Interaction Design

Create intuitive user experiences through thoughtful feedback and interaction patterns.

Interaction Patterns

Loading States

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

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

function LoadingState({ isLoading, children }) {
  if (isLoading) {
    return <div className="skeleton" style={{ height: 200 }} />;
  }
  return children;
}

Error States

function ErrorState({ error, onRetry }) {
  return (
    <div className="error-container" role="alert">
      <Icon name="warning" />
      <h3>Something went wrong</h3>
      <p>{error.message}</p>
      <button onClick={onRetry}>Try Again</button>
    </div>
  );
}

Empty States

function EmptyState({ title, description, action }) {
  return (
    <div className="empty-state">
      <Illustration name="empty-inbox" />
      <h3>{title}</h3>
      <p>{description}</p>
      {action && <button onClick={action.onClick}>{action.label}</button>}
    </div>
  );
}

Accessibility

// Announce state changes to screen readers
function StatusAnnouncer({ message }) {
  return (
    <div aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true" className="sr-only">
      {message}
    </div>
  );
}

// Respect motion preferences
const prefersReducedMotion = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;

Animation Guidelines

• Keep animations under 500ms (longer feels sluggish)
• Use ease-out for entering, ease-in for exiting
• Respect prefers-reduced-motion
• Ensure focus indicators are always visible
• Test with keyboard navigation

Best Practices

• Provide immediate feedback for all actions
• Show loading states for waits >0.5s
• Include clear error messages with recovery options
• Design meaningful empty states
• Support keyboard navigation