
Universal Emotion
- 337 installs
- 68 repo stars
- Updated December 30, 2025
- dylantarre/animation-principles
universal-emotion is an agent skill that maps Disney animation principles to target emotions so developers who need culturally readable UI feedback can encode success, error, delight, and urgency through intentional moti
About
universal-emotion is a Design & UI/UX agent skill from dylantarre/animation-principles that systematizes emotional outcomes in interface animation. It provides a framework for mapping Disney's 12 principles to any emotional goal through systematic analysis across energy, valence, arousal, and dominance spectrums. Developers define a target emotion, then translate that intent into specific motion parameters rather than guessing easing curves. The skill fits toast notifications, form validation feedback, loading states, onboarding delight moments, and urgency cues that must read clearly across cultures and accessibility contexts. universal-emotion bridges product intent and concrete animation specs so motion communicates feeling consistently in production UI.
- Maps emotions to motion vocabulary
- Supports cross-cultural readability
- Pairs emotion with accessible feedback
- Aligns motion tone with brand voice
- Guides success, warning, and delight states
Universal Emotion by the numbers
- 337 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #744 of 1,880 Design & UI/UX skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 3, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
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| Installs | 337 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 68 |
| Last updated | December 30, 2025 |
| Repository | dylantarre/animation-principles ↗ |
How do you encode emotion in UI motion design?
Encode universally readable emotional cues—success, error, delight, urgency—through motion so interfaces communicate feeling across cultures and accessibility needs.
Who is it for?
Frontend developers and designers defining emotionally legible micro-interactions for success, error, delight, and urgency states.
Skip if: Projects with no motion requirements or teams that only need static brand color guidelines without animated feedback.
When should I use this skill?
User wants animation to convey a specific emotion, map Disney principles to UI states, or design culturally readable motion feedback.
What you get
Emotion-to-motion parameter maps, principle selections, and animation briefs tied to UI state feedback.
- emotion-to-motion maps
- animation parameter briefs
By the numbers
- Maps Disney's 12 animation principles to emotional targets
Files
Universal Emotion Animation Framework
Map Disney's 12 principles to any emotional goal through systematic analysis.
Emotional Goal
Any emotion can be achieved through intentional application of animation principles. This framework helps translate emotional intent into specific motion parameters.
Emotion Mapping Framework
Step 1: Define the Emotion
Identify your target on these spectrums:
- Energy: Low ←→ High
- Valence: Negative ←→ Positive
- Arousal: Calm ←→ Excited
- Dominance: Submissive ←→ Powerful
Step 2: Map Principles to Emotion
| Principle | Low Energy | High Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Squash & Stretch | 0-10% | 20-40% |
| Anticipation | 50-100ms | 150-300ms |
| Timing | 400-800ms | 100-250ms |
| Exaggeration | 0-15% | 25-50% |
| Follow Through | Extended settle | Quick bounce |
| Principle | Serious | Playful |
|---|---|---|
| Arc | Direct/Linear | Curved/Bouncy |
| Secondary Action | Minimal | Abundant |
| Straight Ahead | Avoid | Embrace |
| Appeal | Clean/Geometric | Round/Organic |
Step 3: Select Easing
| Emotion Type | Easing Style | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Calm | Symmetric ease | ease-in-out |
| Confident | Strong ease-out | cubic-bezier(0,0,0.2,1) |
| Playful | Overshoot | cubic-bezier(0.34,1.56,0.64,1) |
| Urgent | Sharp ease-out | cubic-bezier(0.0,0,0.2,1) |
| Elegant | Extended ease | cubic-bezier(0.4,0,0.6,1) |
Quick Reference by Emotion
Positive Emotions
- Joy: Fast timing, high squash/stretch, bouncy easing
- Trust: Consistent timing, minimal deformation, smooth easing
- Calm: Slow timing, subtle movement, symmetric easing
- Excitement: Fast timing, high energy, dynamic easing
Functional Emotions
- Urgency: Very fast, direct paths, attention-grabbing
- Professional: Moderate timing, minimal decoration, standard easing
- Friendly: Moderate timing, soft deformation, gentle easing
Premium Emotions
- Elegant: Slower timing, no deformation, refined easing
- Powerful: Deliberate timing, impact emphasis, strong easing
CSS Variables Template
:root {
/* Adjust based on target emotion */
--emotion-duration: 300ms;
--emotion-easing: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);
--emotion-squash: 1;
--emotion-overshoot: 0;
}Decision Tree
1. Is the emotion high or low energy? 2. Is the feeling positive, negative, or neutral? 3. Should users feel in control or guided? 4. Is this a moment or a state? 5. What's the brand personality?
Combining Emotions
Real experiences blend emotions. Layer principles:
- Primary emotion: 70% influence
- Secondary emotion: 30% influence
- Adjust timing/easing accordingly
When to Use
- Novel emotional requirements
- Brand-specific interpretations
- Complex emotional journeys
- A/B testing emotional impact
- Cross-cultural considerations
- Accessibility adaptations
Related skills
How it compares
Choose universal-emotion over spatial-thinking when the primary goal is emotional readability of UI feedback, not depth and perspective.
FAQ
What framework does universal-emotion use?
universal-emotion maps Disney's 12 principles to any emotional goal through systematic analysis, letting developers translate target feelings into specific motion parameters across energy, valence, arousal, and dominance.
Which UI states does universal-emotion cover?
universal-emotion encodes universally readable emotional cues—success, error, delight, and urgency—through motion so interfaces communicate feeling across cultures and accessibility needs.