Good uses
- Map and level screens that reveal areas as the user travels
- Feature discovery in tools, where finding one function opens related ones
- Learning content that unlocks topics by connecting them to what was explored
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
- Unknown exploration
- Repeated action
- Choose a route or sector at the edge of the known area, send the scout in, and read what the cleared ground reveals.
- Core loop
- Unknown
- Explore
- Discovery
- New unknown
- Typical feedback
- Fog clears, Map expands, Landmark appears
02
Build the sequence
Design the opening state, the input, the result, and the next actionable state as one sequence.
Opening state
Only the near, safe part of the map is visible, and at the edge of the hidden area a partial clue such as a flickering signal or a wisp of steam hints at something.
Input
The user traces or selects a route toward the clue and confirms it, and the scout follows exactly the path the user committed to.
Result and reward
The cover clears outward from the clue, terrain rises, a named landmark appears, and the list of routes grows by the paths the discovery opens.
Next actionable state
New edges of the unknown and a second, different clue appear beyond the discovery, so the user can pick the next direction at their own pace.
03
Feedback across channels
Do not rely on motion or sound alone: every channel should make the change of state readable.
Visual
Visual: clear the hidden area in a shape tied to the cause, such as wind spreading from the scout, and raise the landmark from the newly visible ground.
Motion
Motion: let the confirmed route draw itself, follow the scout with a steady scroll, and pause briefly only where the cover tears open.
Text, sound, and haptics
Text, sound, and haptics: a "Discovered" tag with the place name, a route count that rises, a hush in the fog and one opening chord on reveal.
Without motion or audio
Without motion or audio: a before-and-after map state, the named discovery, and the updated route list still show what was found and where it leads.
04
Production controls
Eight production controls decide the strength and order of the response.
Input
Let the user draw or pick the route into the unknown and confirm it on release. The committed path should be visible before the scout moves.
Timing
Keep travel short and readable, give the scan a beat of build-up, then clear the area quickly so the reveal does not stall the next choice.
Hit stop
Place one short hold of about 100 ms at the moment the cover breaks open over the clue, before the reveal spreads. Do not freeze the map during travel.
Amplification
Grow from a local gap around the scout to an area-wide clearing, then let one landmark rise and new routes extend from it toward fresh edges of fog.
Text
Name the discovered place and say what it opens, for example a new route count. Keep labels anchored to the map so they read as locations.
Camera
Follow the scout with a smooth scroll and keep the start and the discovery in one view when possible, so the user keeps a sense of where they are.
Sound & haptics
Use soft ambient texture while the area is hidden and one clear, opening sound for the discovery. A light haptic can confirm the route, not every step.
Next expectation
End on visible new edges of the unknown and a different clue, with the routes laid out to compare, and leave the choice of where to go next open.
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
- Revealing empty ground that changes no choice or meaning
- Hiding information the user needs to plan the route behind fog
- Moving the camera so far that the user loses their position on the map
Risk
If every reveal only fills a blank, curiosity turns into a checklist and the map feels like chores. Clues that promise more than the discovery delivers erode trust in the next hint.
Accessibility
Mark undiscovered, cleared, and route states with patterns and labels, not only fog density or color. Allow route selection from a list as well as by tracing, and give the reveal a reduced-motion version that cuts directly to the cleared map.
Manipulation boundary
Let exploration be driven by honest clues. Do not sell map reveals or faster scouting, gate discoveries behind paid random draws, or tease hidden areas that turn out to be locked purchases.
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 dark teal scouting map. Only the safe zone at the lower left (a lake, a tent, and a landing pad) is visible; the rest is covered by banks of fog. At the fog edge a yellow signal flickers in broken arcs, and a wisp of steam peeks out above the fog. A finger touches the drone on the pad and traces a path around the lake to the signal: a yellow dotted line follows the fingertip, and on the frame the finger lifts it turns solid with a "Confirmed" tag. The drone flies exactly along the drawn path (the map scrolls down to follow it); when it enters the fog its rotor wash pushes the fog aside, and it stops over the signal to scan. The rotor wind strengthens into a swirl, the fog tears along the swirl, and everything holds for 0.1 second. Then a gust front spreads from the signal and blows the fog outward; trees and a stone arch rise where it clears, a hidden hot spring source erupts ("Discovered: Hot spring source"), and its water runs down the stream. Two new routes, "Along the stream" and "Rock bridge", extend along the stream flowing from the spring and the natural stone arch over a ravine, each stopping at the next edge of fog. The route list at the bottom grows from one route ("To the signal") to three ("Hot spring source", "Along the stream", "Rock bridge"; routes 3). Finally another, cyan signal blinks deep in the fog, and the finger slides in from the right and returns to the drone to draw the next route.
Generated examples for this engine
- Unknown exploration × Classic adventure — 6-second high-stimulus motion
- Unknown exploration × Block construction — 6-second high-stimulus motion
- Unknown exploration × Cyber intrusion — 6-second high-stimulus motion
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 Unknown exploration stimulus engine.
Repeated action: Let the user draw or pick the route into the unknown and confirm it on release. The committed path should be visible before the scout moves.
Opening state: Only the near, safe part of the map is visible, and at the edge of the hidden area a partial clue such as a flickering signal or a wisp of steam hints at something.
Trigger and timing: Keep travel short and readable, give the scan a beat of build-up, then clear the area quickly so the reveal does not stall the next choice.
Hit stop: Place one short hold of about 100 ms at the moment the cover breaks open over the clue, before the reveal spreads. Do not freeze the map during travel.
Amplification: Grow from a local gap around the scout to an area-wide clearing, then let one landmark rise and new routes extend from it toward fresh edges of fog.
Text: Name the discovered place and say what it opens, for example a new route count. Keep labels anchored to the map so they read as locations.
Camera: Follow the scout with a smooth scroll and keep the start and the discovery in one view when possible, so the user keeps a sense of where they are.
Sound and haptics: Use soft ambient texture while the area is hidden and one clear, opening sound for the discovery. A light haptic can confirm the route, not every step.
Next promise: End on visible new edges of the unknown and a different clue, with the routes laid out to compare, and leave the choice of where to go next open.
Without motion or audio: a before-and-after map state, the named discovery, and the updated route list still show what was found and where it leads.
Accessibility: Mark undiscovered, cleared, and route states with patterns and labels, not only fog density or color. Allow route selection from a list as well as by tracing, and give the reveal a reduced-motion version that cuts directly to the cleared map.
Ethical boundary: Let exploration be driven by honest clues. Do not sell map reveals or faster scouting, gate discoveries behind paid random draws, or tease hidden areas that turn out to be locked purchases.
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.