Respect prefers-reduced-motion for Animations
Disable or shorten animations when the user sets reduce-motion so vestibular sensitivity is respected not ignored.
Task
Add @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } so the interface remains usable and accessible under the edge cases that manual testing skips.
When to use this
A screen reader user reports the page is unusable because @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } was never implemented, flagged in a support ticket.
Prerequisites
- A frontend component or page in the codebase
- A build with the relevant framework configured
Steps
1. Configure @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } in the project configuration file with the recommended defaults.
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } }
Expected output: The configuration is accepted and @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } runs without errors on the first invocation.
2. Run the check locally to verify @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } produces the expected result before pushing.
pnpm test
Expected output: Local run matches CI behavior; no surprises after push.
3. Add the gate to the CI pipeline so @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } blocks merge on failure.
- name: Run add reduce motion respect
run: pnpm test
Expected output: Pull requests with failing @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } are blocked from merging.
Troubleshooting
Problem
The check passes locally but fails in CI
Solution
Pin dependency versions and the runtime to match CI exactly; reproduce with the same Docker image or act.
Problem
Configuration is rejected with a schema error
Solution
Check the tool version matches the config schema; older versions may not support newer fields.
Limitations
- The gate only runs on events that trigger the workflow; locally pushed commits bypass it.
- Configuration drift is possible if someone edits settings outside version control.
Handle the edge case
Start by measuring the problem. Disable or shorten animations when the user sets reduce-motion so vestibular sensitivity is respected not ignored. The most common mistake is adding the gate without first confirming it catches the issue you care about. Run @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } against the current codebase and inspect the output before wiring it into CI.
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } }Test with real tools
Once the gate is in place, make failures actionable. A failing @media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) { * { animation-duration: 0.01ms !important; transition: none !important; } } should point to the exact file and line, not a generic error. Pin the tool version in the lockfile so a upstream release does not silently change behavior. Review the gate output in every pull request just like a test result.