I like to call this trend "Flanders Computing" -- where developers and designers increasingly create obnoxiously friendly websites and apps that treat you as if they're your diddly-doodly buddy-ol-pal.
A recent Windows 10 install told me "We're happy you're here!" Who exactly is "we" and why are they trying to be all buddy-buddy so soon? I assume the market research told them that this was the best start screen, but good grief is all the wiggly-wobbly buddy-ol-pal stuff so friggin annoying. It's like forced intimacy that can't be reciprocated, which feels weird.
I also experienced that moment of "oh shit!". I've rarely used Windows in my life, but when I have, when Windows blanks the display and pops up something like that and isn't booting, it's historically something scary.
Love your idea for the Flanders Threshold. Hit me up any time at [email protected] and tell me what you need. I'll be more than happy to help.
Looking forward to making magic with you on the Flanders Threshold, cha-cho!
Best,
John
CEO/Sales/Customer Support*
Cheesier Than A Ripe Camembert, Inc.
(Every time I get a mail like this from some trendy tech firm, I die a little inside, but somewhere in the past year or two I think they all read the same book and now they're all doing it.)
I think Google's Material Design strikes a good balance regarding use of animations. They sometimes have very elaborate animations, but usually in very small areas where the animation becomes an easteregg rather than an annoyance. (For example, how the hamburger menu icon transforms into the back-arrow and vice versa. Or, on the Android notification panel, how the cogwheel rolls away as it fades out. That's cute.)
It might be fine for showing technical flexibility, but they do not add to interaction; they are distracting, slow down responsiveness, and worse, are non-standard and unexpected. I hope this kind of stuff doesn't catch on.