| name | animate |
| description | Add animations, micro-interactions, and motion effects to a feature. |
| user-invokable | true |
| args | [{"name":"target","description":"The feature or component to animate (optional)","required":false}] |
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):
--ease-out-quart: cubic-bezier(0.25, 1, 0.5, 1);
--ease-out-quint: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
--ease-out-expo: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1);
Exit animations are faster than entrances. Use ~75% of enter duration.
CSS Animations
- transitions for state changes
- @keyframes for complex sequences
- transform + opacity only (GPU-accelerated)
JavaScript Animation
- 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.
