ui-prototyping
UI Prototyping Skill
Task lists and specs commit you to one layout before you've seen the alternatives. The cost is quiet but large: you anchor on the first arbitrary structure an agent guessed, then spend the rest of the phase fighting feature creep around it. This skill front-loads divergent exploration — many real, named SwiftUI variations you flip between in Xcode's canvas — so the layout you carry into /apple:plan is one you chose, not one you defaulted into.
Agents are collaborators, not designers. You always have final say. Go wide, remix, repeat.
Why this exists (the trap it removes)
A vague prompt — "make a UI for a book club" — produces one arbitrary layout, silently guesses at features you never asked for (polling? a photo gallery?), and anchors you on a flawed start. By the time you've bent it to the features you do want, it looks clunky and inelegant. Three disciplines remove the trap, and this skill enforces all three:
| Discipline | What it means | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Specificity | Bake the exact features in; nothing extra | Feature creep, arbitrary navigation elements |
| Stylistic intent | Name the mood — warm coffee-shop palette? paper & typography? clean editorial? | Point-of-view-less, generic layouts |
| Multiplicity | Ask for many divergent options at once | Anchoring on the first guess |
Early is your only cheap chance to explore wide. Spend it.