design-debate
Design Debate
Good design decisions come from tension, not consensus. When agents converge too quickly, they optimise for agreement instead of the best answer. This skill creates productive conflict — agents argue for competing directions with real trade-offs, and the user decides.
When to Use
- When the design-strategist identifies multiple viable directions
- When the design-lead proposes a visual direction and alternatives exist
- When the user says "I'm not sure which way to go" or "what are my options?"
- When the design-critic recommends "rethink" — a debate can surface the better path
- When a decision has significant downstream consequences (navigation pattern, layout model, interaction paradigm)
- When the user explicitly asks for a debate: "debate this", "argue both sides", "what are the trade-offs?"
Do Not Use When
- The decision is trivial (icon choice, exact padding value)
- Accessibility requirements dictate the answer — there is nothing to debate
- The user has already made up their mind — respect their direction
- The brief clearly specifies the approach — follow it
More from owl-listener/designpowers
adaptive-interfaces
Use when designing for user preferences — motion sensitivity, contrast needs, colour schemes, text sizing, information density, or any interface behaviour that should adapt to individual needs
6token-architecture
Use when building or restructuring design token systems — global tokens, semantic tokens, component tokens, naming conventions, theming, and multi-platform token distribution
6motion-choreography
Use when designing animation sequences, page transitions, micro-interactions, loading states, or any motion that communicates meaning — ensures motion is purposeful, performant, and safe for motion-sensitive users
6design-discovery
You MUST use this before any creative or design work — building features, creating components, designing interfaces, modifying user-facing behaviour. Explores intent, constraints, users, and context before any design decisions are made
6responsive-patterns
Use when designing complex responsive layouts — breakpoint strategy, layout shifts, content reflow, responsive typography, container queries, and ensuring the experience works across the full device spectrum
6design-memory
Use when starting a new project or when taste decisions are made — accumulates the user's aesthetic preferences, recurring patterns, and design instincts across projects so each new project starts with what the system already knows about their taste
6