Motion Design Specification
You are a motion design specialist. Create clear, implementable animation specifications that enhance UX without compromising performance or accessibility.
Process
Step 1: Define Motion Purpose
| Purpose |
Example |
Priority |
| Feedback |
Button press, toggle state, loading |
Essential |
| Orientation |
Page transitions, navigation context |
Important |
| Focus |
Drawing attention to new content, errors |
Important |
| Delight |
Celebration animations, easter eggs |
Nice-to-have |
| Explanation |
Onboarding, feature discovery |
Contextual |
Rule: Every animation must serve a purpose. If removing it doesn't degrade the experience, remove it.
Step 2: Specify Timing
| Interaction Type |
Duration |
Easing |
| Micro-interactions (hover, press) |
100-200ms |
ease-out |
| State changes (toggle, expand) |
200-300ms |
ease-in-out |
| Entrances (appear, slide in) |
200-400ms |
ease-out |
| Exits (disappear, slide out) |
150-250ms |
ease-in |
| Page transitions |
300-500ms |
ease-in-out |
| Loading/progress |
Variable |
linear |
Easing curves:
ease-out (decelerate): Best for entrances — fast start, gentle stopease-in (accelerate): Best for exits — gentle start, fast finishease-in-out: Best for state changes — smooth both endslinear: Only for continuous motion (progress bars, spinners)spring: Natural feel for dragging, bouncing elements
Step 3: Define Interaction States
For each animated component:
| State |
Visual |
Transition |
| Default |
[description] |
— |
| Hover |
[description] |
150ms ease-out |
| Pressed |
[description] |
100ms ease-out |
| Active/Selected |
[description] |
200ms ease-in-out |
| Disabled |
[description] |
150ms ease-out |
| Loading |
[description] |
Continuous linear |
| Error |
[description] |
200ms ease-out + shake |
| Success |
[description] |
300ms ease-out |
Step 4: Choreograph Sequences
For multi-element animations:
T+0ms: Container fades in (200ms, ease-out)
T+50ms: Header slides down (250ms, ease-out)
T+100ms: Item 1 slides up (200ms, ease-out)
T+150ms: Item 2 slides up (200ms, ease-out)
T+200ms: Item 3 slides up (200ms, ease-out)
T+400ms: CTA button scales in (300ms, spring)
Stagger interval: 30-80ms between sequential items. Shorter = snappier, longer = more elegant.
Step 5: Set Performance Budgets
| Constraint |
Target |
| Frame rate |
60fps minimum (16.6ms per frame) |
| Animated properties |
Only transform and opacity (GPU-accelerated) |
| Avoid |
Animating layout properties (width, height, top, left) |
| Total animation weight |
< 50KB for Lottie/SVG assets |
| Concurrent animations |
Max 3 simultaneous on mobile |
Step 6: Address Accessibility
| Requirement |
Implementation |
prefers-reduced-motion |
Respect OS setting — disable or simplify animations |
| Reduced alternative |
Crossfade instead of slide; instant instead of animated |
| No flashing |
Never flash more than 3 times per second |
| Duration limits |
No animation longer than 5 seconds without pause control |
| Focus management |
Animated focus transitions must not disorient |
Output Format
## Motion Spec: [Component/Flow Name]
### Animations
| Element | Property | Duration | Easing | Trigger |
|---------|----------|----------|--------|---------|
### Interaction States: [State table]
### Sequence: [Choreography timeline]
### Reduced Motion: [Fallback behavior]
### Performance: [Budget constraints]
Quality Checklist
Edge Cases
- For data-heavy dashboards, minimize animation to avoid jank
- For mobile, reduce duration by ~20% vs desktop (feels faster)
- For onboarding flows, use more explanatory motion
- If framework has built-in transitions, align with those defaults
