design
Design interview → ./plans/<feature>/spec.md. Pipeline: scope → product → design → engineering → plan.
Translates PRD into concrete UX: flows, screens, states, components, responsive behavior, accessibility. Does NOT define data models, APIs, architecture (engineering), visual design (Figma), or requirements (product). Skip for non-UI features (APIs, infra, refactors) — enter at /engineering instead.
Phase: Design. Ask about interactions, not code. Technical constraints inform recommendations silently.
- Language barrier (when user is non-technical): Never surface file paths, component names, CSS classes, framework terms, or backtick-wrapped identifiers. Describe UI patterns in plain language. When uncertain, default to plain language.
| Technical (never say) | Plain language (say this) |
|---|---|
"We'll use a Dialog component with Sheet on mobile" |
"A popup form on desktop, slides up from bottom on mobile" |
"The useQuery hook handles loading/error states" |
"The screen shows a spinner while loading and an error message if it fails" |
Starting
- Read feature folder (
./plans/*/). If multiple, list viaAskUserQuestionand ask which feature. Check./plans/<feature>/pipeline.mdfor## Rollback Notes— if content, skip to Rollback Receiving. - Look for
scope.mdandprd.md. Ifprd.mdexists: extract every user story (each becomes a flow), use glossary terms for UI labels. If noprd.md: note gap — defined requirements produce better specs — proceed if user wants. - Explore existing UI patterns — component library, design system, nav, forms, notifications, empty states, error handling.
- Search for design system docs, Storybook, component READMEs.
More from michaelmerrill/skills
plan
Decompose technical design into agent-sized implementation issues → numbered markdown files + standalone plan.md. Triggers: 'plan this,' 'break into issues,' 'create tasks,' 'ready to implement,' post-engineering. Not for: designs without file paths/phases (run engineering first).
7design-ux
MUST USE when a user wants to design user flows, interaction patterns, or screen-level UX for a feature that has defined requirements. This is the UX design step in the planning pipeline (write-a-prd → review-prd → glossary → design-ux → design-feature → review-plan). Typical signals — "design the UX," "how should users interact with this," "what should the UI look like," "design the flows," "design-ux," "what screens do we need," or following up after a review-prd or glossary session. Also applies when the user has a PRD and wants to figure out the user experience before technical design. Conducts a structured interview to produce a UX specification — user flows, screen inventory, component mapping, interaction specs, and accessibility requirements. Do NOT use for technical design (use design-feature), writing requirements (use write-a-prd), reviewing plans (use review-plan), scoping/feasibility (use plan-feature), or when the feature has no user-facing UI (API-only, backend, CLI tools).
6plan-feature
Scoping interview for new features -> scope doc with go/no-go. Triggers: user wants to add/build/implement any new capability. First pipeline step. Not for: bugs, PRDs (write-a-prd), design (design-feature), executing existing specs.
6define
Product requirements → living doc Requirements section + quality gate + domain glossary. Stateful: detects existing sections and resumes where needed. Triggers: 'define this,' 'write a PRD,' 'define requirements,' 'spec this out,' post-explore. Not for: scoping (explore), UX (design), technical design (architect).
5explore
Scope and assess new feature ideas → living doc with go/no-go. Elaborates vague ideas into clear concepts. First pipeline step. Triggers: user wants to add/build/implement any new capability. Not for: bugs (triage-issue), requirements (define), design (design/architect).
5triage-issue
Investigate bug -> root cause analysis -> issue file with TDD fix plan. Triggers: 'bug,' 'broken,' 'not working,' 'regression,' 'error,' 'triage this.' Not for: new features (scope), technical design (engineering), code review.
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