Motion Design

Motion Design Skill

When to Apply

Use this skill when:

• Creating UI animations (buttons, cards, modals, page transitions)
• Designing micro-interactions and feedback animations
• Building loading, success, or error states
• Animating illustrations or decorative elements
• Planning scroll-triggered or progress-based animations
• Establishing brand motion identity
• Choreographing multi-element sequences

Decision tree: 1. Does it serve a functional purpose (feedback, guidance)? → Timing rules for responsiveness 2. Does it express brand personality? → Motion Personality archetypes 3. Does it tell a story or guide attention? → Disney principles + choreography 4. Is this a complex multi-element scene? → 1/3 Rule + stagger patterns

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Quick Reference: 8-Step Checklist

Before creating any animation:

1. Emotional target? — joy, calm, urgency, elegance 2. Motion Personality? — Playful, Premium, Corporate, Energetic 3. Primary property? — position, scale, rotation, opacity 4. Duration? — see duration table below 5. Easing family? — entrance=decelerate, exit=accelerate 6. Hero element? — apply staging principles 7. Secondary + ambient layers? — add richness 8. 1/3 rules? — motion distance, simultaneous elements

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Three Pillars (CRITICAL)

Every animation must satisfy three pillars before any technical decisions:

Three motion layers (flat animation = missing layers):

• Primary: Main action the viewer follows
• Secondary: Supporting richness (shadows, icons shifting)
• Ambient: Background life (gradients, subtle pulses)

Deep dive: director/core-philosophy.md

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Motion Personality

Select ONE archetype per project. Apply consistently.

Default: Corporate for UI, Playful for illustrations.

Brand Motion Identity — define three constants: 1. Signature easing: One curve for 80% of animations 2. Duration palette: 3 durations (quick / standard / slow) 3. Entrance pattern: One consistent entry style

Deep dive: director/motion-personality.md

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Property Selection

Simplicity threshold: Use the minimum properties needed. One = direct. Two = polished. Three+ = potentially overwhelming.

Deep dive: reference/property-selection.md

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Duration Table

Distance scales duration: 100px = base. 200px = 1.3x. 400px = 1.6x.

Enter > Exit: Entrances 30-50% longer than exits. Users care about what appears.

Interactive feedback:

• Hover: <100ms
• Press: <150ms
• Release/settle: 200-300ms
• Error shake: 300-400ms (2-3 oscillations)

Deep dive: reference/timing-easing-tables.md

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Easing Selection

Directional rules:

• Entrance → decelerate (fast start, gentle landing): ease-out family
• Exit → accelerate (gentle start, fast departure): ease-in family
• On-screen → smooth both ends: ease-in-out family
• Looping ambient → seamless: sine-based ease-in-out

Industry standards:

Material-based easing:

Deep dive: reference/timing-easing-tables.md

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Common Patterns

Button Press (Playful)

1. Anticipation: Scale to 0.97 (50ms, ease-out) 2. Squash: Scale to [1.04, 0.96] (100ms, ease-in) 3. Follow through: Overshoots to 1.02, settles to 1.0 (spring, 200ms) 4. Secondary: Shadow shrinks during press, icon shifts down 2px 5. Total: ~150ms press + 200ms settle

Card Entrance (Premium)

1. Start: 20px below target, opacity 0 2. Path: Slight curve (10px X offset at midpoint) 3. Easing: ease-out-cubic deceleration 4. Follow through: Shadow arrives 50ms after card 5. Secondary: Content fades in 100ms after card lands 6. Staging: Other cards dim to 80%

Success State (Playful)

1. Primary: Scale pop with ease-out-back 2. Secondary: Checkmark draws in 3. Ambient: Subtle particle burst 4. Color: Green fill 5. Total: 300-400ms

Error Shake (Corporate)

1. Primary: Position oscillates 2-3 times, ±10-15px horizontal 2. Easing: ease-in-out for sharp stops 3. Color: Red tint 4. Total: 300-400ms 5. No overshoot: Errors feel firm

More patterns: patterns/entrance-exit.md | patterns/state-feedback.md

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Choreography Essentials

Coordinated entry:

• Lead with the hero — primary element enters first or most prominently
• Spatial consistency — all elements enter from same direction
• Counter-motion — hero moves right → ambient moves left at 20-30% speed

1/3 Rule (distance): No motion travels more than 1/3 of screen without a keyframe change.

