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education-learning skill

/skills/08-by-industry/education-learning

This skill helps design engaging educational animations by applying Disney's 12 principles to reinforce learning and celebrate progress.

npx playbooks add skill dylantarre/animation-principles --skill education-learning

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: education-learning
description: Use when designing animations for educational platforms, e-learning, tutoring apps, or skill-building experiences
---

# Education & Learning Animation Principles

Apply Disney's 12 principles to create engaging, encouraging experiences that support comprehension and celebrate progress.

## The 12 Principles Applied

### 1. Squash & Stretch
- **Answer Buttons**: Friendly squash on selection
- **Mascots/Characters**: Personality through stretch
- **Achievement Badges**: Bounce with character

### 2. Anticipation
- **Quiz Reveal**: Build-up before showing results
- **Next Lesson**: Preparation for new content
- **Submit Answer**: Moment before feedback

### 3. Staging
- **Learning Content**: Primary focus always
- **Progress Indicators**: Visible but not distracting
- **Interactive Elements**: Clear call to action

### 4. Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose
- **Video Lessons**: Continuous playback (straight ahead)
- **Course Progress**: Step-by-step modules (pose to pose)
- **Interactive Exercises**: Defined question states

### 5. Follow Through & Overlapping Action
- **Correct Answer**: Checkmark lands, then celebration
- **Lesson Cards**: Stack with natural follow-through
- **Points Counter**: Numbers settle after update

### 6. Slow In & Slow Out
- **Gentle Transitions**: Nothing jarring while learning
- **Content Reveals**: Comfortable pacing
- **Modal Opens**: Smooth 300-400ms

### 7. Arc
- **Progress Paths**: Curved learning journeys
- **Drag Answers**: Natural arc to drop zones
- **Reward Animations**: Confetti follows arcs

### 8. Secondary Action
- **XP Gained**: Sparkles while points update
- **Streak Maintained**: Fire animation with counter
- **Level Up**: Background effects with main celebration

### 9. Timing
- **Feedback**: Quick 150-200ms for responsiveness
- **Celebrations**: Longer 500-800ms for motivation
- **Transitions**: Moderate 300-400ms for clarity

### 10. Exaggeration
- **Celebrate Success**: Big positive reinforcement
- **Gentle on Errors**: Never discouraging
- **Milestones**: Mark achievements memorably

### 11. Solid Drawing
- **Illustrations**: Friendly, consistent art style
- **Diagrams**: Clear educational visuals
- **Icons**: Approachable, not intimidating

### 12. Appeal
- **Encouraging Personality**: Warm and supportive
- **Age-Appropriate**: Match target learner
- **Motivation Design**: Reward-driven animations

## Industry Timing Standards

| Action | Duration | Easing |
|--------|----------|--------|
| Answer Feedback | 200ms | ease-out |
| Correct Celebration | 600ms | spring |
| Lesson Transition | 350ms | ease-in-out |
| Progress Update | 300ms | ease-out |
| Achievement Unlock | 800ms | custom-bounce |

## Key Principle
Animation should encourage and reward. Celebrate progress generously, handle mistakes gently, and maintain engagement through thoughtful micro-interactions that make learning feel like an adventure.

Overview

This skill helps designers apply Disney’s 12 principles of animation to educational products to increase clarity, motivation, and retention. It guides animation choices for buttons, feedback, transitions, and reward systems so learning feels supportive and engaging. Use it to turn micro-interactions and milestone moments into meaningful teaching tools.

How this skill works

The skill maps each animation principle to concrete UI patterns and timing recommendations for e-learning contexts. It suggests motion behaviors for quizzes, lessons, badges, and progress indicators, plus industry-standard durations and easing for common actions. Designers get practical rules for pacing, emphasis, and emotional tone so animations reinforce learning rather than distract.

When to use it

  • Designing feedback and result screens for quizzes or exercises
  • Animating lesson transitions, card stacks, and module progress
  • Creating reward and achievement sequences (badges, confetti, XP)
  • Improving micro-interactions like buttons, counters, and modals
  • Styling mascots or characters to convey encouragement and personality

Best practices

  • Prioritize comprehension: keep primary content visually dominant (staging)
  • Be gentle on errors: use subtle, non-punishing motion for mistakes
  • Time interactions for intent: quick feedback (~150–200ms), longer celebrations (~500–800ms)
  • Use secondary actions (sparkles, subtle background effects) to reinforce without stealing focus
  • Match animation scale and exaggeration to learner age and context

Example use cases

  • Answer button squashes briefly on tap, then a 200ms feedback reveal to show correctness
  • Lesson card stack with follow-through motion when swiped and a smooth 350ms transition between modules
  • Level-up sequence: XP counter updates with sparkles, then a 800ms achievement unlock bounce
  • Quiz reveal uses anticipation: a short build-up animation before showing correct answers
  • Drag-and-drop interactions follow a natural arc into drop zones with slight overlapping motion

FAQ

How long should feedback and celebrations be?

Keep feedback fast and responsive (150–200ms) and celebrations longer for impact (500–800ms); transitions and updates sit in between (300–400ms).

How do I avoid distracting learners with animation?

Prioritize staging and hierarchy: make content primary, use subtle easing and secondary actions to support learning, and limit motion frequency.