Character speech and motion share one bounded behavior contract
Character anatomy, emotion, attribution, movement, sound, context, and accessibility cannot diverge.
Guidance
Use approved original-character recipes with proportional intensity, interruptibility, critical-domain exclusions, and equivalent reduced modes.
Do
- Define static, reduced-motion, and no-audio equivalents
- Test silhouette, rig, repetition, interruption, and low-end performance
Do not
- Animate indefinitely to demand attention
- Use character humor in security, consent, payment, safety, or data-loss flows
Verification contract
Cross-modal fixture review covering copy, motion, sound, accessibility, rig bounds, and critical contexts
Supporting references
ref.duolingo.illustration-characters— Duolingo Design — Multi-character systemref.duolingo.illustration-duo— Duolingo Design — Character construction grammarref.duolingo.writing-duo— Duolingo Design — Character verbal contract