1/3 Rule (elements): With 3+ elements, no more than 1/3 in active motion simultaneously.

Stagger budgets:

Critical: Total stagger must stay under 500ms.

Deep dive: director/choreography.md

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Emotion-to-Motion Map

Path as language: Angular = tense. Curved = friendly. Spiral = whimsical. Diagonal = purposeful. Vertical = growth/weight. Horizontal = progress.

Deep dive: director/emotion-mapping.md

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Weight Classification

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Quality Rules

CRITICAL — never break

1. Never linear for spatial movement — always use easing curves (linear only for spinners, progress bars) 2. Never opacity-only for important state changes — combine with position or scale 3. Never exceed 1/3 screen without intermediate keyframe 4. Always three motion layers — primary + secondary + ambient

HIGH — strongly follow

1. Match duration to element type (see tables) 2. Use directional easing (ease-out entrance, ease-in exit) 3. Apply Disney principles (especially anticipation, follow-through) 4. Maintain consistent personality across scene

Full checklist: reference/quality-checklist.md

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Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Deep dive: reference/troubleshooting.md

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File Reference

Philosophy (director/):

• core-philosophy.md — Three Pillars deep dive
• decision-framework.md — Full decision pipeline
• disney-principles.md — 12 principles, UI-adapted
• motion-personality.md — 4 archetypes + brand identity
• emotion-mapping.md — Emotion → motion + color psychology
• choreography.md — Multi-element coordination
• narrative-structure.md — Micro-story framework
• context-adaptation.md — Platform, a11y, performance

Reference (reference/):

• timing-easing-tables.md — Duration + easing lookups
• property-selection.md — Property communication guide
• troubleshooting.md — Animation smells + fixes
• quality-checklist.md — Evaluation criteria

Patterns (patterns/):

• entrance-exit.md — Entrance/exit recipes
• state-feedback.md — Success, error, loading, hover
• ambient-continuous.md — Looping, breathing, parallax
• multi-element.md — Stagger + choreography recipes

Choreography

Coordinated Entry Rules

1. Lead with the Hero

• Hero gets largest displacement and most attention-grabbing easing
• Supporting elements are subtler in every dimension

2. Spatial Origin Consistency

All elements enter from same direction or shared origin. Mixed directions = chaos.

3. Counter-Motion

Sequence Structure

Leave 100-200ms stillness after resolution before new motion.

The 1/3 Rules

Distance: No motion travels >1/3 screen without intermediate keyframe. Break with direction changes, speed variations, or arc adjustments.

Elements: With 3+ animated elements, max 1/3 active simultaneously. Stagger so element 1 settles as element 3 starts.

Stagger Patterns

• All staggered elements use same easing family
• Vary only start time, not curve
• Optional: last element gets slight overshoot (punctuation)

Shared Motion Events

When multiple elements react to one trigger:

• All start within 50ms of each other
• Can arrive at different times (staggered landing)
• Same easing family; motion originates from trigger point

Attention Direction

Depth Through Speed

Common Recipes

Dashboard Load

1. Skeletons fade in (100ms) 2. Hero metric (250ms, ease-out, 100ms delay) 3. Supporting cards stagger (50ms between, 200ms each) 4. Chart data draws in (300ms, starts with cards) 5. Ambient pulse on primary metric

Modal Open

1. Background dims (200ms) 2. Modal scales 95%→100% + fades (300ms, 50ms delay) 3. Content fades in (200ms, 100ms after modal) 4. Close button last (150ms)

List Update (item added)

1. Existing items shift down (200ms, ease-in-out) 2. New item fades+slides from top (250ms, ease-out, 50ms delay) 3. Subtle scale overshoot on land (3-5%)

Context Adaptation

Platform Scaling

Mobile rules: prefer opacity + transform; touch feedback <100ms; reduce stagger budgets by 30%; avoid parallax Desktop opportunities: hover states, cursor tracking, multi-column stagger, spatial choreography

Accessibility

prefers-reduced-motion

Reduced motion means: remove spatial movement, keep opacity, remove spring easing, reduce duration 50%+, never auto-play loops.

