/micro-interactions

name: micro-interactions
description: Micro-interactions are small, purposeful animations and responses that reward the user and make the interface feel alive — an animated icon, a satisfying toggle, a subtle reveal. Borrowed from the natural world, they add delight without distraction. Use when designing interactive components, success states, toggles, loaders, or any moment worth celebrating.
metadata:
  priority: 6
  pathPatterns:
    - "components/**"
    - "src/components/**"
    - "**/*.css"
    - "**/*.scss"
    - "**/*.tsx"
    - "**/*.jsx"
    - "design-system/**"
  promptSignals:
    phrases:
      - "micro-interaction"
      - "micro interaction"
      - "animated icon"
      - "delight"
      - "satisfying"
      - "toggle animation"
      - "celebrate"
      - "reward"
      - "lottie"
      - "tiny animation"
retrieval:
  aliases:
    - micro-interactions
    - delight
    - animated icons
    - satisfying UI
    - toggle animation
    - success animation
  intents:
    - add a micro-interaction
    - make this feel more satisfying
    - animate this icon
    - celebrate a user action
    - add delight to this component
  examples:
    - make this toggle feel more satisfying
    - add a small animation when the form is submitted
    - animate the checkmark on success
    - make this button feel alive

Micro-Interactions

A micro-interaction is a moment. A checkbox that draws its checkmark. A heart that pulses when liked. A toggle that eases into place with a little overshoot. A confetti burst on completing a goal. These moments are small in duration — 200–600ms — but they communicate that the product was made by people who cared.

The reference is always the natural world. Nothing in nature snaps instantly. Everything has weight, momentum, and a moment of settling.

---

What Makes a Good Micro-Interaction

A micro-interaction earns its place when it:

1. **Confirms an action** — makes the result of a click, tap, or input unmistakably clear 2. **Rewards a milestone** — celebrates something the user worked toward 3. **Reveals something** — unfolds information in a way that aids understanding 4. **Adds texture** — makes an otherwise flat moment feel physical and real

It fails when it:

• Delays the user (animation blocks the next action)
• Repeats too often (becomes noise, not signal)
• Exists only for decoration (no information is conveyed)

---

Natural World as Reference

Physical objects have inertia, springiness, and weight. UI that borrows these properties feels intuitive because it matches expectations built over a lifetime.

| Natural behaviour | UI equivalent | |---|---| | A door swinging to rest | Toggle that overshoots slightly before settling | | Water dripping | Staggered list item reveals | | A rubber band snapping back | Pull-to-refresh bounce | | A leaf falling | Gentle fade + drift downward on dismiss | | A bell ringing | Icon that briefly oscillates (shakes) on trigger | | A stamp pressing paper | Inner element shift (e.g. icon nudge) without shifting button bounds |

The motion should feel *inevitable* — as if the element has physical properties and cannot behave any other way.

---

Patterns

Animated Icons

Icons that animate on trigger communicate state change more vividly than a static swap.

**Checkmark draw-on:** A checkmark that draws itself from start to end point on completion.

@keyframes check-draw {
  from { stroke-dashoffset: 20; }
  to   { stroke-dashoffset: 0; }
}
.checkmark path {
  stroke-dasharray: 20;
  animation: check-draw 300ms ease-out forwards;
}

**Heart pulse on like:** Scale up slightly then settle back.

@keyframes heart-pulse {
  0%   { transform: scale(1); }
  40%  { transform: scale(1.25); }
  100% { transform: scale(1); }
}

**Hamburger → close morphing:** Lines animate to form an × when a menu opens.

**Bell shake on notification:** A brief oscillating rotation.

**Loading spinner:** Rotate with easing rather than linear — a spring rotation feels alive; linear feels mechanical.

Toggle / Switch

A toggle should feel like a physical switch, not a state change.

.toggle-thumb {
  transition: transform 200ms cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1);
  /* cubic-bezier with overshoot — the thumb slides and bounces slightly */
}
.toggle:checked .toggle-thumb {
  transform: translateX(20px);
}

The cubic-bezier `(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1)` produces a spring effect — the thumb overshoots and settles. This is the difference between a switch that feels cheap and one that feels premium.

Success / Completion

Mark moments of genuine completion — a form submitted, an onboarding step finished, a goal reached.

• **Checkmark animation** that draws on
• **Subtle confetti** for high-value milestones (first purchase, account created, goal achieved) — use sparingly, never for routine actions
• **Green fill transition** on a progress bar completing
• **Number count-up** when a stat reaches its final value

Reveal and Disclosure

Accordions, tooltips, and popovers that open via a small reveal feel more considered than appearing instantly.

.accordion-content {
  overflow: hidden;
  max-height: 0;
  transition: max-height 250ms ease-out;
}
.accordion-content.open {
  max-height: 500px; /* generous upper bound */
}

Content that slides down as if gravity is pulling it into place feels natural. Content that blinks into existence does not.

Button Interaction Feedback (Stability Rule)

Buttons must never change their outer dimensions or shift their position in the layout when hovered, focused, or clicked.

.btn {
  transition: background-color 150ms ease-out, box-shadow 150ms ease-out;
}
.btn:hover {
  background-color: var(--color-brand-600); /* subtle shift in hue or brightness */
}
.btn:active {
  background-color: var(--color-brand-700); /* deeper contrast on press */
  box-shadow: inset 0 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1); /* inner shadow suggests depth without scaling */
}