Project Name: Dynamic Bento UI Animation built in RIVE

Rive Animator: Viky Wijaya

Tools Used: Rive (Animation & interactive vector motion)

Essence: Smooth state-transitions, clean vector motion, and data-driven interactivity melded into a UI that feels alive and responsive. 

Modern UIs demand more than static screens — users expect the interface to respond, animate, adapt, delight. The goal: create a “bento-grid” style UI (modular, compartmentalized) that doesn’t just switch states, but animates between them — gracefully, intuitively, professionally.

Key questions addressed:

How do you visually convey state transitions in a modular UI so they feel natural, not jarring?

How can motion and interactivity enhance, rather than distract from, the UI’s utility?

How can the animation layer be designed such that it responds to data or user input (i.e. “data-driven interactivity”)?

Using Rive, Viky built a dynamic animation system for a bento-style UI grid:

Vector-based design ensures crisp visuals at any resolution.

Modular “cells” (the bento grid) each animate into new states — e.g. expand, collapse, swap, fade smoothly — giving the UI life.

The animations are tied to underlying data or user interactions — making the transitions meaningful (not just decorative).

The design remains clean and minimal, keeping the motion elegant instead of busy.

From the Contra post: “Smooth state transitions, clean vector motion, and data-driven interactivity. A seamless blend of design and animation.” 

Engaging Without Overwhelm: The motion is purposeful. It enhances understanding of the UI, not distracts from it.

Scalable Design: Vector art + modular grid layout = easier adaptation across devices and resolutions.

User-Friendly: When UI states change (e.g. loading to content, collapsed to expanded), users aren’t just seeing something change — they see how it changes — which supports comprehension.

Technical Elegance: Choosing Rive shows sophistication: it supports interactive animations, state machines, and runtime logic, which is stronger than simple GIF or CSS transition solutions.

Motion = Function: Use animation not just for “looks” but to illustrate transitions and data changes.

Modular Systems Pay Off: A bento grid means discrete units that can animate independently or in sync — more flexible.

Tool Selection Matters: Choosing the right animation tool (e.g. Rive) enables interactive, data-driven motion rather than purely decorative.

Clean Design Amplifies Motion: With minimal visual noise, the animation becomes the hero — yet it stays balanced.