emil kowalski ui train your judgement

--- source: https://emilkowal.ski/ui/train-your-judgement author: Emil Kowalski captured: 2026-05-23T12:03:16-07:00 tags: - ai-research - ui - design - curl-md --- --- title: Train Your Judgement description: Settling for good enough is not good enough. url: https://emilkowal.ski/ui/train-your-judgement site: Emil Kowalski --- AI can write animation code. What it can’t do is know what feels *right*. It produces motion that works, but feels mediocre, and if you can’t tell the difference, you’ll ship it. You’ll settle for good enough, and that’s not good enough. This article trains your ability to spot what’s wrong, name it, and fix it. Each exercise shows two animations side by side. Your job is to pick the better one, write down why you chose it, and then see my breakdown. Putting into words why something feels right trains your ability to articulate your judgment, a skill that will be incredibly valuable in the AI era. Have fun! ## Size of an element Which mobile menu animation feels better? Acme Page content Select A Acme Page content Select B ## Choosing the right easing Which toast animation feels better? Show toast Select A Show toast Select B ## Entry animations Click both buttons. Which entrance feels better? Open dialog Select A Open dialog Select B ## Being intentional Which accordion animation feels better? How does billing work? You'll be billed monthly based on your usage. Cancel anytime with no penalties. Select A How does billing work? You'll be billed monthly based on your usage. Cancel anytime with no penalties. Select B ## Frequency of use Hover through both lists. Which feels better for something you’d use frequently? Options Edit Copy Link Move to… Duplicate Archive Delete Select A Options Edit Copy Link Move to… Duplicate Archive Delete Select B ## Using scale properly Click both buttons. Which press feels better? Subscribe Select A Subscribe Select B ## Removing elements Remove chips on both sides. Which feels smoother? React Next.js Tailwind Motion Select A React Next.js Tailwind Motion Select B ## Handling interruptions Open and close each menu rapidly. Which handles interruptions better? Acme Page content Select A Acme Page content Select B ## Animating popovers Click the button on both sides. Which popover feels better? Show details Select A Show details Select B ## Using stagger Which entrance feels more intentional? New–Collaborative workspaces→ Ship products that matter From prototype to production.\ One workflow for your whole team. Get startedExplore Select A New–Collaborative workspaces→ Ship products that matter From prototype to production.\ One workflow for your whole team. Get startedExplore Select B ## Layered motion Open the side panel on both. Which feels better? Dashboard Select A Dashboard Select B ## Going a step further Everything covered here, and more, is covered in my [design engineering skill](/skill) file which you can feed to your coding agents follow these rules in practice. And if you want to go deeper, check out my animation course for designers and engineers, where I teach practical animation techniques you can use to make products feel cleaner, faster, and more polished: [Check out animations.dev](https://animations.dev/) --- Powered by [curl.md](https://curl.md)