Section 10 · 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.

Note

This is where perspective and space illusion actually show up in screen-based work — better to build that understanding here, through motion, than treat it as a drawing exercise bolted on elsewhere.