App Loading Animation
UX Research Strategy & Product Enhancement Initiative
Faced with an unfamiliar challenge outside my typical design scope, I led a comprehensive research initiative to transform Convoy's loading states from generic system defaults into strategic brand touchpoints that could measurably improve user experience and reduce bounce rates.
Strategic Problem Identification
Trust Through Perceived Deliberation: Convoy's auto-bid-evaluation system processed bids so quickly that rejected carriers assumed their submissions weren't given fair consideration, creating trust issues with "the system" that impacted platform engagement and carrier satisfaction.
Psychology of Process Transparency: Identified that the challenge wasn't technical performance but user perception, carriers needed to feel their bids were thoroughly evaluated, requiring an intentional delay with meaningful visual feedback to simulate deliberate consideration.
Motion Design Application: Was selected to tackle this unique UX challenge specifically because of my motion design and Lottie animation expertise, tasked with creating loading states that would psychologically bridge the gap between bid submission and system response.
Research-Driven Approach
Literature Review Foundation: Built strategy on peer-reviewed research examining loading animation psychology, analyzing factors like perceived duration reduction, emotional comfort levels, and functional-utilitarian perceptions across different animation styles.
Evidence-Based Decision Making: Synthesized findings from multiple academic sources to determine that activity animations outperformed traditional spinners across key metrics: perceived duration reduction, user interest, and positive emotional responses.
Quantifiable Success Metrics: Established clear performance benchmarks targeting 10-18% improvement in perceived loading time and user experience quality, grounding creative decisions in measurable business outcomes.
Strategic Design Solution
Intentional Delay Strategy: Developed loading animations that created deliberate processing time, psychologically signaling thorough bid evaluation while the system actually processed results instantaneously, addressing the counterintuitive challenge of slowing down technology to improve user trust.
Trust-Building Visual Language: Created activity animations that suggested analytical work happening behind the scenes, using motion design to communicate careful consideration rather than automated rejection, transforming user perception of system fairness.
Platform Psychology Application: Applied behavioral psychology principles through animation design, recognizing that carriers needed to feel their submissions were valued even when algorithmic evaluation was nearly instantaneous; solving a trust problem through strategic visual storytelling.
Team Buy-in & Implementation Strategy
Research-Based Persuasion: Built compelling business case combining academic research, competitive analysis, and projected performance improvements to gain stakeholder confidence in unfamiliar territory.
Practical Asset Development: Delivered production-ready Lottie animations with optimized file sizes and implementation specifications, removing barriers to engineering adoption and ensuring seamless integration.
Phased Rollout Planning: Structured implementation timeline from initial development pitch through prototyping, testing, and refinement, demonstrating strategic project management beyond creative execution.
Strategic Impact & Learning
Novel Methodology Development: Successfully navigated unfamiliar UX research territory by combining academic literature review with practical competitive analysis, establishing replicable framework for evidence-based design decisions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to bridge design, engineering, and product strategy through research-backed recommendations that addressed technical constraints while achieving user experience goals.
Brand Psychology Application: Applied performance psychology principles to create measurable business value through seemingly minor interface improvements, showing how strategic thinking amplifies design impact.
