Design and implement microinteractions, motion design, transitions, and user feedback patterns for delightful user experiences.
Real-world examples
Live HTML demos for this skill — rendered directly in the page. 4 examples.
- 02
Skeleton & progress
Layout-preserving skeleton shimmer hands off to real content, plus a determinate progress bar eased with ease-out — loading that orients, not stalls.
- 03
Spring toggle & panel
ARIA switch with spring thumb (stiffness 500), 200–300ms color ease, and a panel that enters with ease-out / exits with ease-in — continuity across states.
- 04
Swipe dismiss & toasts
Drag-to-dismiss cards past a 100px threshold and a toast stack with enter/exit choreography — interruptible, transform-only, respects prefers-reduced-motion.
Skill markdown
# Interaction Design
Create engaging, intuitive interactions through motion, feedback, and thoughtful state transitions that enhance usability and delight users.
## When to Use This Skill
- Adding microinteractions to enhance user feedback
- Implementing smooth page and component transitions
- Designing loading states and skeleton screens
- Creating gesture-based interactions
- Building notification and toast systems
- Implementing drag-and-drop interfaces
- Adding scroll-triggered animations
- Designing hover and focus states
## Core Principles
### 1. Purposeful Motion
Motion should communicate, not decorate:
- **Feedback**: Confirm user actions occurred
- **Orientation**: Show where elements come from/go to
- **Focus**: Direct attention to important changes
- **Continuity**: Maintain context during transitions
### 2. Timing Guidelines
| Duration | Use Case |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| 100-150ms | Micro-feedback (hovers, clicks) |
| 200-300ms | Small transitions (toggles, dropdowns) |
| 300-500ms | Medium transitions (modals, page changes) |
| 500ms+ | Complex choreographed animations |
### 3. Easing Functions
```css
/* Common easings */
--ease-out: cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1); /* Decelerate - entering */
--ease-in: cubic-bezier(0.55, 0, 1, 0.45); /* Accelerate - exiting */
--ease-in-out: cubic-bezier(0.65, 0, 0.35, 1); /* Both - moving between */
--spring: cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1); /* Overshoot - playful */
```
## Quick Start: Button Microinteraction
```tsx
import { motion } from "framer-motion";
export function InteractiveButton({ children, onClick }) {
return (
<motion.button
onClick={onClick}
whileHover={{ scale: 1.02 }}
whileTap={{ scale: 0.98 }}
transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 400, damping: 17 }}
className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-600 text-white rounded-lg"
>
{children}
</motion.button>
);
}
```
## Interaction Patterns
### 1. Loading States
**Skeleton Screens**: Preserve layout while loading
```tsx
function CardSkeleton() {
return (
<div className="animate-pulse">
<div className="h-48 bg-gray-200 rounded-lg" />
<div className="mt-4 h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-3/4" />
<div className="mt-2 h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-1/2" />
</div>
);
}
```
**Progress Indicators**: Show determinate progress
```tsx
function ProgressBar({ progress }: { progress: number }) {
return (
<div className="h-2 bg-gray-200 rounded-full overflow-hidden">
<motion.div
className="h-full bg-blue-600"
initial={{ width: 0 }}
animate={{ width: `${progress}%` }}
transition={{ ease: "easeOut" }}
/>
</div>
);
}
```
### 2. State Transitions
**Toggle with smooth transition**:
```tsx
function Toggle({ checked, onChange }) {
return (
<button
role="switch"
aria-checked={checked}
onClick={() => onChange(!checked)}
className={`
relative w-12 h-6 rounded-full transition-colors duration-200
${checked ? "bg-blue-600" : "bg-gray-300"}
`}
>
<motion.span
className="absolute top-1 left-1 w-4 h-4 bg-white rounded-full shadow"
animate={{ x: checked ? 24 : 0 }}
transition={{ type: "spring", stiffness: 500, damping: 30 }}
/>
</button>
);
}
```
### 3. Page Transitions
**Framer Motion layout animations**:
```tsx
import { AnimatePresence, motion } from "framer-motion";
function PageTransition({ children, key }) {
return (
<AnimatePresence mode="wait">
<motion.div
key={key}
initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
exit={{ opacity: 0, y: -20 }}
transition={{ duration: 0.3 }}
>
{children}
</motion.div>
</AnimatePresence>
);
}
```
### 4. Feedback Patterns
**Ripple effect on click**:
```tsx
function RippleButton({ children, onClick }) {
const [ripples, setRipples] = useState([]);
const handleClick = (e) => {
const rect = e.currentTarget.getBoundingClientRect();
const ripple = {
x: e.clientX - rect.left,
y: e.clientY - rect.top,
id: Date.now(),
};
setRipples((prev) => [...prev, ripple]);
setTimeout(() => {
setRipples((prev) => prev.filter((r) => r.id !== ripple.id));
}, 600);
onClick?.(e);
};
return (
<button onClick={handleClick} className="relative overflow-hidden">
{children}
{ripples.map((ripple) => (
<span
key={ripple.id}
className="absolute bg-white/30 rounded-full animate-ripple"
style={{ left: ripple.x, top: ripple.y }}
/>
))}
</button>
);
}
```
### 5. Gesture Interactions
**Swipe to dismiss**:
```tsx
function SwipeCard({ children, onDismiss }) {
return (
<motion.div
drag="x"
dragConstraints={{ left: 0, right: 0 }}
onDragEnd={(_, info) => {
…