Good uses
- Building, decorating, and outfit editors where parts snap into place
- Tools for assembling diagrams, layouts, or simple mechanisms
- Onboarding that starts from an editable example instead of a blank page
01
Classification and repeated action
A stimulus engine is the axis of what invites another action. The visual world is chosen separately as an expression theme.
- Stimulus engine
- Creative construction
- Repeated action
- Pick up a part, try it in a socket or frame, compare the preview, and place it where the user chooses.
- Core loop
- Materials
- Combination
- Making
- Own and share
- Typical feedback
- Drag placement, Snap, Finished preview, Accumulated history
02
Build the sequence
Design the opening state, the input, the result, and the next actionable state as one sequence.
Opening state
An editable example, a dotted frame or open sockets, and a small tray of ready parts are visible, along with one small goal.
Input
The user drags a part, or selects it and then a socket, and an in-place preview shows how it would fit and what it would change.
Result and reward
On release the part snaps in with exactly the previewed shape, the finished preview updates, and the result is saved as a new version.
Next actionable state
The saved version stays in the history, earlier versions remain, and a new socket and a usable part show where the work could grow.
03
Feedback across channels
Do not rely on motion or sound alone: every channel should make the change of state readable.
Visual
Visual: a translucent ghost of the part and its consequence appears at the nearest socket, and turns solid in the same shape on placement.
Motion
Motion: the part settles with a small bounce and a fastening beat, then the creation itself demonstrates what the new part does.
Text, sound, and haptics
Text, sound, and haptics: a version label such as v2, a soft click on snap, and an optional light tick when the part locks in.
Without motion or audio
Without motion or audio: the solid part, the updated outline, and the new history entry show what was added and that it was kept.
04
Production controls
Eight production controls decide the strength and order of the response.
Input
Drag a part to a socket, or select a part and then a socket. Both paths must produce the same preview and the same placement.
Timing
Show the ghost preview as soon as a part nears a valid socket, commit only on release, and let the result play out after the snap.
Hit stop
Hold briefly when the new part first proves itself, such as a rider landing or a mechanism engaging, never while the user is still positioning.
Amplification
Let the creation use the new part in the world, then record the change as a version. Scale the payoff with how much the part changes the whole.
Text
Name the work, the editing state, and the version. Label parts plainly and keep labels off the area where the user is placing them.
Camera
Keep the frame steady while the user edits. Follow the demonstration gently only after placement, then return to the full view of the work.
Sound & haptics
Give hovering over a socket a quiet cue, the snap a distinct click, and the saved version a soft confirmation. Keep haptics optional.
Next expectation
Reveal one new socket and light one usable part so the next idea is visible, while undo and earlier versions stay within reach.
05
Where it works—and where it fails
Good uses, failure modes, risk, accessibility, and the boundary that keeps the engine from being used to manipulate.
Failure modes
- Opening on an empty canvas with no goal or example to adapt
- Snapping a part into a different shape or spot than the preview showed
- Overwriting earlier work without a version history or an undo path
Risk
Freedom alone makes people freeze at a blank page, and an unpredictable snap makes the work feel like it is not really theirs. If parts are gated behind purchases or timers, the urge to finish turns into pressure instead of authorship.
Accessibility
Offer select-then-place alongside dragging, make every socket reachable by keyboard and screen reader, and announce the preview and the saved version in text. Undo must always be available.
Manipulation boundary
Let the work belong to the user. Do not sell parts through random draws, hold a creation hostage behind payment or a deadline, or threaten to delete saved versions to bring the user back.
06
Watch the interaction grammar
A 6-second vertical 1080×1920, 30 fps specimen with no audio, and a text alternative of what it shows.
A sunny daytime editor for a treehouse in a tree. At the top: "Treehouse", "Editing", and the example v1 in the history. The deck has two sockets (A and B) that accept parts, and the parts tray at the bottom holds "Slide", "Swing", "Flag", and "Telescope". A finger lifts the slide and carries it to the deck: near socket A a translucent slide snaps in place as a preview, with its landing spot on the grass. Moving on to B moves the preview to B, and the landing spot changes to the pond. The finger pauses at B and then releases: a slide of exactly the previewed shape locks in, its bolts fasten, and the railing gate swings open. The child on the deck notices, walks to the slide, rides down the same curve gaining speed, and plunges into the pond, holding for 0.1 second in the splash. As the child bobs up and waves, the screen takes a snapshot, and the treehouse with its slide enters the history as "v2" (the example v1 stays). Finally a new socket appears on the cabin roof, "Telescope" in the parts tray lights up, and the finger moves toward it. No purchases, odds, or time limits for parts appear.
Generated examples for this engine
No generated examples are recorded for this engine yet. The specimen is also listed in the gallery.
08
Creator-ready English prompt
A production brief you can hand directly to an AI model or a production team.
Written for this guide from the specimen and the classification; it is not the original generation prompt.
Produce a 6-second vertical UI motion sample that uses the Creative construction stimulus engine.
Repeated action: Drag a part to a socket, or select a part and then a socket. Both paths must produce the same preview and the same placement.
Opening state: An editable example, a dotted frame or open sockets, and a small tray of ready parts are visible, along with one small goal.
Trigger and timing: Show the ghost preview as soon as a part nears a valid socket, commit only on release, and let the result play out after the snap.
Hit stop: Hold briefly when the new part first proves itself, such as a rider landing or a mechanism engaging, never while the user is still positioning.
Amplification: Let the creation use the new part in the world, then record the change as a version. Scale the payoff with how much the part changes the whole.
Text: Name the work, the editing state, and the version. Label parts plainly and keep labels off the area where the user is placing them.
Camera: Keep the frame steady while the user edits. Follow the demonstration gently only after placement, then return to the full view of the work.
Sound and haptics: Give hovering over a socket a quiet cue, the snap a distinct click, and the saved version a soft confirmation. Keep haptics optional.
Next promise: Reveal one new socket and light one usable part so the next idea is visible, while undo and earlier versions stay within reach.
Without motion or audio: the solid part, the updated outline, and the new history entry show what was added and that it was kept.
Accessibility: Offer select-then-place alongside dragging, make every socket reachable by keyboard and screen reader, and announce the preview and the saved version in text. Undo must always be available.
Ethical boundary: Let the work belong to the user. Do not sell parts through random draws, hold a creation hostage behind payment or a deadline, or threaten to delete saved versions to bring the user back.
Keep enough contrast for text and primary UI, and make the meaning clear in reduced-motion and no-audio settings.
Create original abstract subjects. Do not imitate existing works, characters, logos, brands, or proprietary UI.