Vestibular Triggers (avoid or provide alternatives)

• Large-scale zoom, full-screen position transitions
• Spinning elements >100px, parallax >2 layers, rapid direction changes

Cognitive Accessibility

• Same interaction = same animation every time
• Pause controls for animations >5 seconds
• Don't convey critical info through motion alone

Performance Budgets

• Target 60fps (16.67ms/frame); animation logic <10ms/frame
• will-change sparingly; keep animated elements <20 per viewport
• Stagger reduces peak load vs simultaneous
• Fallback: 30fps acceptable for ambient

Content Type Adaptation

Responsive Motion

• Small viewport: sequential, one element at a time
• Medium: standard stagger, 2-3 columns
• Large: full choreography, center-out stagger, parallax

Dark Mode

• Reduce motion intensity 10-20% (bright on dark = more impact)
• Subtler ambient motion; careful with opacity values
• Avoid pure white flashes

Core Philosophy

Three Pillars

Pillar 1: Emotional Intent

Define target emotion before choosing any property.

Pillar 2: Visual Narrative

Even a 200ms tooltip fade has implicit setup→action→resolution.

Pillar 3: Motion Craft

• Easing curves match emotional intent
• Duration proportional to element size and distance
• Arcs for organic, straight for mechanical
• Secondary motion (shadows, related elements)
• Nothing starts and stops all at once

Three Motion Layers

• Secondary offset 50-100ms from primary, different easing
• Ambient is continuous/slow, never demands attention
• Primary-only animation feels flat; always add secondary + ambient

The 1/3 Screen Rule

No motion travels >1/3 screen without intermediate keyframe. Break with direction changes, speed shifts, or arc adjustments.

The Attention Budget

• One hero motion per scene moment
• Max 2-3 elements in active motion simultaneously
• Ambient doesn't count against budget
• Stagger rather than synchronize

Decision Framework

The First Questions

1. Purpose?

2. Audience?

• Stressed → calm motion; Browsing → richer motion
• Task-focused → fast, minimal; Exploring → can be dramatic
• Seen 100x/day → fast, subtle; Seen once → can be dramatic

3. Context?

• Busy layout → simpler motion; Empty → can be dramatic
• Other animations active → coordinate or stagger
• Small container → small motion

4-Level Decision Hierarchy

Level 1: Motion Category

Level 2: Motion Personality

Match to brand. See motion-personality.md.

Level 3: Motion Direction

Level 4: Implementation Properties

Choose animated properties. See property-selection.md.

Decision Quick-Path

1. PURPOSE → What does this motion DO?
   ├── Feedback → short, ease-out, minimal
   ├── Entrance → ease-out, personality-matched
   ├── Exit → ease-in, 70% of entrance
   ├── Emphasis → scale or color pulse
   └── Ambient → slow, continuous, sine

2. PERSONALITY → Match keywords
   ├── Fun/bouncy → Playful
   ├── Elegant/luxury → Premium
   ├── Clean/professional → Corporate
   └── Bold/dynamic → Energetic

3. PROPERTIES → Minimum needed (two = sweet spot)

4. TIMING → Check duration table, adjust for distance/weight

5. EASING → Entering=ease-out, Leaving=ease-in, On-screen=ease-in-out, Looping=sine

Evaluation Before Delivery

Disney's 12 Principles — UI Adapted

1. Squash and Stretch

• Squash: scale ~[1.2, 0.8]; Stretch: ~[0.85, 1.15]
• Impact: 2-4 frames (30-65ms); Recovery: 4-8 frames (65-130ms)
• Preserve volume: width +20% → height decreases proportionally
• Skip for premium/luxury brands

2. Anticipation

• Small motion opposite to main direction before action
• Duration: 100-200ms, magnitude: 10-20% of main action
• Button: scale down 3% before expanding; Card: shift 5-10px away first
• Skip for micro-feedback (<150ms)

3. Staging

• Dim non-hero elements to 40-60% opacity; optional 2-4px blur
• Hero enters 100-200ms after supporting elements
• One primary action per timing beat

4. Straight Ahead vs. Pose to Pose

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action

• Child delay: 50-150ms behind parent
• Trailing elements: offset stop times by 100-200ms
• Use spring easing for trailing parts (lower stiffness = more trailing)

6. Slow In and Slow Out

NEVER linear for spatial movement. Linear only for: rotation, progress bars, timers.

