ask-ux
Installation
SKILL.md
Questions Before Pixels
The premise
In 2026, polished UI is the default of any generator. The bar that mattered ten years ago ("does it look good?") is no longer a moat. The work that actually moves outcomes is the questioning underneath: whether the screen should exist, what the user was doing before they arrived, what they're trying to accomplish in this exact moment.
Most "UX problems" are described in UI terms because UI is what people can point at. A UI-shaped complaint does not mean a UI-shaped fix.
Step 1: Run the UI-vs-UX diagnostic before opening the design tool
| Symptom | Most likely fix |
|---|---|
| User can't find the action they need | UX — wrong screen, wrong moment, IA problem |
| User finds the action but doesn't trust it | UX — missing feedback, context, or consequence |
| User triggers the action, lands where expected, page looks dated | UI polish (genuinely cosmetic) |
| User completes the task but it "feels clunky" | UX — too many steps, missing defaults, the system is asking the user to think |
| User can't tell whether something happened | UX — missing or delayed feedback loop |
| Two screens look the same; user picks the wrong one | UX — those two screens probably shouldn't be two screens |
| User keeps doing what the warning says not to | UX — the warning is in the wrong place, design is fighting the workflow |