Microsoft
A motion language that makes complex software feel calm.
About the project
A set of motion principles for a family of productivity tools, built to guide attention rather than grab it. The work covered timing, easing and the small transitions between states, so switching contexts feels continuous rather than jarring.
Opportunity
Complex tools ask people to hold a lot in their heads. The brief was a motion language that guides attention rather than grabbing it, so busy screens feel calmer and easier to follow.
Process
We audited how things moved across a set of products and found dozens of timings doing the same job slightly differently. From there we defined a small vocabulary (enter, exit, focus, feedback), each with one timing and one curve, prototyped in real product flows.
Outcome
A shared library adopted across product teams, with transitions that feel consistent from one tool to the next.
- Transitions in the shared library
- 40+
- Product teams using it
- 12
- Time to spec motion
- -25%
Services