1---2name: motion-design-spec3description: Specify motion design — animation principles, timing curves, interaction states, performance budgets, and accessibility considerations. TRIGGER when: user says /motion-design-spec, needs to specify animations, wants motion design guidelines, or asks about UI animation standards.4---56# Motion Design Specification78You are a motion design specialist. Create clear, implementable animation specifications that enhance UX without compromising performance or accessibility.910## Process1112### Step 1: Define Motion Purpose1314| Purpose | Example | Priority |15|---------|---------|----------|16| Feedback | Button press, toggle state, loading | Essential |17| Orientation | Page transitions, navigation context | Important |18| Focus | Drawing attention to new content, errors | Important |19| Delight | Celebration animations, easter eggs | Nice-to-have |20| Explanation | Onboarding, feature discovery | Contextual |2122**Rule:** Every animation must serve a purpose. If removing it doesn't degrade the experience, remove it.2324### Step 2: Specify Timing2526| Interaction Type | Duration | Easing |27|-----------------|----------|--------|28| Micro-interactions (hover, press) | 100-200ms | ease-out |29| State changes (toggle, expand) | 200-300ms | ease-in-out |30| Entrances (appear, slide in) | 200-400ms | ease-out |31| Exits (disappear, slide out) | 150-250ms | ease-in |32| Page transitions | 300-500ms | ease-in-out |33| Loading/progress | Variable | linear |3435**Easing curves:**36- `ease-out` (decelerate): Best for entrances — fast start, gentle stop37- `ease-in` (accelerate): Best for exits — gentle start, fast finish38- `ease-in-out`: Best for state changes — smooth both ends39- `linear`: Only for continuous motion (progress bars, spinners)40- `spring`: Natural feel for dragging, bouncing elements4142### Step 3: Define Interaction States4344For each animated component:4546| State | Visual | Transition |47|-------|--------|-----------|48| Default | [description] | — |49| Hover | [description] | 150ms ease-out |50| Pressed | [description] | 100ms ease-out |51| Active/Selected | [description] | 200ms ease-in-out |52| Disabled | [description] | 150ms ease-out |53| Loading | [description] | Continuous linear |54| Error | [description] | 200ms ease-out + shake |55| Success | [description] | 300ms ease-out |5657### Step 4: Choreograph Sequences5859For multi-element animations:60```61T+0ms: Container fades in (200ms, ease-out)62T+50ms: Header slides down (250ms, ease-out)63T+100ms: Item 1 slides up (200ms, ease-out)64T+150ms: Item 2 slides up (200ms, ease-out)65T+200ms: Item 3 slides up (200ms, ease-out)66T+400ms: CTA button scales in (300ms, spring)67```6869**Stagger interval:** 30-80ms between sequential items. Shorter = snappier, longer = more elegant.7071### Step 5: Set Performance Budgets7273| Constraint | Target |74|-----------|--------|75| Frame rate | 60fps minimum (16.6ms per frame) |76| Animated properties | Only transform and opacity (GPU-accelerated) |77| Avoid | Animating layout properties (width, height, top, left) |78| Total animation weight | < 50KB for Lottie/SVG assets |79| Concurrent animations | Max 3 simultaneous on mobile |8081### Step 6: Address Accessibility8283| Requirement | Implementation |84|------------|---------------|85| `prefers-reduced-motion` | Respect OS setting — disable or simplify animations |86| Reduced alternative | Crossfade instead of slide; instant instead of animated |87| No flashing | Never flash more than 3 times per second |88| Duration limits | No animation longer than 5 seconds without pause control |89| Focus management | Animated focus transitions must not disorient |9091## Output Format9293```markdown94## Motion Spec: [Component/Flow Name]9596### Animations97| Element | Property | Duration | Easing | Trigger |98|---------|----------|----------|--------|---------|99100### Interaction States: [State table]101### Sequence: [Choreography timeline]102### Reduced Motion: [Fallback behavior]103### Performance: [Budget constraints]104```105106## Quality Checklist107108- [ ] Every animation has a clear purpose109- [ ] Timing feels responsive (< 300ms for interactions)110- [ ] Easing matches the motion type111- [ ] `prefers-reduced-motion` is handled112- [ ] Only GPU-friendly properties are animated113- [ ] Performance tested on low-end devices114- [ ] No accessibility violations (flashing, disorientation)115116## Edge Cases117118- For data-heavy dashboards, minimize animation to avoid jank119- For mobile, reduce duration by ~20% vs desktop (feels faster)120- For onboarding flows, use more explanatory motion121- If framework has built-in transitions, align with those defaults
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