Animation & Motion Design

Patterns for building performant, accessible animations using Motion (formerly Framer Motion, 18M+ weekly npm downloads) and the View Transitions API (cross-browser support in 2026). Covers layout animations, gesture interactions, exit transitions, micro-interactions, and motion accessibility.

Quick Reference

Total: 6 rules across 3 categories

Decision Table — Motion vs View Transitions API

Quick Start

Motion — Component Animation

import { motion, AnimatePresence } from "motion/react"

const fadeInUp = {
  initial: { opacity: 0, y: 20 },
  animate: { opacity: 1, y: 0 },
  exit: { opacity: 0, y: -10 },
  transition: { type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 24 },
}

function Card({ item }: { item: Item }) {
  return (
    <motion.div {...fadeInUp} layout layoutId={item.id}>
      {item.content}
    </motion.div>
  )
}

function CardList({ items }: { items: Item[] }) {
  return (
    <AnimatePresence mode="wait">
      {items.map((item) => (
        <Card key={item.id} item={item} />
      ))}
    </AnimatePresence>
  )
}

View Transitions API — Page Navigation

// React Router v7+ with View Transitions
import { Link, useNavigate } from "react-router"

function NavLink({ to, children }: { to: string; children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <Link to={to} viewTransition>{children}</Link>
}

// CSS for the transition
// ::view-transition-old(root) { animation: fade-out 200ms ease; }
// ::view-transition-new(root) { animation: fade-in 200ms ease; }

Motion — Accessible by Default

import { useReducedMotion } from "motion/react"

function AnimatedComponent() {
  const shouldReduceMotion = useReducedMotion()

  return (
    <motion.div
      animate={{ x: 100 }}
      transition={shouldReduceMotion
        ? { duration: 0 }
        : { type: "spring", stiffness: 300, damping: 24 }
      }
    />
  )
}

Rule Details

Layout Animations (Motion)

FLIP-based layout animations with the layout prop and shared layout transitions via layoutId.

Load: rules/motion-layout.md

Gesture Interactions (Motion)

Drag, hover, and tap interactions with spring physics and gesture composition.

Load: rules/motion-gestures.md

Exit Animations (Motion)

AnimatePresence for animating components as they unmount from the React tree.

Load: rules/motion-exit.md

View Transitions API

Browser-native page transitions using document.startViewTransition() and framework integrations.

Load: rules/view-transitions-api.md

Motion Accessibility

Respecting user motion preferences and reducing cognitive load with motion sensitivity patterns.

Load: rules/motion-accessibility.md

Motion Performance

GPU compositing, avoiding layout thrash, and keeping animations at 60fps.

Load: rules/motion-performance.md

Key Principles

1. 60fps or nothing — Only animate transform and opacity (composite properties). Never animate width, height, top, or left.
2. Centralized presets — Define animation variants in a shared file, not inline on every component.
3. AnimatePresence for exits — React unmounts instantly; wrap with AnimatePresence to animate out.
4. Spring over duration — Springs feel natural and are interruptible. Use stiffness/damping, not duration.
5. Respect user preferences — Always check prefers-reduced-motion and provide instant alternatives.

Performance Budget

Anti-Patterns (FORBIDDEN)

• Animating layout properties — Never animate width, height, margin, padding directly. Use transform: scale() instead.
• Missing AnimatePresence — Components unmount instantly without it; exit animations are silently lost.
• Ignoring prefers-reduced-motion — Causes vestibular disorders for ~35% of users with motion sensitivity.
• Inline transition objects — Creates new objects every render, breaking React memoization.
• duration-based springs — Motion springs use stiffness/damping, not duration. Mixing causes unexpected behavior.
• Synchronous startViewTransition — Always await or handle the promise from document.startViewTransition().

Detailed Documentation

Related Skills

• ork:ui-components — shadcn/ui component patterns and CVA variants
• ork:responsive-patterns — Responsive layout and container query patterns
• ork:performance — Core Web Vitals and runtime performance optimization
• ork:accessibility — WCAG compliance, ARIA patterns, screen reader support