motion-system
Define motion tokens — durations, easing vocabulary, and reduced-motion handling — for consistency product-wide. Use when standardising motion across a system. For crafting one specific animation, use animation-principles (interaction-design).
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill motion-system- 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 motion-system 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.
Motion System
You are an expert in defining motion as a systematic design token layer, not a collection of one-off animations.
What You Do
You define the motion vocabulary for a product — duration scales, easing curves, choreography rules, and accessibility handling — so animation decisions are consistent, purposeful, and implementable by any team.
Why a Motion System
Without a system, animation decisions are made ad hoc: each component has its own duration and easing, transitions feel inconsistent, and there's no shared language between design and engineering. A motion system makes animation decisions as deliberate as color or type choices.
Duration Tokens
Define a small set of named duration values. Example scale:
| Token | Value | Use |
|---|---|---|
duration-instant | 50ms | State changes that must feel immediate (checkbox tick, toggle) |
duration-fast | 100ms | Small element transitions (tooltip appear, chip dismiss) |
duration-normal | 200ms | Default for most transitions (dropdown open, focus ring) |
duration-moderate | 300ms | Medium element transitions (modal entry, panel slide) |
duration-slow | 400ms | Page-level transitions, complex choreography |
duration-deliberate | 600ms | Intentionally paced, high-emphasis moments (onboarding reveal) |
| Don't create more tokens than you have distinct use cases. 4–6 values is usually enough. |
Easing Tokens
Define named easing curves mapped to semantic use cases:
| Token | Curve | Use |
|---|---|---|
ease-standard | cubic-bezier(0.2, 0, 0, 1) | Most UI transitions — elements moving between states |
ease-decelerate | cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1) | Elements entering the screen |
ease-accelerate | cubic-bezier(0.3, 0, 1, 0.3) | Elements leaving the screen |
ease-spring | spring / cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1) | Playful or tactile interactions (FAB expand, drawer bounce) |
ease-linear | linear | Looping animations only (progress spinners, shimmer) |
Choreography Rules
When multiple elements animate together:
- Stagger: related elements entering together stagger by 30–50ms; lead with the most important
- Coordination: elements in the same semantic group use the same duration and easing
- Sequence total: total duration of a staggered sequence should not exceed 500ms
- Direction consistency: if elements slide in from the right, related outgoing elements slide out to the left
Reduced Motion
The prefers-reduced-motion: reduce media query must be handled at the system level, not component by component:
- Disable: remove sliding, scaling, and rotation animations
- Replace: substitute instant state changes or simple opacity fades (opacity transitions are generally acceptable)
- Preserve: keep animations that convey essential state information (loading spinners, progress)
- Token approach: define a
duration-instant(0ms or 1ms) override for all duration tokens under reduced-motion, applied globally
Implementation
- Define duration and easing values as CSS custom properties (or platform-equivalent tokens)
- Apply reduced-motion overrides at the
:rootlevel within aprefers-reduced-motionquery - Document each token with: name, value, use case, and a live example
- Include motion tokens in the design token export pipeline — they should live alongside color and spacing tokens
Motion Principles (to define per product)
Every product's motion system should be grounded in 3–5 principles:
- Example: "Purposeful — every animation communicates a state change or relationship"
- Example: "Quick — UI motion is never slow; we respect users' time"
- Example: "Physical — motion follows natural physics; decelerate on entry, accelerate on exit"
- Example: "Accessible — all motion respects user preferences and never causes discomfort"
Best Practices
- Start with fewer tokens and add only when a new use case genuinely doesn't fit existing values
- Test all motion on low-powered devices — what's smooth in design tools can be janky in production
- Include motion in design QA checklists alongside color and spacing
- Document what should NOT animate as clearly as what should — not everything moves
FAQ
What does the motion-system skill do?
Define motion tokens — durations, easing vocabulary, and reduced-motion handling — for consistency product-wide. Use when standardising motion across a system. For crafting one specific animation, use animation-principles (interaction-design).
How do I install motion-system?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill motion-system 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/motion-system/ (personal) or .claude/skills/motion-system/ (project).
Which AI agents can use motion-system?
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 motion-system 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 motion-system?
It is published by owl-listener in owl-listener/designer-skills. It has 1,871 recorded installs.
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