Guiding students to design with Motion and not just Visuals
2 mins read
Timeline
August 2024 - May 2025
(One Academic Year)
Students
40+ Undergrad and Graduate Students in Media Arts and HCI
My Role
Motion Design
Prototyping
Interaction Design
Teaching
Tools
Figma and FigJam
Adobe Creative Suite
Lottie
Maya
Blender
MilaNote
Overview
For two years, I co-taught Motion Design at Indiana University with Joshua Berkley, where we introduced motion design and guided HCI and Media Arts students to apply it in their own contexts.
My job was to design demos, build prototypes, and provide feedback to students.
Outside of class, I taught extra sessions, and created resources for students.
Through this, I was able to show my students how motion design can strengthen their visual storytelling and help them visualize how their designs flow.
Designing for Two Audiences
The course drew students from two very different programs.
Comfortable with UX and research, but unfamiliar with motion design and animation principles.
Our challenge was to run a single course where both groups could grow in areas they weren’t familiar with.
Hands-On, Resource-Driven Teaching
To bridge this gap, we designed the course around hands-on practice, accessible resources, and continuous feedback.
Motion Graphics demo showcasing storytelling through animated visuals and transitions.
Each week, I built prototypes in Figma and motion demos in After Effects to show how motion connects visuals, usability, and interaction. These gave HCI students visual references and showed Media Arts students product-focused use cases.
Figma demo showcasing screen transitions and animated UI elements for interaction design.
I also taught extra classes on Interaction Design, and provided continuous feedback through grading, regular check-ins and critiques to support students as the improved.
Tutorials covers tools and animation principles
Finally, I curated two ongoing playlists so students could continue learning beyond class.
Progress You Could See
Over two semesters, I taught 40+ students through this approach.
HCI students grew more confident with After Effects and adding motion to their designs, while Media Arts students started applying their animation skills to product design.
Below are a few examples of their work.
For his first assignment, Advait made a simple text animation themed around Glitch.
For the final assignment, he made an excellent motion piece for GRYT using 2D elements.
Her first assignment involved animating vector art to demonstrate animation principles.
For her final assignment, she created a flawless title sequence for Power Rangers with 3D elements.
Seeing students confidently blend motion and design was the best validation of our approach.
What Teaching Taught Me
Teaching is also designing
Designing this learning experience for students at different skill levels taught me to see teaching as another form of design, always iterative and user-centered.
Meet people where they are
Working with students from different backgrounds deepened my sense of empathy and adaptability.
Explaining motion made me better
Breaking down tools and workflows for students helped me clarify and refine my own motion design process.
Good documentation scales impact
My demos and playlists continued to help other classes, proving that good documentation outlives the project itself.