7. Arcs

• Add 10-20px perpendicular offset at path midpoint
• Subtle (5px) for corporate, pronounced (20px+) for playful
• Mechanical UIs can use straight paths intentionally

8. Secondary Action

• Amplitude: 30-50% of primary; timing: 50-100ms after primary
• Different easing than primary
• Examples: card enters → shadow grows; button presses → ripple expands

9. Timing

Enter-exit asymmetry: entrances 30-50% longer than exits.

10. Exaggeration

• Scale overshoot: 10-30% beyond target; rotation: ±5-15°

11. Solid Drawing

• Maintain consistent proportions across keyframes
• Use scale + rotation together for depth
• Shadow behavior matches implied light source

12. Appeal

• Smooth curves over sharp angles; satisfying timing
• Personality consistency across all elements
• Appeal killers: jerky motion, inconsistent timing, abrupt stops, uniform animation

Combining Principles

Emotion-to-Motion Mapping

Core Table

Path as Emotional Language

Emotional Intensity

Color Psychology

Color Transition Rules

• Success: transition TO green (don't start with it)
• Error: flash red then settle (don't sustain)
• Warning: pulse yellow/amber for urgency
• Neutral: use opacity rather than color change

Context-Based Emotion Defaults

Motion Personality

Four Archetypes

Playful

Signature: bounce settle, squash-stretch on press, rotation wobble, bright color pops, varied stagger timing. Use for: children's apps, casual games, social media, celebrations, onboarding, creative tools.

Premium / Luxury

Signature: slow fades, subtle scale (98%→100%), generous pauses, minimal properties (opacity+one), ultra-smooth. Use for: fashion, finance, luxury brands, premium SaaS, portfolios, editorial.

Corporate / Professional

Signature: consistent timing, clear state transitions, functional motion, predictable patterns, uniform stagger. Use for: enterprise, dashboards, business tools, admin, healthcare, banking.

Energetic / Dynamic

Signature: large scale changes (50-150%), fast color transitions, particle bursts, accelerating stagger, bold edge entrances. Use for: gaming, sports, music, events, marketing, fitness apps.

Keyword Matching

Brand Motion Identity

Define three constants for recognizable motion:

1. Signature Easing (80% of animations)

Playful: ease-out-back | Premium: (0.4,0,0.2,1) | Corporate: (0.2,0,0,1) | Energetic: ease-out-expo

2. Duration Palette

3. Entrance Pattern

Playful: bounce up from below | Premium: slow fade + scale 98%→100% | Corporate: slide right + opacity | Energetic: snap from edge + overshoot

Mixing Archetypes

• 90% primary archetype; specific moments can borrow another
• Ease into personality shifts, don't snap
• Example: corporate dashboard borrows Playful for success state only

Narrative Structure

Four-Act Structure

Act 1: Anticipation (10-20%)

• Wind-up: small motion opposite to main direction
• Gathering: elements pull together before dispersing
• Dimming: context fades for focus; Tension: hold compressed ~50ms
• Skip for <150ms interactions and hover states

Act 2: Action (30-50%)

Peak energy. The primary communicative motion.

