Lists Grids

dylantarre/animation-principles/skills/07-by-ui-element/lists-grids

by dylantarre83597134ba8fNo license99 starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 9 months ago

Use when animating lists, grids, tables, or collections of items to create smooth ordering, filtering, and loading states

Instructions onlyDesign & Creative
AI-generated overview

Guides list, grid, and table animations using Disney's 12 principles, with CSS timing and stagger guidance.

What it does
This skill provides design guidance for animating lists, grids, tables, and collections of items. It maps Disney's 12 animation principles to interface behaviors such as reordering, filtering, and loading, and supplies recommended timing values and CSS snippets for item entrance, exit, and stagger. The output is a set of animation principles and implementation notes rather than a runnable artifact.
When to use it
Use it when planning or refining motion for lists, grids, tables, or item collections. It fits tasks involving smooth ordering, filtering, loading states, or staggered item entrances. It is also useful when you need concrete timing and easing recommendations for such transitions.
Requirements
No scripts or special tools are required; the skill is instructions only. Applying the CSS examples assumes a web front-end environment.

List & Grid Animation Principles

Apply Disney's 12 principles to lists and grids for smooth, organized motion.

Principles Applied to Lists & Grids

1. Squash & Stretch

List items compress slightly when grabbed for reorder. Grid items can stretch when expanding to fill space on filter.

2. Anticipation

Before list reorders, items briefly compress. Before filter removes items, they can shrink slightly. Prepares for change.

3. Staging

Item being dragged lifts above others (z-index + shadow). Filtered results highlight while others fade. Guide eye to relevant items.

4. Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose

Define states: entering, resting, reordering, exiting. Use pose-to-pose for predictable, controllable list animations.

5. Follow Through & Overlapping Action

Stagger item entrance: first item leads, others follow (30-50ms delay). Content within items lags behind item container.

6. Ease In & Ease Out

Item enter: ease-out. Item exit: ease-in. Reorder: ease-in-out. Stagger easing should feel like a wave, not mechanical.

7. Arcs

Reordering items should follow curved paths, not straight lines. Adds personality and organic feel to grid shuffles.

8. Secondary Action

While item moves (primary), placeholder appears (secondary), other items shift (tertiary). Coordinate the ensemble.

9. Timing

  • Stagger delay: 30-75ms per item
  • Item enter: 200-300ms
  • Item exit: 150-200ms
  • Reorder: 250-350ms
  • Filter shuffle: 300-400ms
  • Max total stagger: 500-800ms

10. Exaggeration

Dramatic filter transitions can scale items to 0 before removing. New items can overshoot position slightly. Make sorting visible.

11. Solid Drawing

Maintain consistent spacing during animations. Grid gaps should stay uniform. Item proportions should remain stable during transforms.

12. Appeal

Smooth list animations feel premium. Jarring reorders feel broken. Staggered entrances guide attention naturally. Users notice quality.

CSS Implementation

css
.list-item {  animation: itemEnter 250ms ease-out backwards;}
.list-item:nth-child(1) { animation-delay: 0ms; }.list-item:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 50ms; }.list-item:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 100ms; }/* continue pattern */
@keyframes itemEnter {  from {    opacity: 0;    transform: translateY(20px);  }  to {    opacity: 1;    transform: translateY(0);  }}
.grid-item {  transition: transform 300ms ease-in-out,              opacity 200ms ease-out;}

Key Properties

  • transform: translate, scale
  • opacity: enter/exit
  • animation-delay: stagger
  • grid-template: layout shifts
  • order: reordering

Source and attribution

Source:dylantarre/animation-principlesinskills/07-by-ui-element/lists-gridsat commit8359713

License: No license

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