Changing Page Content | Sideway Slide vs. Opacity Fade vs. No Animation

Question

I have pages ready and available...they have display set to none ( except the current one). I need to decided how to flip through them as the user requests. I am considering 3 ways...

(1) A sideway slide sort of like on the MacBook Pro when you review double finger the current page to go to the previous. I think I noticed github doing something like this.

(2) Opacity Fade from one to the other.

(3) No animation at all. Just set display to inline for the current and display to none for the previous page.

Is this just a matter of style preference...or are their UX guidelines / best practices regarding this.

...and FYI...the header or top bar always stays the same...by page I mean the content below the top bar or header.

Answer 1

I would call this a style preference (though style can be part of the user experience), I would recommend just making sure that your choice feels congruent with the rest of your design decisions.

Don't just add a transition effect because it's cool, add it because it works well with the rest of the experience on the site.

Most importantly, listen to the users and be willing to adapt to their needs. If they enjoy it, that's a good thing. If they feel like it gets in the way of their workflow, take it out.