Motion for AI: Creating Empathy in Technology

What if motion design could bridge the gap between humans and artificial intelligence? Pavithra Ramamurthy, Lead Product Designer at Salesforce, shares how motion design enhances AI transparency, fosters user trust, and turns technology into an empathetic partner.

The Challenge

Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the technological landscape, but creating AI systems that connect emotionally with users remains a significant challenge. At UXDX USA 2024, Pavithra Ramamurthy, Lead Product Designer at Salesforce, explored a fascinating approach to solving this challenge: motion design. By leveraging principles from animation and human-computer interaction, Pavithra demonstrated how motion can instill empathy in technology, fostering trust and enhancing user experiences.

The Power of Motion in Technology

Pavithra began her talk with a fundamental observation: humans inherently seek meaning and connection in their interactions, even with objects. She referenced the book The Meaning of Things by Csikszentmihalyi and Rockberg Halton, which explores how humans attribute profound emotions to everyday items through texture, color, and memories. This insight laid the groundwork for understanding how motion can act as a bridge between users and AI.

Motion design, Pavithra argued, enables technology to emulate human-like behaviors and create seamless, intuitive interactions. Drawing on her background in animation, Pavithra highlighted how early Disney animators used motion to evoke empathy for inanimate objects, such as a flower sack throwing a tantrum. By applying similar principles to AI, designers can make technology feel approachable, trustworthy, and human-centric.

Building Empathy through Motion

One of the earliest examples of effective motion design, Pavithra noted, was the blinking cursor. Introduced in the 1960s by Charles Kiesling, the blinking cursor provided a clear visual cue for users in a sea of text. This simple motion offered a sense of anticipation and continuity, helping users understand their interaction with the system.

In today’s AI-powered interfaces, motion can similarly provide transparency and context. Pavithra emphasized that motion bridges moments in time; indicating when a system is processing, awaiting input, or delivering results. For instance, when an AI tool takes time to process a user request, motion can visually depict the background activity, assuring users that their input is being considered.

Addressing Uncanny Valley and Trust Issues

Designers must be cautious when using motion, as poorly implemented animations can lead to unsettling user experiences. Pavithra pointed to the “uncanny valley,” where hyper-realistic but slightly off features make users uncomfortable. A key example was Clippy, Microsoft’s infamous assistant, whose intrusive animations often felt overbearing rather than helpful.

To avoid this, Pavithra advised designers to use motion subtly and meaningfully. For instance, pairing visual animations with text ensures clarity and accessibility, while pauses in motion provide users with time to reflect. These principles help create an AI experience that feels natural and trustworthy, rather than awkward or intrusive.

Motion in Robotics and AI

Drawing from her work in robotics, Pavithra shared how motion design was instrumental in creating engaging, human-like interactions. She highlighted a project where she and her team designed Buddy, a robot providing speech therapy for children with cleft lip and palate. Using Disney’s 12 principles of animation, they incorporated lifelike movements, such as a hat jiggle or a quick turn, to make Buddy more approachable.

These subtle motions had a profound impact. Nervous children and adults felt more comfortable engaging with Buddy, as the movements mimicked familiar human behaviors. Pavithra explained that predictable and familiar motions, combined with approachable visuals, are key to fostering trust and empathy in both robots and AI systems.

Enhancing AI Conversations

One of the most intriguing aspects of Pavithra’s talk was her focus on conversational AI. Unlike human interactions, where interruptions and emotional expressions are common, many AI models enforce rigid turn-taking. Pavithra highlighted the importance of designing for these “messy” human moments, such as allowing users to interrupt AI responses or change the conversation flow.

She praised recent advancements like GPT-4, which allows interruptions mid-response, making the interaction feel more natural. Additionally, Pavithra discussed the role of motion in improving conversational flow—such as controlling text speed and using pauses to create a more human-like experience.

Scaling Motion Systems at Salesforce

Implementing motion at scale is no small feat, but Pavithra shared how Salesforce overcame this challenge through systemization. Her team developed a suite of enablement artifacts, including:

• Foundational principles and guidelines for motion design.
• Reusable patterns and code implementations accessible via tools like Figma, Storybook, and CodePen.
• Education modules and workshops to upskill teams.

These efforts enabled Salesforce to integrate motion into its AI pattern library, ensuring consistent and efficient adoption across products. The AI pattern library includes pre-built motion features for teams using Salesforce’s Einstein AI Co-Pilot, further streamlining the design-to-development workflow.

Motion’s Measurable Impact

The benefits of motion design go beyond aesthetics. Pavithra cited an A/B test at Salesforce, where users interacted with interfaces that either included or excluded motion design elements. The results were staggering: interfaces with motion improved task completion rates by 11.5 times and significantly boosted productivity, even for differently-abled users.

These findings underscore the value of motion in creating accessible, intuitive, and empathetic AI experiences.

Lessons for Designers

Pavithra closed her talk with actionable insights for teams looking to integrate motion into their AI systems:

1. Prioritize empathy: Design motion to reflect users’ mental states and contexts, from distraction to humor.
2. Avoid overindulgence: Subtle, meaningful motions build trust; excessive animations risk alienating users.
3. Invest in systemization: Create scalable artifacts and guidelines to ensure consistency and efficiency.
4. Put humans at the helm: Empower users to control motion, speed, and interaction frequency, fostering trust and reducing bias.

Conclusion

Motion design is not just about making AI visually appealing; it’s about creating technology that understands and resonates with users on a human level. Pavithra Ramamurthy’s insights reveal how motion can foster empathy, transparency, and trust. Turning AI from a tool into a true partner.

As organizations increasingly adopt AI, motion design offers a path to more meaningful and impactful interactions. By embracing these principles, teams can create technology that not only meets user needs but also connects with their emotions.

Want to learn more? Watch Pavithra’s full session here:
https://uxdx.com/session/motion-for-ai-creating-empathy-in-technology/

Or download the 2024 Post Show Report for more key insights:
https://uxdx.com/post-show-report/