• Fast+direct (sharp easing) → alerts
• Smooth+flowing (gentle easing, curves) → transitions
• Explosive+expanding (expo, radial) → celebrations
• Controlled+precise (linear-ish) → data charts

Act 3: Reaction (10-20%)

• Shadows adjust: 50-100ms after primary
• Siblings shift: 50-150ms after primary
• Environment ripples: 100-200ms after primary
• Counter-motion: simultaneous with action
• Skip for simple toggles/checkboxes

Act 4: Resolution (20-30%)

• Overshoot settle (spring/back-easing); opacity reaches final (ease-out)
• 100-200ms breathing room before next motion
• Even 50ms of settling transforms the feel

Scaling to Duration

Multi-Beat Narratives

Transitions: overlap (fluid) | sequential (clear) | simultaneous (parallel)

Progressions:

• Build-Up: low → rising → peak → settling
• Cycle: depart → peak → return → repeat
• Impact: sudden action → ripple → slow settle

By Personality

Common Patterns

• Reveal: tension (dim, scale 95%) → emerge (100%, full opacity) → surroundings adjust → settled
• Departure: gather (scale 98%) → exit → close gap → layout settles
• Transformation: destabilize (vibration) → morph → secondary appears → new state breathing
• Celebration: compress (50-100ms) → burst (scale, particles) → settle → calm with positive state

Ambient & Continuous Patterns

Ambient amplitude: 10-20% of primary motion. Never compete for attention.

Breathing / Pulse

• Scale oscillation 0.98-1.02, sine ease-in-out, 2000-4000ms/cycle
• Alt: opacity oscillation 0.7-1.0

Pulsing >±5% scale becomes attention-demanding.

Floating / Hovering

• Y position ±5-15px, sine ease-in-out, 3000-5000ms/cycle
• Optional: slight rotation ±2-3°, offset 30% of position cycle

Layered floating (multiple elements — different durations prevent sync):

• Element 1: 4000ms, ±10px
• Element 2: 5500ms, ±8px (offset 30%)
• Element 3: 3500ms, ±12px (offset 60%)

Gradient Shift

• Background-position or gradient angle shift
• Duration: 8000-20000ms/cycle; range: ±10-20% position or ±15° angle
• Easing: linear or sine; should be imperceptible at a glance

Parallax

Scroll-driven: total displacement <100px; avoid on mobile; never parallax text Mouse-driven: foreground 10-20px max, background 5-10px opposite direction, 100-200ms interpolation

Continuous Rotation

• Spinners: linear easing, 1000-2000ms/revolution

Shimmer / Gleam

• Gradient sweep left-to-right, 1500-2500ms/sweep
• Pause 2000-5000ms between sweeps
• Opacity gradient: 0%→30%→0%
• Use for: skeleton loading, premium accents, "new" badges

Particle Ambient

Snow/Falling: 10-20 elements, 20-60px/s down, ±10-20px drift, 3-8px, 30-70% opacity

Dust/Motes: 5-10 elements, 10-30px/s mixed, 2-5px, 20-50% opacity

Sparkle/Stars: 8-15 elements, opacity pulse 0→100%→0, 500-1500ms/sparkle, random stagger

Performance: <20 ambient elements, transform+opacity only, larger/fewer over small/numerous

Combining Ambient Layers

Total ambient: max 20% of primary motion's visual energy.

Entrance & Exit Patterns

Entrance Strategies

1. Direct Entrance (Slide In)

• Position + opacity; offset 20-40px + opacity 0 → final position + opacity 1
• Easing: ease-out; duration 200-350ms

Direction: below=arrival, right=forward, left=back, above=dropdown/authority.

2. Emergent Entrance (Scale In)

• Scale + opacity; start 85-95% + opacity 0 → 100% + opacity 1
• Duration 250-400ms

Best for: modals, dialogs, notifications, popovers, tooltips.

3. Reveal Entrance (Clip/Mask)

• clip-path or mask + opacity; 300-500ms, ease-out
• Directions: top-to-bottom (dramatic), L-to-R (reading order), center-out (focus), edge-in (contained)

4. Assembled Entrance (Multi-Part)

• Parts arrive from different positions; stagger 50-100ms; total 300-600ms
• Best for: icon assembly, logo builds, data viz construction

Exit Strategies

Rule: Exits = 65-75% of entrance duration.

