04 Reveal on Intent. 4 of 95.
04/POINTER INTENT/4 of 95
Reveal on Intent
Keep the UI calm — show controls when intent shows up.
Best experienced with a pointer.
The problem
Secondary actions visible on every row all the time clutter the screen, even when the user is only scanning.
The solution
Actions appear only on hover or focus of that row — calm by default, available when needed.
Experiment
Play with the values
160ms
How it works
- Content renders without secondary controls, so the resting interface stays calm.
- Hover or focus on a specific item is the signal that those controls are needed.
- Actions reveal for that item only.
- They hide again when the pointer and focus both leave.
- Keyboard focus reveals the same actions, so the behavior is not pointer-only.
Seen in
File browsers
Rename and delete appear on the hovered or focused row.
Tables & lists
Row actions stay out of the way until you engage a record.
Media players
Transport controls fade in when the pointer enters the player.
Docs & canvases
Block handles and toolbars show when you hover or place the caret nearby.