Section 9 · Time, Motion & Interaction

Depth Cues and Parallax

Definition

Visual signals suggesting three-dimensional space on a flat surface — overlap, scale change, shadow, blur, and parallax, where elements at different apparent depths move at different rates.

Why it matters

Depth cues are the interface equivalent of perspective. Applied consistently they create a coherent space; invented per transition they create confusion.

Example

A background layer drifting at half the speed of the foreground during a transition.

Teaching note

This is where perspective and space illusion enter a screen-based course. If a curriculum promises those concepts, motion work is a more natural home for them than a drawing exercise bolted on elsewhere.