1. Direct Exit (Slide Out)

• Offset 20-40px + opacity 0; ease-in; 150-250ms

2. Dissolve Exit (Fade Out)

• Opacity (+ optional scale to 98%); ease-in; 150-250ms
• Best for: gentle departures, backgrounding, crossfades

3. Collapse Exit (Shrink Out)

• Scale 85-95% + opacity 0; ease-in; 150-250ms
• Best for: deletion, closing modals, dismissal

4. Transfer Exit (Move Away)

• Position toward destination + scale shrink; ease-in-out; 250-400ms
• Best for: add-to-cart, save-to-collection, move-to-folder

Entrance-Exit Continuity

• Eye follows naturally from exit to entrance
• Exit point near entry point when possible
• 100-150ms timing overlap between exit and entrance
• Same easing family for paired entrance-exit

Common Recipes

Notification Slide-In

1. Slide from right + opacity (250ms, ease-out) 2. Overshoot 3-5% (corporate) or 10-15% (playful) 3. Icon appears (100ms, 50ms delay)

Toast Dismiss

1. Slide toward edge + opacity (180ms, ease-in) 2. Remaining toasts shift up (200ms, ease-in-out)

Dropdown Open

1. Scale Y 0→100% (200ms, ease-out) 2. Items stagger fade in (30ms apart, 50ms after container)

Page Transition (Forward)

1. Current page slides left + fades (300ms, ease-in) 2. New page from right + fades in (400ms, ease-out, 100ms delay) 3. Shared elements morph (400ms, ease-in-out)

Multi-Element Patterns

Stagger Recipes

List Items

• Slide up 20px + fade (200ms, ease-out); stagger 40-60ms; total <400ms for 8 items

Grid Cards

• Scale from 95% + fade (250ms, ease-out); stagger 50-80ms reading order; +20ms per new row
• Shadow 50ms after card. Alt patterns: center-out, column-first, random

Navigation Items

• Slide from side + fade (180ms, ease-out); stagger 30-50ms; total <300ms

Dashboard Widgets

0ms   — Skeletons visible
100ms — Hero metric (250ms, ease-out)
200ms — Widgets begin (200ms each, 60ms stagger)
350ms — Hero complete, chart draws (300ms)
500ms — All landed
650ms — Ambient pulse begins

Coordinated Sequences

Modal with Content

0ms: backdrop dims (200ms) → 50ms: modal scales 95%→100% (300ms) → 200ms: title → 280ms: body → 350ms: buttons → 400ms: close button. Content in reading order.

Tab Switch

0ms: indicator slides (250ms, ease-in-out) + old fades (150ms) → 100ms: new content from tab direction (200ms) → 150ms: elements stagger (40ms)

Accordion

Expand: arrow rotates (150ms) + height expands (250ms) + content fades at 50ms (200ms); siblings shift (200ms). Collapse: reverse, ease-in.

Page Transition

Current slides left+fades (300ms, ease-in) → new from right (400ms, ease-out, 100ms delay) → hero scales in → content staggers (50ms). Optional shared element morph (400ms).

Drag and Drop

Drag: lift (scale 1.03, 150ms); others shift (200ms). Drop: settle (scale 1.0, 200ms); gaps close.

Choreography Rules

Timing Overlap

0%=methodical | 25%=brisk (standard) | 50%=fluid | 75%=rapid (energetic)

Group Rules

• Same easing family; different durations/delays fine
• Exception: secondary/ambient can differ

Shared Origin

Motion from trigger point; closer=first; farther=more delay

Counter-Motion

State & Feedback Patterns

Button Press

Playful

• Press: scale 0.95 (60ms, ease-out); Release: overshoot 1.05 (80ms); Settle: 1.0 (120ms, spring)
• Secondary: shadow shrinks/grows; color darkens/brightens. Total ~260ms

Premium

• Press: scale 0.98 (80ms); Release: 1.0 (150ms, no overshoot)
• Opacity dims to 90% on press. Total ~230ms

Corporate

• Press: scale 0.97 (60ms); Release: 1.0 (100ms); overshoot 0-2%
• Background darkens 10%. Total ~160ms

Hover States

Hover enter <100ms; hover exit 150-200ms (slower = polished).

