Dynamic Peek

Dynamic Peek is a small status pill that grows out of the Xbox button in the top corner of Home. At a glance, it shows what’s happening: that you’re in a party, a pending party invite, downloads, chats, notifications or friend requests. I designed the motion for how the peek opens, how it moves between states and how it gets out of the way.

Prioritization

The peek can only show one thing at a time, so I mapped out what wins. It stays on screen while you’re in a party. After you leave, a pending party invite takes priority, and then the peek cycles through your other notifications. Once you’ve visited the guide, the peek exits.

Color

For the in-party state, I explored three treatments: a neutral white outline, a color echo and a color shimmer.

Fluidity & Timing

The pill stretches open from the Xbox button, overshoots slightly and settles, then tucks back in. The icon and label fade in once the pill has opened and fade out before it closes. I paired each animation with its After Effects value graph.

Interaction

With a cursor, the peek lights up on hover and responds when pressed. I tried two press treatments: a soft, blurred focus ring and crisp, stepped echo rings.