# micro-interactions

A skill for small purposeful animations: toggles, animated icons, success moments. Useful when an interface gives no feedback.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 869 installs · ★ 165
- Author: dembrandt
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/dembrandt/dembrandt-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/dembrandt-micro-interactions

## What it does

The skill covers short UI animations: a checkmark that draws itself, a heart that pulses on like, a toggle that eases into place with a slight overshoot, confetti when a goal is completed. These moments run 200–600ms. The reference point is the natural world — nothing snaps instantly, everything has weight and a settling phase.

Inside are patterns with ready CSS: checkmark draw-on via `stroke-dashoffset`, icon pulse, hamburger-to-close morph, bell shake, a springy toggle on `cubic-bezier(0.34, 1.56, 0.64, 1)`, accordion reveal through `max-height`, and a fade from skeleton to loaded content. There is a stability rule for buttons: hover, focus and press must not change outer dimensions or layout position. Feedback comes from colour, inner shadows, or movement of inner elements such as an arrow shifting a couple of pixels.

A section on change blindness tells you to guide the eye when something updates away from the user's focus — a notification badge that briefly scales up, a row background that fades from a brand tint to transparent, a small 2–4px shake. The skill activates on `components/**`, `src/components/**`, `**/*.css`, `**/*.scss`, `**/*.tsx`, `**/*.jsx` and `design-system/**`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --skill micro-interactions -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/micro-interactions/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --skill micro-interactions -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --skill micro-interactions -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install dembrandt/dembrandt-skills micro-interactions
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --skill micro-interactions -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --path skills/micro-interactions
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add dembrandt/dembrandt-skills --skill micro-interactions -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/dembrandt/dembrandt-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/micro-interactions/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- make a toggle feel like a physical switch
- draw a checkmark when a form submits
- pulse an icon on like
- highlight a list update the user missed
- replace a content flash with a fade from the skeleton

## Example prompts
- make this toggle feel more satisfying
- add a small animation when the form is submitted
- animate the checkmark on success

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 930a7c93d45ad1da.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 930a7c93d45ad1da
```text
---
name: micro-interactions
description: Small purposeful animations — toggles, animated icons, success moments. Use when designing interactive feedback, success states or loaders.
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 |
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 930a7c93d45ad1da

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 930a7c93d45ad1da tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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