Toggle / Switch

• Thumb slides (120-180ms, ease-in-out); track color transitions simultaneously
• Slight squash in movement direction
• Playful: bounce at destination; Premium: smooth, no overshoot

Success State

Checkmark Success

1. Container: scale 0.9→1.0 (200ms, ease-out-back, 5-10% overshoot) 2. Checkmark: stroke draw (150ms, ease-out, 100ms delay) 3. Color: to green (200ms); ambient glow/particles (300ms) 4. Total: 400-500ms

Confirmation Badge

1. Badge scales from 0 (200ms, ease-out-back) 2. Text fades in (150ms, 50ms delay) 3. Background pulse (300ms, sine)

Payment Success

1. Spinner → checkmark crossfade (200ms) 2. Checkmark draws (200ms); container → success color (200ms) 3. Text fades in (200ms, 100ms delay); optional confetti (300-500ms)

Error State

Error Shake

• Horizontal oscillation ±10-15px, 2-3 cycles decreasing amplitude
• ease-in-out, 300-400ms total; red tint; no overshoot; settles at origin

Inline Validation

1. Error text slides down + fades in (200ms) 2. Border → red (150ms); icon scales in (150ms, 50ms delay) 3. Optional single shake (200ms)

Form Submission Error

1. Button returns to normal (200ms) 2. Error message slides in (250ms) 3. Affected fields highlight red (150ms, staggered 30ms) 4. Smooth scroll to first error (300ms, ease-in-out)

Loading States

Spinner

• Continuous 360°, linear, 1000-1500ms/rev; optional breathing pulse (2-3s)

Skeleton

• Gradient sweep L→R, 1500-2000ms; base 10-20% opacity, peak 30-40%

Progress Bar

• Width/transform, ease-in-out; optional color milestones + shimmer

Indeterminate

• Oscillating position/width, 1500-2500ms, ease-in-out; continuous, never frantic

Warning State

1. Yellow/amber border (150ms) 2. Warning icon scales in (150ms, subtle overshoot) 3. Optional icon pulse (2-3s, sine); text fades in (200ms, 50ms delay)

Disabled / Enabled

• Disabling: opacity to 50-60% (200ms); optional scale to 98%
• Enabling: opacity to 100% (200ms); optional scale pulse 98%→100%

Focus States

• Focus ring: scale 95%→100% + opacity (150ms)
• Card focus: scale 1.01, shadow increase (150ms)
• Tab nav focus: <100ms; must work with reduced-motion

Property Selection

Position

Scale

Rotation

Opacity

Rule: NEVER opacity alone for important state changes. Combine with position or scale.

Color

Combined Properties

Primary property carries meaning; secondary adds polish. Two properties is the sweet spot.

Property Selection by Goal

Performance

Rule: Prefer transform + opacity for all motion.

Quality Checklist

Visual Quality

• [ ] Elements >40px for motion, >100px for detail
• [ ] Readable at full speed without slow-motion
• [ ] Clear primary, secondary, ambient layers
• [ ] Counter-motion for balance where needed
• [ ] Natural arcs (unless intentionally mechanical)
• [ ] 1/3 rule (distance): no unbroken motion >1/3 container
• [ ] 1/3 rule (density): max 1/3 elements active simultaneously

Technical Quality

• [ ] No linear easing on spatial movement
• [ ] Duration matches element type table
• [ ] Ease-out entrances, ease-in exits
• [ ] Duration proportional to distance
• [ ] Entrance duration >= exit duration
• [ ] Not opacity-only for important state changes
• [ ] Stagger total <500ms
• [ ] Follow-through: child elements offset 50-150ms

Emotional Quality

• [ ] Target emotion identified before properties
• [ ] Personality archetype matches brand
• [ ] Setup → action → resolution structure
• [ ] Intensity matches interaction importance
• [ ] Consistent: same interaction = same motion
• [ ] Appropriate on 100th viewing

Performance Quality

• [ ] Primary motion uses transform + opacity
• [ ] <20 animated elements per viewport
• [ ] No layout-triggering properties animated
• [ ] Elements staggered, not simultaneous
• [ ] Maintains 60fps (30fps acceptable for ambient)

