Show HN: Vertically Works – UI components built on writing-mode: vertical-RL

Vertically Works, a new open-source UI component library, offers 20 components designed for vertical writing systems (top-to-bottom, right-to-left) used in Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, challenging the horizontal-text assumption of standard interfaces. The project explores issues such as animation direction, mixed CJK/Latin content, navigation placement, text selection, IME input, arrow key behavior, drag-and-drop, and AI chat adaptation for vertical layouts.

Interfaces for vertical writing Every UI component you know assumes horizontal text. Vertically Works is what buttons, toggles, dialogs, and lists become when reading flows top to bottom, right to left. 20 componentsKorean, Japanese, Chinese 4 applications Applications All applications /apps What This Project Explores All challenges /challenges Should a sheet animate from screen geometry or reading direction? How should mixed CJK and Latin content behave in the same column? Where does the navigation rail belong in a vertical-first interface? How does text selection work when reading flows top-to-bottom, right-to-left? Where does the IME candidate window appear when input is vertical? What do the arrow keys mean in a vertical, RTL interface? How does drag-and-drop reordering work when list items are columns? How should AI chat interfaces adapt to vertical writing systems? Derived Principles Respect Reading Flow Begin with how the reader moves, not convention. Motion Has Meaning Animation reinforces reading direction, never decoration. Interaction Before Typography Behavior is the goal; typography enables it. Mixed Language First Design for mixed scripts, not the average. Accessibility Is Fundamental Keyboard, touch, screen reader, reduced motion, built in. Progressive Familiarity New readers need a ramp · deepen the vertical commitment gradually. Research Never Ends Document open questions beside resolved ones.