Motion Choreography Patterns

Motion Choreography Patterns

Overview

This skill focuses on choreography: how multiple moving parts coordinate in time and space to communicate interaction intent.

Use it alongside foundational motion guidance to create motion systems that are legible, consistent, and production-ready across complex UI flows.

When to Use

• Designing sequences with more than one animated element
• Building staggered reveals, list transitions, and layout mode changes
• Implementing modal, drawer, popover, and overlay interaction stacks
• Handling add/remove/reorder scenarios in dense interfaces
• Mapping user input (tap, drag, scroll) to motion responses
• Auditing whether motion hierarchy matches product hierarchy

Choreography Model

Treat each sequence as three actor layers:

1. Primary actor - the element representing the state change
2. Supporting actors - nearby elements that reinforce context
3. Environment actors - backdrop, scrim, container, page-level continuity

Animate primary first, then supporting, then environment unless the interaction model requires the reverse.

Timing Architecture

Use predictable beat structure:

• Lead beat (0-80ms) - immediate acknowledgment
• Primary beat (120-240ms) - main state change
• Follow beat (20-60ms offset) - supporting context update
• Settle beat (80-180ms) - final stabilization

Favor asymmetry: exits slightly faster than enters.

Core Choreography Principles

• One dominant axis per beat (avoid conflicting direction signals)
• Keep simultaneous high-amplitude motions limited
• Use stagger only when it improves scan order and hierarchy
• Keep rhythm consistent across similar components
• Preserve spatial anchors during reflow/reorder transitions

Pattern Library

For concrete recipes and timelines, see:

• references/CHOREOGRAPHY_PATTERNS.md
• references/INTERACTION_SCENARIOS.md

For reusable stagger utilities, see:

• references/STAGGER_SYSTEMS.css

Input-to-Motion Mapping

• Tap/click: immediate visual response in under 80ms
• Press/hold: include press state before commitment transition
• Drag: motion follows pointer directly; settle animation occurs only on drop/commit
• Keyboard navigation: preserve focus continuity and avoid disorienting travel

Reduced Motion Choreography

When reduced motion is requested:

• Remove spatial travel when possible
• Keep sequencing logic with opacity/state changes
• Preserve hierarchy with contrast, layering, and timing rather than movement distance
• Ensure state change remains obvious and immediate

Anti-Patterns

• Cascades that delay interaction completion
• Independent components using unrelated easing and duration tokens
• Large travel distances for frequent interactions
• Simultaneous enter and exit motions that compete for focus
• Decorative infinite animations in core task surfaces

Output Contract

When using this skill, return these five sections:

1. Storyboard - who moves, in what order, and why
2. Timeline Spec - durations, offsets, easing tokens, and distances
3. Implementation Plan - CSS/JS/View Transition structure
4. A11y + Fallback - reduced-motion and unsupported-feature strategy
5. Validation Plan - performance and UX checks

QA Checklist

Use this before shipping:

• references/QA_STORYBOARD_CHECKLIST.md