TUI Design for Pi

Build terminal interfaces that feel crafted, not generated. The terminal is constrained — fixed-width character grid, keyboard only, theme-dependent colors — and those constraints are a design feature.

Design Thinking

Before coding, commit to a direction:

• Tone: Minimal and precise? Dense and information-rich? Playful? Industrial? The terminal has its own aesthetic vocabulary — box-drawing elegance, braille-pattern density, block-element weight, symbol clarity.
• Scope: Full-screen takeover (ctx.ui.custom)? Floating overlay? Persistent widget? Status line? Tool rendering? Match the delivery surface to the interaction weight.
• Differentiation: What detail makes this feel intentional? A progress bar with braille resolution. Aligned columns with accent headers. A dialog with breathing room.

Terminal Aesthetic Vocabulary

Unicode Repertoire — Your Typography

Terminal UIs have no font choices. Instead, the character repertoire is the typography: