Motion & Animation Guidelines

Purposeful animations that enhance the user experience.

🎯 Purpose of Motion

Motion in LawnGuru serves specific purposes:

1. Provide Feedback - Confirm actions and state changes
2. Guide Attention - Direct focus to important elements
3. Explain Relationships - Show how elements connect
4. Express Brand - Reinforce LawnGuru's personality
5. Improve Perception - Make interactions feel faster

Important: Motion should enhance, not distract. When in doubt, less is more.

⏱️ Duration

Duration Scale

--duration-instant: 50ms    /* Immediate feedback */
--duration-fast: 150ms      /* Quick interactions */
--duration-base: 250ms      /* Standard transitions */
--duration-slow: 350ms      /* Complex animations */
--duration-slower: 500ms    /* Emphasis animations */

Guidelines by Duration

Instant (50ms):

• Hover state changes
• Focus indicators
• Simple color changes

Fast (150ms):

• Button presses
• Toggle switches
• Checkbox/radio selections
• Tooltips appearing

Base (250ms):

• Dropdown menus
• Modal fade-ins
• Card hover effects
• Navigation transitions

Slow (350ms):

• Slide-in panels
• Drawer animations
• Complex state changes

Slower (500ms):

• Page transitions
• Large element movements
• Attention-grabbing animations

📐 Easing Functions

Easing Types

/* Standard ease-out (most common) */
--ease-out: cubic-bezier(0, 0, 0.2, 1);

/* Ease-in (elements leaving) */
--ease-in: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 1, 1);

/* Ease-in-out (smooth both ways) */
--ease-in-out: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);

/* Spring (playful, brand moments) */
--ease-spring: cubic-bezier(0.68, -0.55, 0.265, 1.55);

/* Linear (progress indicators) */
--ease-linear: linear;

When to Use Each

Ease-out (Default)

• Elements entering the screen
• Expanding elements
• Most UI interactions
• Feels natural and responsive

Ease-in

• Elements leaving the screen
• Collapsing elements
• Dismissing notifications

Ease-in-out

• Elements moving across screen
• Smooth, balanced motion
• Modal overlays

Spring

• Success celebrations
• Attention-grabbing moments
• Brand personality moments
• Use sparingly!

Linear

• Progress bars
• Loading spinners
• Continuous motion

🎨 Common Animation Patterns

Fade In/Out

/* Fade in */
@keyframes fadeIn {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

.fade-in {
  animation: fadeIn 250ms var(--ease-out);
}

Slide In

/* Slide in from right */
@keyframes slideInRight {
  from {
    transform: translateX(100%);
  }
  to {
    transform: translateX(0);
  }
}

.slide-in-right {
  animation: slideInRight 350ms var(--ease-out);
}

Scale

/* Scale up */
@keyframes scaleUp {
  from {
    transform: scale(0.95);
    opacity: 0;
  }
  to {
    transform: scale(1);
    opacity: 1;
  }
}

.scale-up {
  animation: scaleUp 250ms var(--ease-out);
}

Bounce (Attention)

@keyframes bounce {
  0%, 100% {
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
  50% {
    transform: translateY(-8px);
  }
}

.bounce {
  animation: bounce 500ms var(--ease-spring);
}

🧩 Component Animations

Buttons

.button {
  transition: all 150ms var(--ease-out);
}

.button:hover {
  transform: translateY(-1px);
  box-shadow: var(--shadow-md);
}

.button:active {
  transform: translateY(0);
}

Modals

/* Modal backdrop */
.modal-backdrop {
  animation: fadeIn 250ms var(--ease-out);
}

/* Modal content */
.modal-content {
  animation: scaleUp 250ms var(--ease-out);
}

Dropdowns

.dropdown-menu {
  animation: slideDown 200ms var(--ease-out);
}

@keyframes slideDown {
  from {
    opacity: 0;
    transform: translateY(-8px);
  }
  to {
    opacity: 1;
    transform: translateY(0);
  }
}

Notifications/Toasts

.toast {
  animation:
    slideInRight 350ms var(--ease-out),
    slideOutRight 350ms var(--ease-in) 3s forwards;
}

Loading Spinners

@keyframes spin {
  to {
    transform: rotate(360deg);
  }
}

.spinner {
  animation: spin 1s linear infinite;
}

Skeleton Screens

@keyframes shimmer {
  0% {
    background-position: -200% 0;
  }
  100% {
    background-position: 200% 0;
  }
}

.skeleton {
  background: linear-gradient(
    90deg,
    #f0f0f0 25%,
    #e0e0e0 50%,
    #f0f0f0 75%
  );
  background-size: 200% 100%;
  animation: shimmer 1.5s infinite;
}

♿ Accessibility

Respect User Preferences

/* Disable animations for users who prefer reduced motion */
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *,
  *::before,
  *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

Guidelines

• Always provide prefers-reduced-motion alternative
• Don't use animations that flash more than 3 times per second
• Ensure animations don't prevent access to content
• Allow users to pause, stop, or hide animations

📋 Animation Best Practices

Do's ✅

• Use subtle animations
• Keep animations purposeful
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion
• Test on lower-end devices
• Use CSS transitions over JavaScript when possible
• Animate transform and opacity (GPU accelerated)
• Chain animations logically

Don'ts ❌

• Don't animate everything
• Avoid long animations (> 500ms)
• Don't use animations that cause nausea
• Avoid animating layout properties (width, height, top, left)
• Don't use different easing for similar interactions
• Avoid auto-playing animations
• Don't use animations as the only indicator of change

🎭 Animation Principles

1. Continuity

Elements should move smoothly and continuously.

2. Anticipation

Prepare users for what's coming next.

3. Follow-through

Animations shouldn't stop abruptly.

4. Overlap

Stagger related animations slightly.

5. Natural Motion

Mimic real-world physics (easing, gravity).

🔄 Orchestration

When animating multiple elements:

/* Stagger animations */
.list-item:nth-child(1) {
  animation-delay: 0ms;
}
.list-item:nth-child(2) {
  animation-delay: 50ms;
}
.list-item:nth-child(3) {
  animation-delay: 100ms;
}

/* Or use JavaScript for dynamic lists */

🧪 Testing

Performance Testing

• Test on lower-end devices
• Check FPS (aim for 60fps)
• Use browser DevTools Performance panel
• Monitor CPU/GPU usage

Checklist

• [ ] Animation serves a purpose
• [ ] Duration feels right (not too slow/fast)
• [ ] Respects prefers-reduced-motion
• [ ] Performs well (60fps)
• [ ] Works on mobile devices
• [ ] Doesn't block user interaction
• [ ] Uses GPU-accelerated properties

📚 Resources

• Web Animations API
• Cubic Bezier Generator
• Framer Motion (for React)

Related:

• Design Principles →
• Accessibility →