Do fancy UI animations actually help users get things done?

This hit way too close to home. It is so easy to fall into the trap of building flashy features just because they look cool on Twitter or get nods in design reviews.

I spent weeks polishing a complex dashboard animation once only to realize nobody cared about it while a basic CSV export button we ignored was causing daily support tickets.

Shifting the focus from "will this look impressive" to "does this actually save time" changed everything.

Have you ever spent too much time on a feature that looked great but added zero real value?