animate

animate

Analyze a feature and strategically add animations and micro-interactions that enhance understanding, provide feedback, and create delight.

MANDATORY PREPARATION

Use the frontend-design skill — it contains design principles, anti-patterns, and the Context Gathering Protocol. Follow the protocol before proceeding — if no design context exists yet, you MUST run teach-impeccable first. Additionally gather: performance constraints.

Assess Animation Opportunities

Analyze where motion would improve the experience:

Identify static areas:

Missing feedback: Actions without visual acknowledgment (button clicks, form submission, etc.)

• Jarring transitions: Instant state changes that feel abrupt (show/hide, page loads, route changes)

• Unclear relationships: Spatial or hierarchical relationships that aren't obvious

• Lack of delight: Functional but joyless interactions

• Missed guidance: Opportunities to direct attention or explain behavior

Understand the context:

What's the personality? (Playful vs serious, energetic vs calm)

• What's the performance budget? (Mobile-first? Complex page?)

• Who's the audience? (Motion-sensitive users? Power users who want speed?)

• What matters most? (One hero animation vs many micro-interactions?)

If any of these are unclear from the codebase, STOP and call the AskUserQuestion tool to clarify.

CRITICAL: Respect prefers-reduced-motion. Always provide non-animated alternatives for users who need them.

Plan Animation Strategy

Create a purposeful animation plan:

• Hero moment: What's the ONE signature animation? (Page load? Hero section? Key interaction?)

• Feedback layer: Which interactions need acknowledgment?

• Transition layer: Which state changes need smoothing?

• Delight layer: Where can we surprise and delight?

IMPORTANT: One well-orchestrated experience beats scattered animations everywhere. Focus on high-impact moments.

Implement Animations

Add motion systematically across these categories:

Entrance Animations

• Page load choreography: Stagger element reveals (100-150ms delays), fade + slide combinations

• Hero section: Dramatic entrance for primary content (scale, parallax, or creative effects)

• Content reveals: Scroll-triggered animations using intersection observer

• Modal/drawer entry: Smooth slide + fade, backdrop fade, focus management

Micro-interactions

• Button feedback:

Hover: Subtle scale (1.02-1.05), color shift, shadow increase

• Click: Quick scale down then up (0.95 → 1), ripple effect

• Loading: Spinner or pulse state

• Form interactions:

Input focus: Border color transition, slight scale or glow

• Validation: Shake on error, check mark on success, smooth color transitions

• Toggle switches: Smooth slide + color transition (200-300ms)

• Checkboxes/radio: Check mark animation, ripple effect

• Like/favorite: Scale + rotation, particle effects, color transition

State Transitions

• Show/hide: Fade + slide (not instant), appropriate timing (200-300ms)

• Expand/collapse: Height transition with overflow handling, icon rotation

• Loading states: Skeleton screen fades, spinner animations, progress bars

• Success/error: Color transitions, icon animations, gentle scale pulse

• Enable/disable: Opacity transitions, cursor changes

Navigation & Flow

• Page transitions: Crossfade between routes, shared element transitions

• Tab switching: Slide indicator, content fade/slide

• Carousel/slider: Smooth transforms, snap points, momentum

• Scroll effects: Parallax layers, sticky headers with state changes, scroll progress indicators

Feedback & Guidance

• Hover hints: Tooltip fade-ins, cursor changes, element highlights

• Drag & drop: Lift effect (shadow + scale), drop zone highlights, smooth repositioning

• Copy/paste: Brief highlight flash on paste, "copied" confirmation

• Focus flow: Highlight path through form or workflow

Delight Moments

• Empty states: Subtle floating animations on illustrations

• Completed actions: Confetti, check mark flourish, success celebrations

• Easter eggs: Hidden interactions for discovery

• Contextual animation: Weather effects, time-of-day themes, seasonal touches

Technical Implementation

Use appropriate techniques for each animation:

Timing & Easing

Durations by purpose:

• 100-150ms: Instant feedback (button press, toggle)

• 200-300ms: State changes (hover, menu open)

• 300-500ms: Layout changes (accordion, modal)

• 500-800ms: Entrance animations (page load)

Easing curves (use these, not CSS defaults):

/* Recommended - natural deceleration */
--ease-out-quart: cubic-bezier(0.25, 1, 0.5, 1);    /* Smooth, refined */
--ease-out-quint: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);   /* Slightly snappier */
--ease-out-expo: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);     /* Confident, decisive */

/* AVOID - feel dated and tacky */
/* bounce: cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1); */
/* elastic: cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.6, 0.32, 1.6); */

Exit animations are faster than entrances. Use ~75% of enter duration.

CSS Animations

/* Prefer for simple, declarative animations */
- transitions for state changes
- @keyframes for complex sequences
- transform + opacity only (GPU-accelerated)

JavaScript Animation

/* Use for complex, interactive animations */
- Web Animations API for programmatic control
- Framer Motion for React
- GSAP for complex sequences

Performance

• GPU acceleration: Use transform and opacity, avoid layout properties

• will-change: Add sparingly for known expensive animations

• Reduce paint: Minimize repaints, use contain where appropriate

• Monitor FPS: Ensure 60fps on target devices

Accessibility

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  * {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

NEVER:

• Use bounce or elastic easing curves—they feel dated and draw attention to the animation itself

• Animate layout properties (width, height, top, left)—use transform instead

• Use durations over 500ms for feedback—it feels laggy

• Animate without purpose—every animation needs a reason

• Ignore prefers-reduced-motion—this is an accessibility violation

• Animate everything—animation fatigue makes interfaces feel exhausting

• Block interaction during animations unless intentional

Verify Quality

Test animations thoroughly:

• Smooth at 60fps: No jank on target devices

• Feels natural: Easing curves feel organic, not robotic

• Appropriate timing: Not too fast (jarring) or too slow (laggy)

• Reduced motion works: Animations disabled or simplified appropriately

• Doesn't block: Users can interact during/after animations

• Adds value: Makes interface clearer or more delightful

Remember: Motion should enhance understanding and provide feedback, not just add decoration. Animate with purpose, respect performance constraints, and always consider accessibility. Great animation is invisible - it just makes everything feel right. Weekly Installs18.1KRepositorypbakaus/impeccableGitHub Stars10.2KFirst Seen14 days agoSecurity AuditsGen Agent Trust HubPassSocketPassSnykPassInstalled oncodex17.9Kopencode17.8Kgithub-copilot17.7Kgemini-cli17.7Kcursor17.7Kamp17.7K