Perchingbased

Perchingbased refers to a design principle or technique focused on gestures, motions, and animations that originated in the mobile app design and development community. The term has since been applied to various fields including game design, interaction design, and even some forms of digital art.

In essence, perchingbased refers to a visual experience where small, incremental movements or animations are used to communicate an interactive effect or to provide detailed information about an element on a screen. These animations are characterized by small, smooth, and often non-disruptive transitions between states.

A key aspect of perchingbased design is its focus on retaining the app's or game's functional boundaries, usually represented by buttons, icons, and other interactive controls on-screen. While other animation techniques might aim to override or conceal these boundaries, perchingbased approaches work within these defined areas to generate engaging and personality-rich experiences for users.

Examples of perchingbased design are commonly seen in animated button hovers, navigation stylings, and the feedback provided on multiple UI elements, among other things. While the term still remains relatively niche and its connotations continue to evolve, proponents argue its merit in enhancing user experience by adding polish, interactivity, and zoom-and-glance interactions.

When considering perchingbased design, designers and developers aim to make activities involving interacting with an interface effective and playful. Designers favoring the perchingbased school believe a balanced amount of narrative and imagined descriptive story relative superficial functional impressions can create a sophisticated method of achieving current usability and past user familiarity engagements without becoming connected too closely to a prevailing trend.