/layers-intro

Load this skill at the start of any design session. It provides the framework context that all other /layers-* skills depend on.

The framework

Layers of Product Design organises design work into seven layers across three zones. Layers have logical dependency: lower layers are foundations for upper ones. Weak lower layers create UX debt that propagates upward.

Reality — complex, contradictory, evolving. Source of all learning.

Problem space — knowledge gathered from reality:

1. Observed behaviour — what users actually do
2. The domain — concepts, terminology, and mental models that exist independently of any product
3. User needs — what we think users are trying to achieve, and why

Solution space — deliberate decisions about what to build: 4. Product & service strategy — which needs to serve, and what business outcomes to target