cycle-atlas/.agents/skills/motion-design/director/decision-framework.md

Decision Framework

The First Questions

1. Purpose?

Purpose	Approach	Priority
Draw attention	Scale, color, pulse	Responsiveness
Guide sequence	Stagger, directional flow	Clarity
Provide feedback	Immediate response	Speed
Create atmosphere	Subtle, continuous	Subtlety
Explain relationship	Position, connection	Legibility
Celebrate/reward	Overshoot, particles	Delight

2. Audience?

• Stressed → calm motion; Browsing → richer motion
• Task-focused → fast, minimal; Exploring → can be dramatic
• Seen 100x/day → fast, subtle; Seen once → can be dramatic

3. Context?

• Busy layout → simpler motion; Empty → can be dramatic
• Other animations active → coordinate or stagger
• Small container → small motion

4-Level Decision Hierarchy

Level 1: Motion Category

Category	When
Revealing	Content appearing
Concealing	Content disappearing
Transitioning	Between states/views
Emphasizing	Drawing attention
Responding	Reacting to interaction
Ambient	Background atmosphere

Level 2: Motion Personality

Match to brand. See motion-personality.md.

Level 3: Motion Direction

Direction	Communicates
Upward	Growth, aspiration
Downward	Settling, completion
Leftward	Regression, departure
Rightward	Progression, arrival
Outward (scale up)	Importance, emergence
Inward (scale down)	Dismissal, removal
Center-seeking	Focus, convergence
Center-fleeing	Distribution, release

Level 4: Implementation Properties

Choose animated properties. See property-selection.md.

Decision Quick-Path

1. PURPOSE → What does this motion DO?
   ├── Feedback → short, ease-out, minimal
   ├── Entrance → ease-out, personality-matched
   ├── Exit → ease-in, 70% of entrance
   ├── Emphasis → scale or color pulse
   └── Ambient → slow, continuous, sine

2. PERSONALITY → Match keywords
   ├── Fun/bouncy → Playful
   ├── Elegant/luxury → Premium
   ├── Clean/professional → Corporate
   └── Bold/dynamic → Energetic

3. PROPERTIES → Minimum needed (two = sweet spot)

4. TIMING → Check duration table, adjust for distance/weight

5. EASING → Entering=ease-out, Leaving=ease-in, On-screen=ease-in-out, Looping=sine

Evaluation Before Delivery

Check	Question
Purpose	Clear function?
Personality	Matches brand/context?
Repetition	Fine on 100th viewing?
Attention	Respects viewer's focus?
Hierarchy	Reinforces importance?
Layers	Primary + secondary + ambient?
Timing	Duration appropriate?