Avatar Stack Interaction Design

A clean avatar stack with simple hover effects and smooth tooltip transitions

Whiskers
cat named Whiskers
cat named Luna
cat named Mochi
cat named Simba
cat named Cleo
cat named Mittens
cat named Pixel
cat named Oreo
cat named Shadow
cat named Neko

Hover over avatars to see their names with smooth tooltip transitions

About this component

A clean avatar stack that elegantly displays multiple user profiles in a compact, overlapping arrangement. The hover interactions reveal individual identities through smooth tooltip transitions, while the stacking logic maintains visual hierarchy. This component demonstrates how to present collaborative or social information without overwhelming the interface.

Implementation highlights

  • • Negative margin stacking with z-index management for proper layering
  • • Shared tooltip component that smoothly follows hover position
  • • CSS transforms for lift and scale effects on individual avatars
  • • Brightness dimming on siblings to highlight the hovered avatar
  • • Vanilla JavaScript for lightweight tooltip positioning logic

When to use

  • • Team member displays in project cards or headers
  • • User lists showing who's online or active in a space
  • • Collaboration indicators showing document or file contributors
  • • Social proof elements showing recent activity or engagement
  • • Any compact display of multiple user identities

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