The WordPress Performance Team has unveiled a new experimental plugin designed to enhance the perceived loading speed of web pages by introducing smooth, native browser animations. Announced by Felix Arntz, a Google software engineer and member of the Performance Team, the View Transitions plugin offers the fluid feel of Single Page Applications (SPAs) without the typical performance or accessibility compromises.
This plugin allows users to experience advanced performance improvements ahead of potential integration into WordPress core. Once activated, it replaces the traditional hard reload between pages with animated transitions such as fades or slides, improving visual continuity and navigation flow across the site.
Compatible out of the box with most WordPress themes, the plugin offers customization options through the WordPress admin under Settings > Reading. Site owners can configure animations using selectors and presets, allowing elements like headers, post titles, and featured images to animate or persist between page views.
While the plugin UI provides basic customization for animations and selectors, developers are encouraged to fine-tune the behavior through the add_theme_support function in their theme code. Additionally, the plugin supports registering custom animations with unique identifiers, CSS stylesheets, and configuration settings.
Optimized primarily for block themes but broadly compatible across WordPress sites, this plugin marks a significant step forward in improving site performance and user experience through native browser capabilities.