Accessibility Quality

• [ ] prefers-reduced-motion alternative provided
• [ ] No vestibular triggers without alternative
• [ ] Same interaction = same animation
• [ ] Critical info not motion-only
• [ ] Animations >5s are pausable

Severity Tiers

CRITICAL

• Linear easing on spatial movement
• Opacity-only for important states
• Exceeds 1/3 screen rule
• Missing primary layer
• Stagger >500ms
• Layout property animation causing jank

HIGH

• Missing secondary layer
• Duration mismatch with element type
• Wrong directional easing
• Inconsistent personality
• No follow-through
• Missing reduced-motion alternative

MEDIUM

• Missing ambient layer
• No anticipation phase
• Overshoot mismatch
• Could use better arcs
• Missing counter-motion

Timing & Easing Tables

Duration by Element Type

Distance-Duration Scaling

50px=0.8x | 100px=1.0x | 200px=1.3x | 300px=1.5x | 400px=1.6x | Full screen=1.8-2.0x

Enter vs. Exit

Entrance = base (100%). Exit = 65-75% of entrance.

Interactive Feedback

Duration by Personality

Easing: Directional Rules

Entrance=ease-out | Exit=ease-in | On-screen=ease-in-out | Looping=sine | Rotation/progress=linear

Easing: Industry Standards

Material-Based Easing

Spring Parameters

Damping: <1.0=oscillates, 1.0=fastest no-oscillation, >1.0=slow settle.

Stagger Patterns

Direction: top-to-bottom (lists) | L-to-R (horizontal) | center-out (hero) | random (organic) | reverse (exits)

Total stagger MUST stay <500ms.

Overshoot Budget

Troubleshooting

Looks Robotic

• Linear easing → use ease-out (entrance) or ease-in-out
• Straight paths → add 10-20px arc at midpoint
• Uniform timing → stagger 50-100ms between elements
• Everything synced → offset start/stop 50-150ms
• No secondary → add shadow, icon reaction, ambient

Feels Too Slow

• Duration exceeds type budget → check duration table
• ease-in-out when ease-out works → ease-out feels faster
• Too much anticipation → reduce to 10% or remove
• Stagger exceeded → total <500ms
• Overshoot settle too long → increase damping

Feels Too Fast / Jarring

• Duration below minimum → modals 300ms+, pages 400ms+
• No easing → add ease-out minimum
• Missing resolution → add 50-100ms settle
• No anticipation on large motion → add 100-200ms wind-up

Feels Cheap / Flat

• Only primary motion → add secondary + ambient
• Opacity-only → combine with position or scale
• Same easing everywhere → vary primary vs secondary
• No follow-through → child elements trail 50-150ms
• No overshoot → add 3-10%

Too Distracting

• Too many moving → 1/3 rule
• Amplitude too large → reduce to minimum
• Competing heroes → one per moment, dim rest
• Ambient too prominent → 10-20% amplitude, slower
• No breathing room → 100-200ms pause between beats

No Personality

• Default easing → apply archetype's signature
• Same duration for all → use personality palette
• No consistent entrance → define one for project
• Mixed archetypes → pick one for 90%+

Inconsistent Feel

• Different easing same-type → standardize per motion type
• Duration varies same type → use palette consistently
• Entry direction changes → one origin everywhere
• Overshoot inconsistent → apply rules consistently

Performance (Dropped Frames)

• Animating width/height/margin → use transform
• Too many elements → <20 per viewport
• Complex shadows/filters → simplify or pre-render
• No GPU acceleration → transform + opacity
• All simultaneous → stagger to spread load

Quick Diagnostic

1. No linear on spatial movement 2. Duration matches element type 3. Primary + secondary layers 4. Consistent personality 5. Directional easing correct 6. 1/3 screen rule 7. 1/3 element rule 8. Follow-through present 9. Every motion has purpose 10. Fine on 100th viewing

Personality Mistakes

• Playful: overshoot >25% = broken; not everything bounces; short+bounce = glitchy
• Premium: too subtle = invisible; too slow = waiting; zero = broken
• Corporate: too conservative = boring; playful easing breaks trust; identical = monotonous
• Energetic: max everywhere = nothing stands out; too many particles; no settle = chaos