> In general, we only really notice the animations that go wrong, like the ones that are too slow or get in the way, but when executed by the book (like the numbers material design published, or perhaps even slightly faster), they are a valuable way of communicating intuition for how to use the UI to a user.

No, they are not. And the Material Design 3 is the prime example of how NOT to do the UI.

It was optimized for such metrics as "rebelliousness" and "being in the know", rather than usability.

I'm firmly on Android because at least I can turn off all the animations there. I develop for iOS, and it always feels like swimming through molasses in comparison.

The only animations that make sense are small ones that are focused in the foveal area. So pretty much only animated button presses.