you temporarily freeze your bank cards (unless it's just me consistently misplacing these...). These are all such small interactions, but help to build up your perception of the brand you're dealing with, how they want to be perceived and alter your satisfaction with the experience.

A recent study found that microinteractions can lead to a 70% increase in user satisfaction and engagement (check out this blog for more info), and they're becoming increasingly more common in our user experiences.

For small businesses, adding microinteractions to website designs offers a unique way to connect with visitors on a more personal level. Whether it’s a subtle animation when a user hovers over a button, a loading indicator, or a playful icon change, these small touches can make your website feel more interactive and user-friendly. And with the growing improvements to platforms like Wix and Squarespace, they're now even easier to implement.

So how can you add micro-interactions to your small business website design? Here's some of our favourite options...

Implement scroll animations

Scroll animations create a dynamic experience by animating elements as the user scrolls down the page. This can include text fading in, images sliding into view, or sections expanding.

Scroll animations keep users engaged and can help emphasise key content. Personally, I think this works best with photos, for creative services like a photography studio where you want a portfolio of images to load in a beautiful and engaging way. There's a fine line between building intrigue and simply annoying your customers. So having every piece of text load in on a scroll may not have the desired effect, especially if your business is centred around more professional services.

In Wix, you can add scroll animations by selecting an element, clicking on “Animate,” and choosing your preferred animation.

Squarespace users can enable scroll animations by selecting a section and applying an animation in the section settings.

Adding hover effects to buttons and links

One of the simplest and most effective micro-interactions is the hover effect. This occurs when a user hovers their cursor over a button or link, triggering a visual change like a colour shift or animation. This feedback reassures the user that the element is clickable and ready for interaction.

I typically recommend this micro-interaction for every website. Whilst it's definitely more valuable to desktop users than mobile, it's something users are becoming more and more accustomed to, and you may risk a link looking broken if you now don't include this interaction.

In Wix, you can customise hover effects by selecting a button, going to the “Hover” tab, and choosing your desired effect.

In Squarespace, you can adjust hover styles in the design panel under “Buttons” and “Links.”

Using animated loading indicators

Loading indicators are a vital micro-interaction that keeps users engaged while waiting for content to load. Instead of leaving users staring at a blank screen, a well-designed loading animation can create a more positive user experience.

When testing, we are often using our own websites on our fast home wifi. But the reality is your users could be loading this whilst on the bus, on a slower 3G connection, or using poor public wifi, and it will be loading slower for them.

Take this example I've just recorded from the Mango app - when loading their pages, I'm met with an animation of 3 dots, which is universally accepted as an indication that something is loading. If this was just a blank white screen, I might think that link was broken or simply get bored of it loading. But here I've got reassurance that something is happening and I'm consequently more inclined to wait for that.

Wix offers pre-built loading animations that you can add to your site through the app market. And in Squarespace, you can enable loading animations in the design panel under “Site Styles.” This is often an over-looked step when building in your website, but it can have a big impact on your audience.

Creating interactive form fields

Interactive form fields enhance the user experience by providing real-time feedback as users fill out forms. This can include elements like inline validation, where users are instantly informed if they’ve made an error (e.g. forgetting to enter an email address).

This micro-interaction is a bit less straight forward to implement on Wix, and can currently only be implemented using custom code. But in Squarespace, you can use the built-in form blocks, which already include basic interactive features.

Adding playful icons or animations for CTAs

Adding subtle animations or icons to CTA buttons can make them more engaging and encourage clicks. This could be as simple as an arrow that appears when a user hovers over the button, or an icon that subtly bounces to draw attention.

The key with this one is to be subtle - you want the user to click this button and so anything too big could be a distraction rather than a nudge for them to go through with the next step of their journey,

In Wix, you can add icons or animations to buttons by customising them in the editor or using third-party apps. And Squarespace users can use custom CSS or built-in design options to add similar effects.

Looking to use micro-interactions in your small business website design?

Micro-interactions are a powerful way to enhance the user experience on your website by making it feel more interactive and engaging. Adding things like hover effects, animated loading indicators and scroll animations can help you to create a website that delights users and encourages them to take action - specifically towards booking your small business service.

If you’re looking to implement micro-interactions on your site but need a helping hand, contact us today to see how we can assist in bringing your vision to life.