I have been working with animation for educational purposes since the year 2000. I have learned to use animation to support explanations and to ease the process of learning.
Of course animation can also be used for fun or to draw attraction to something on a webpage, for example. But in this post I will try, with some examples to explain the purpose of using animation for explanation or to improve a message.
The Algorithm example
Design case
In one design, I was supposed to create a exhibit station for kids where they could test and learn about how algorithms work.
I began the work exploring which kind of algorithm I should focus on and I also tried to learn more about algorithms myself.
I ended up to create ideas about sorting algorithms. To make an extremely simple explanation I began with creating an animation.
The cool thing with animation is that you can explain things that you can't explain easily in words. If you use both words, pictures and animation combined you have a great chance to reach people with your message.
Sorting algorithm example
Source: 
This simple animation visualizes algorithms as scales that sorts balls according to their weight. The heaviest ball goes to the bottom tray and the lightest ball is sorted in the top tray.
These kind of algorithms are used to sort your search results when you do a GOOGLE search.
Analog part of the exhibit station
I also had to design an analog part in the station where kids actually can try things. This is not directly about animation but the relevance to this post is that you can see how it's possible to combine different media to explain things.
I made a simple sketch of a station where kids can use a scale and weigh small toy cows. The cows are supposed to be sent by post and postage differs depending on weight.
The kids are supposed to find a strategy (or algorithm) how to weigh the cows to sort them.
Source:
Prototype
I have also built a simple prototype. for the analog part of the station. I made a video while testing the prototype.
Source:
When and why should I use animation?
Some questions to ask yourself to decide if you should use animations or not:
Is there a clear purpose of using an animation?
Do you wish to explain something tricky or something that isn't possible to record or take photos of?
Can you ease the understanding of your message with an animation?
Sometimes animation also can be used for fun and to make a design more "living". The important thing is that it doesn't "steal" the attention from other content or from your message.
Combination of different media
As you can see in this post, if you use text, images, video and animation you can really ease the understanding for your readers. According to the theories about our different learning styles, there also is an advantage to use different media combined with text.
In this post I have no audio so I might not reach all styles, but I hope you understand my point.
The final station with wooden cows will really help the Kinestetic learners as well. In this case they will be able to watch the animation, try out the analog things and they will also be able to read about algorithms.
How can I help?
I gladely help you to decide if you should use animation and where. I can also help you create simplified animation to help you improve your message or for educational purposes. This might be a great way to improve the content on your Steemit blog. Depending on the amount of work it takes me I can ask you for a smaller payment in SBD or STEEM.
There is always a possibility to discuss possible collaborations as well:-)
I will write a few more posts about this later on. The purpose is to give an idea about what a powerful tool animation can be. I will showcase more examples and try to clarify great ways to use animation.
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All media is created by me,
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