As the title suggests, if you want to tell amazing stories through guided user journeys, THE best way to do that is through utilizing micro interactions.
A micro-interaction is a small animation/movement that is applied to an element to guide users attention, reinforce branding and make using the website a more enjoyable experience. I believe micro-interactions are the most important elements when it comes to effective storytelling in website design as it keeps websites engaging and playful if used right, as well as the added perks of
Highlight what elements can/should be accessed, including buttons, navigation links, icons etc.
Increased engagement with the website leading to improved bounce rate and an increased duration of stay through visual animations
Makes the website more dynamic through moving visuals
Further reinforces attributes and personality of a brand
In some cases, micro-interactions can provide more context about an element that might be more difficult to explain (text fading in to explain an icon, or name a social media platform as an example)
So what are some great use cases of micro-interactions that reinforce the above?
Bison Studio has really nice but simple micro-interactions that's filled across the website, from simply underline animations to super smooth image zoom in hover effects that really compliment the style of the website.
S-2K is a tribute website to the iconic S2000 Honda, with small fitting micro-interactions like a speedometer that acts as the progress bar of the website page that sits at the bottom right of the screen. The navigation links also have a disappearing & popping in effect when you hover over them that heavily reminds you of an analogue screen displaying numbers at quick speeds.
This website for a Dolce Gabbana sums up micro-interactions for storytelling purposes amazingly well. It had music in the background to build the atmospheric feel of the website along with glowy micro-interactions added onto almost every element. Even the background seems to waver and move when you move your mouse, further reinforcing and building the atmospheric feel and contributing to the fragrance finding quiz. The entire website was designed to feel like a luxurious fragrance finding experience and it does just that, making sure something always happens whenever you move the mouse, whether that be the background moving, or elements glowing upon hover
Daniel Sun is a brand designer that focuses on crafting brands for Saas and Web3 websites. His portfolio follows a minimalistic well styled website that's filled to the brim with micro-interactions throughout every section of the website that fully encapsulate the doodly bright sun branding. The hero section has his full name on display which when hovered showing different parts of him like where he's from, his lovely wife or just small graphical pieces that he resonates with like graffiti symbols. I love this website a lot and it had a great contribution to how my own website turned out :)