A: Motion Toolkit is HSBC’s first-ever motion design system. I created it from the ground up to define how animation and motion should function across our entire digital ecosystem—mobile apps, web platforms, and internal tools. Until this point, there was no unified approach to motion at HSBC. This toolkit establishes the foundation, covering everything from easing curves and durations to accessibility and documentation, so teams across the globe can design with consistency and clarity.

A: I was responsible for every part of the project from early research to final delivery. I began with an internal audit to understand existing gaps, then explored external systems like IBM’s Carbon, Google’s Material, and Adobe’s Spectrum to benchmark best practices. I also drew on in-depth resources like Animation in Design Systems by Val Head. Based on those insights, I built the entire toolkit myself, defining the motion principles, creating animated examples, stress-testing building blocks, and documenting everything in a way that was usable across teams and platforms.

A: One major challenge was the lack of a shared motion framework; every animation was being manually built by dev pods, one by one. I proposed using tools like Lottie or Rive to streamline this, but until that’s adopted, I focused on creating a robust documentation method as a second-best solution.

Figma was another limitation. While it’s accessible, it doesn’t support complex timing or multiple transitions. I deliberately avoided heavier tools like After Effects to keep things usable for UX/UI designers. Instead, I created motion specs using text, charts, and visual prototypes so designers could still deliver meaningful animation without needing to be motion specialists.

A: The sheer scope of it. Motion toolkits are complex by nature; they touch design, development, accessibility, and system thinking all at once. Taking this from concept to delivery entirely on my own was a huge challenge. While it may not be as expansive as something like IBM’s Carbon, it’s a highly practical, scalable system that brings real structure to how motion is approached at HSBC. It helps teams move faster, stay consistent, and think about motion not as decoration but as a meaningful design tool.