Using Motion Graphics to Change Behaviour

Whether you work in leadership development or customer education, your work needs to positively influence the behaviour of your audience at the end of the day.

Evidence shows that one of the most powerful and under-utilized tools at your disposal is animation or motion graphics. “Motion graphics” means exactly what it sounds like: moving imagery.

It should be no surprise that moving imagery has a unique ability to captivate and motivate audiences, if you consider that we can be entirely mesmerized by a compelling static visual and couple that with our natural inclination to be drawn to movement.

On the other hand, you’ve also experienced motion done poorly if you work in a corporate setting. Overused powerpoint transitions, boring repetitive videos, and entrance animations that are too long.

When done well, motion amplifies emotion, clarifies messaging, and enhances experience. When done poorly, it distracts, annoys, and overwhelms.

So, how can you harness motion graphics effectively to change behaviour?

One approach we use at Hot Neon Learning is clearly mapping motion to purpose, and layering motion within the broader experience arc.

The experience arc is the sequence of designed touch-points that guide a person through emotional, cognitive, and behavioural states. It’s the spine of a learning, product, or change journey.

Mapping the use of multimedia like motion directly to behavioural purpose ensures it is used as an amplifier to deliver on specific emotional, cognitive, or behavioural objectives at the right time.

This works because research indicates that behaviour change is most effective when emotion, cognition, and validated behavioural change techniques come together in the right context, something which motion graphics are excellent at facilitating. Change happens when attention, comprehension and motivation line up at the right moment, then stay aligned long enough for a new behaviour to take root.

So, rather than thinking “I need a 2 minute video to show the user how to use this feature”, look at how motion could be used effectively at each step in the journey to support the user, whether that’s through a learning process or behaviour enablement.

Unpack long-form content, and chunk and target it more directly to each moment. Rather than trying to do everything with one 5 minute video, it can be more effective to use 5 one-minute videos more purposefully.

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Additional resources:

Customer Journey Maps
Journey Mapping Course
Empathy Mapping