CSS prefers-reduced-motion Media Query
When I started in the web development industry, media queries were limited -- screen and print were the two media queries I was most often using. More than a decade later, media queries have advanced to various screen units, feature checking, and even color scheme preference. I've been so happy to see CSS evolve beyond incredibly generic settings.
One of the CSS media queries I've recently discovered is prefers-reduced-motion, a media query for users sensitive to excessive motion.
Let's use prefers-reduced-motion to show motion to all users but none to sensitive users:
.animation {
animation: vibrate 0.2s;
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.animation {
animation: none;
}
}
The example above illustrates how we can cater to sensitive users by not animating elements for those who have said they don't want them.
It's amazing how media queries like this can really show users that you care. Sure, we love the fancy razzle-dazzle but not everyone can handle that motion.
![Regular Expressions for the Rest of Us]()
Sooner or later you'll run across a regular expression. With their cryptic syntax, confusing documentation and massive learning curve, most developers settle for copying and pasting them from StackOverflow and hoping they work. But what if you could decode regular expressions and harness their power? In...
![Responsive and Infinitely Scalable JS Animations]()
Back in late 2012 it was not easy to find open source projects using requestAnimationFrame() - this is the hook that allows Javascript code to synchronize with a web browser's native paint loop. Animations using this method can run at 60 fps and deliver fantastic...
![Using MooTools For Opacity]()
Although it's possible to achieve opacity using CSS, the hacks involved aren't pretty. If you're using the MooTools JavaScript library, opacity is as easy as using an element's "set" method. The following MooTools snippet takes every image with the "opacity" class and sets...
![MooTools History Plugin]()
One of the reasons I love AJAX technology so much is because it allows us to avoid unnecessary page loads. Why download the header, footer, and other static data multiple times if that specific data never changes? It's a waste of time, processing, and bandwidth. Unfortunately...
Hey David!
As someone that has suffered vestibular disorders before, prefers-reduced-motion is a godsend.
A somewhat better, broader implementation is using the a really short
animation-durationinstead ofanimation: none, as it’s fairly common to implement animations in such a way that starts off screen or otherwise invisible, which could mean the elements don’t show up at all if usinganimation: none. Iteration count will prevent us from getting infinite loops.Same thing can be achieved for transitions.
@media screen and (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){ * { animation-duration: 0.001ms !important; animation-iteration-count: 1 !important; transition-duration: 0.001ms !important; } }