02 / POINTER INTENT
Hover Intent
The problem
Menus fly open the moment your cursor grazes them, cluttering the screen while you are just passing through.
The solution
Cursor speed and dwell time estimate whether you intend to open.
This mechanic is best experienced with a pointer.
Experiment
Task: Hover over Settings without opening it while moving to Help.
NAIVE
THOUGHTFUL
Play with the values
400 px/s
300ms
100ms
How it works
Seen in
Navigation bars
Top-level items open only when you slow down, not when you're crossing the bar to reach something else.
Tooltips
Hints appear after a deliberate pause instead of flashing during fast pointer passes.
Mega menus
Department flyouts wait for intent before expanding, reducing accidental activation.
Sidebar items
Nested sidebar entries distinguish scanning from selecting before revealing children.