aj-geddes/interaction-design

Interaction Design

Table of Contents

• Overview
• When to Use
• Quick Start
• Reference Guides
• Best Practices

Overview

Interaction design focuses on how users engage with systems, creating intuitive and delightful experiences through feedback and responsiveness.

When to Use

• Designing user flows and touchpoints
• Creating animations and transitions
• Defining error and loading states
• Building microinteractions
• Improving usability and feedback
• Mobile interaction patterns

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

Common Interaction Patterns:

Swipe:
  Use: Mobile lists, carousels
  Feedback: Visual sliding, momentum
  Accessibility: Keyboard alternative (arrows)

Tap & Hold:
  Use: Context menus, drag prep
  Feedback: Visual feedback after delay
  Duration: ~500ms before trigger

Pinch & Zoom:
  Use: Image viewing, maps
  Feedback: Smooth zoom animation
  Boundaries: Set min/max zoom levels

Drag & Drop:
  Use: Reordering, moving items
  Feedback: Visual during drag, drop confirmation
  Fallback: Alternative method (buttons)

Double Tap:
  Use: Zoom, favorite, select
  Feedback: Immediate visual response
// ... (see reference guides for full implementation)

Reference Guides

Detailed implementations in the references/ directory:

| Guide | Contents | |---|---| | Animation & Transition Design | Animation & Transition Design | | Error Handling & Feedback | Error Handling & Feedback | | Accessibility in Interactions | Accessibility in Interactions |

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Keep animations under 400ms
• Provide clear visual feedback
• Use animations to guide attention
• Respect motion preferences
• Make interactions reversible
• Test with keyboard and screen readers
• Provide multiple interaction methods
• Design for touch and mouse
• Use appropriate easing curves
• Document interaction behavior

❌ DON'T

• Animate for decoration only
• Use animations longer than 500ms
• Ignore motion-sensitive users
• Remove focus indicators
• Trap users in modals
• Use confusing animations
• Animate everything
• Ignore loading states
• Forget error states
• Skip accessibility testing