Bringing websites and apps to life with Lottie.

There are lots of different animation file types available to a web design and development agency like ours. Each comes with its own benefits. But one of our favourites here at Radical is the Lottie file.

Lottie files have become a popular format for website animation in recent years. That’s because they’re high quality and lightweight. They look incredible, are super versatile — and don’t slow down a website or app.

Using Lottie animations, the Radical team has achieved top results for clients. So here, we wanted to explain what Lottie animation is all about.

We’ll be covering:

• What is Lottie?
• How does Lottie work?
• Where can you use Lottie files?
• Why choose Lottie files over other animation file types?
• Benefits of using Lottie animations on your website or app

What is Lottie?

Lottie is a tool that helps animators create lightweight, high-quality animations for a website or app. You can use the tool via the LottieFiles platform.

The platform, named after the German film director and animation pioneer Charlotte Reiniger, was developed in 2016. Animators can use it to create animations in the Lottie file format, a JSON-based animation format.

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. It’s a text-based format for storing and exchanging data. This format makes it easier than ever to create, edit and use animations.

How does Lottie work?

We can use Lottie to create all kinds of animations and motion graphics, incorporating a variety of animation techniques. And technically, it’s possible to create Lottie animations with little or no coding knowledge.

Animators can design animations within the LottieFiles platform, which has a downloadable library of animations available to use and customise. They can also use LottieFiles alongside their preferred design tool, importing their animation when it’s finished.

Whichever way animators choose to create their animation, they can use LottieFiles to export it as a JSON file. This gives animators the code they need to easily place the animation within a web project.

Where can you use Lottie files?

Lottie files are ideal for use on websites and apps across both desktop and mobile devices. They can be used on any platform where you need small, fast animated files.

You can use Lottie to create website hero animations, icon animations, scrolling animations and loading animations. You can even use Lottie to create animated stickers for messaging apps. Lottie is beyond versatile.

Why choose Lottie files over other animation file types?

Lottie files have quickly overtaken other file formats in the world of web animation. These days, when you come across an app or website animation, there’s a high chance that the file will be in the Lottie format rather than in an older format, like GIF. That’s because Lottie was designed to solve many of the problems created by older animation file formats.

Here’s why Lottie is the best animation file option available right now.

Small file size

Lottie files are designed to be much smaller than other animation file formats. File sizes are tiny compared to PNGs and GIFs. This means they load a lot faster.

High-quality animations

Lottie files may be small and fast. But they don’t compromise on quality. You can scale them up or down without worrying about resolution. Users can even zoom in while the animation plays in real-time — and the animation will never pixelate.

Interactive animations

Whereas GIF and PNG files are fixed or static, it’s easy to make Lottie designs interactive. You can set parts of the animation to react to user actions, like a button click or a mouse scroll.

Versatility

A Lottie file can be used on any platform, including Android, iOS and the web — without having to modify for different platforms or screen sizes. This saves designers and developers a ton of time.

Easy animation process

Animators can quickly generate code from their animations, making integration quick and easy. Lottie also supports a seamless and simplified animation process that improves collaboration between animators and designers.

Easy to edit

One of the main differences between PNGs and GIFs and Lottie, is that Lottie files can be changed — quickly and easily — using their text-based code. You can change things like the colour, size, and speed of the animation without having to remake or re-upload it.

Better user experience

Small file sizes and text-based code mean faster rendering times on a webpage or app. This ensures fast website speeds. This — along with high-quality, interactive animation — supports a great user experience for website and app visitors.

Benefits of using Lottie animations on your website or app

Lottie is an incredibly useful tool for animators, web designers and developers. It simplifies and speeds up the animation process. But Lottie animations are great for your business, too. Here are the benefits of using animation — like Lottie files — on your website or app.

Increased engagement

Websites and apps that feature animation and motion graphics are more engaging than those that don’t. Users spend more time interacting with your site when there’s animated content to catch their eye.

This improves engagement rates and reduces bounce rates, which is good for website SEO. It sends positive signals to search engines and increases your chances of nabbing top spots in search engine result pages (SERPs).

It can improve your conversion rate, too. When users spend a long time on your website consuming your website content, persuading them to take action gets easier.

A better brand image

Animation is a great way to enhance website branding. You can use Lottie designs to share your brand message and ethos — and to create an emotional connection with customers.

This makes your brand more memorable. It also establishes your company as a frontrunner of creative, innovative web design — so potential customers think more highly of you.

Making complex information easy to understand

One of the benefits of using video animation on your website is in the sharing of complex information. A huge block of text is overwhelming for users. But present this information as an animation and you can explain concepts more simply, making your ideas accessible to a broader audience.

Easy updates

Lottie animations are super easy to modify. So you don’t need to fork out for an animation redesign every time you want to make a change. You can update animations in line with your offering — or to give your website or app a seasonal look.

Making your website more accessible

Lottie makes it easy for you to adapt your animated content to all audiences. You can switch off auto-play for users who set their system preferences to reduce motion. You can include descriptions of animated content for people who use screen readers. With Lottie, it’s easy to ensure that your animations meet web accessibility standards.

Better UX

Lottie animations are versatile and flexible enough to use anywhere — from 404 pages to loading screens to your home page. Wherever you put them, they bring pages to life.

You can use them to catch user attention or share important information. You can use them to make users smile or direct their journey through your website or app. And you can achieve all this without harming site speed or animation quality.

This creates an excellent user experience, which means it’s more likely that users will buy from your brand — and return to your website or app again.

Bring your website or app to life with Lottie designs

Animation can take your website to the next level in terms of engagement, user experience, and brand personality. Use Lottie to create animations and you get top-quality, lightweight files — so you can add incredible animations to your site without slowing it down.

Here at Radical, we regularly use Lottie to create animations for our clients. And our team knows exactly how to use animation as a brand-boosting, storytelling tool.

If you want to add interest to your website — and build a better connection with website visitors — get in touch with the Radical team to chat about Lottie and our web animation service.