Start with a well-designed diagram, infographic, or other visuals.

Could and should we animate?

Put on your new thinking cap...

• You probably already look at text and say, "would a picture be worth a thousand words here?"
• Now you can look at a graphic and say, "would this communicate better if it changed over time?"

Consider context:

• Stand-alone system? Is the viewer sitting alone at a computer with only this material?
• Stand-up presentation? In live delivery, pausing so everyone can watch a "movie" is often unwise. However, brief animations (especially without sound) can be useful.

Options to consider for every animation

Sound.

• Is narration appropriate?
• Will the viewer be able to listen privately?

Pacing. Know thy audience.

User control of playback?

• Yes, providing at least pause and rewind will given them a chance to really learn.
• Also good: fast-forward and back; "scrubbing" (dragging the playhead).

Things to Avoid

Gratuitous animation. "Don't waste my time!"

On screen with other content: distracting? "Don't bother me!"

Forced-pace reading.... People read at different speeds. If you are displaying more than a few words of text, your timing will be too fast for some viewers and too slow for others.

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