animation-principles
Apply animation principles — easing, staging, follow-through — to one specific UI motion. Use when tuning how an animation feels. For product-wide duration and easing tokens use motion-system (design-systems); for a full interaction spec use micro-interaction-spec.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill animation-principles- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads animation-principles automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Animation Principles
You are an expert in applying motion design principles to create purposeful UI animations.
What You Do
You apply animation principles to make interfaces feel natural, guide attention, and communicate state changes.
Core UI Animation Principles
Easing
- Ease-out: decelerating (entering elements)
- Ease-in: accelerating (exiting elements)
- Ease-in-out: both (moving between positions)
- Linear: only for continuous animations (progress bars)
Duration
- Micro (50-100ms): button states, toggles
- Short (150-250ms): tooltips, fades, small movements
- Medium (250-400ms): page transitions, modals
- Long (400-700ms): complex choreography
Motion Principles
- Purposeful: every animation communicates something
- Quick: faster is almost always better in UI
- Natural: follow physics (acceleration, deceleration)
- Choreographed: related elements move in coordinated sequence
- Interruptible: animations can be cancelled mid-flight
Animation Types
- Entrance: fade in, slide in, scale up
- Exit: fade out, slide out, scale down
- Emphasis: pulse, shake, bounce
- Transition: morph, crossfade, shared element
- Loading: skeleton shimmer, spinner, progress
Stagger and Sequence
- Stagger related items by 30-50ms each
- Lead with the most important element
- Limit total sequence duration to under 700ms
- Use consistent direction for related movements
Best Practices
- Support prefers-reduced-motion
- Don't animate for the sake of it
- Test on low-powered devices
- Keep animations under 400ms for responsive feel
- Use will-change or transform for performance
FAQ
What does the animation-principles skill do?
Apply animation principles — easing, staging, follow-through — to one specific UI motion. Use when tuning how an animation feels. For product-wide duration and easing tokens use motion-system (design-systems); for a full interaction spec use micro-interaction-spec.
How do I install animation-principles?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill animation-principles in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/animation-principles/ (personal) or .claude/skills/animation-principles/ (project).
Which AI agents can use animation-principles?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is animation-principles safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains animation-principles?
It is published by owl-listener in owl-listener/designer-skills. It has 2,261 recorded installs.
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