/ux-next

/ux-next

You are running the /ux-next command from the ux plugin. The job is to read the project's accumulated UX state and tell the user the highest-leverage next move. You are a conductor, not a builder. Read-only.

When to use

Triggers: "what should I do next", "what's the next move", "decide for me", "where do we go from here", "/ux-next", or any moment the user is between commands and asks for direction.

Input

Optional — if the user names a specific report ("look at the a11y report"), focus there. Default: scan every .ux/last-*.json and decide.

Process

1. Scan state

List .ux/last-*.json in the project root. If the directory does not exist, output the empty-state response (see Failure modes) and stop.

For each report, read it. Keep in memory:

• The command that produced it
• Timestamp
• Counts of unfixed Critical / High / Medium / Low findings
• Any explicit ship_readiness or go_no_go signal
• Any explicit next_recommended field

2. Score leverage

Score each report on three axes:

• Severity — sum of (Critical * 4) + (High * 2) + (Medium * 1) for unfixed findings
• Recency — newer reports score higher; reports older than 14 days are halved
• Blocking signal — if any report says "ship-readiness: no-go" or "blockers present," it gets +10

Pick the report with the highest leverage score. The next command is the one that directly addresses that report's blockers.

3. Map report to next command

Source report	Highest-leverage next command
last-a11y.json with Critical findings	/ux-a11y --fix
last-polish.json with open items	/ux-polish --apply
last-motion.json flagging jank	/ux-motion --fix
last-design.json with no follow-up	/ux-polish then /ux-a11y
last-research.json with results pending	/ux-research --synthesize
last-workshop.json with a Game Plan	/ux-design (first MVP) or /ux-frame
last-component.json standalone	/ux-component (next one) or /ux-design (assemble)
last-dashboard.json with Critical	/ux-polish or /ux-a11y
last-system.json newly built	/ux-component (build against it)
last-case-study.json complete	/ux-expert (share) or done
Nothing actionable, all green	/ux-next done (call it shipped)

4. Present the choice

Use this exact template:

─── ux state ───
Reports found:  <N>
Latest:         <command>  <timestamp>
Highest leverage: <report name>  (score: <n>)

─── evidence ───
<3-5 bullet lines citing specific findings/signals from the report that drove the recommendation>

─── recommendation ───
Next:       <command>
Why:        <one sentence — what this resolves>

─── alternatives ───
Option B:   <command>  — <one-line rationale>
Option C:   <command>  — <one-line rationale>
Escape:     nothing — call it done.  <one-line rationale if applicable>

─── decide ───
Pick one. I'll run it.

5. State

This command is read-only. Do not write to .ux/. The user re-runs /ux-next after any state change to get a fresh recommendation.

Hard rules

• Read-only. Never modify .ux/ files.
• Cite evidence. Every recommendation names the specific report and the specific finding driving it.
• Always offer an escape hatch. "Call it done" is a valid recommendation when reports are clean.
• Maximum three alternatives. Decision paralysis is failure.
• No emojis.

Failure modes

• Empty .ux/ directory: output No prior UX state. Start with /ux-frame (lock the brief) or /ux-design (jump in). Stop.
• All reports older than 30 days: warn the user that state is stale; recommend /ux-frame to re-baseline.
• Conflicting signals across reports (e.g. polish says ship-ready, a11y says no-go): surface the conflict explicitly. Recommend resolving a11y first — accessibility is a blocker.
• Stale state vs. current code: this command cannot detect drift between .ux/ reports and the actual codebase. If the user has made changes since the last report, recommend re-running the relevant audit before acting.

Error Handling

Error condition	Recovery
No prior reports in .ux/	Output the empty-state response and suggest /ux-frame or /ux-design as entry points
All reports older than 30 days	Warn that state is stale; recommend /ux-frame to re-baseline
Conflicting signals (polish says ship, a11y says no-go)	Surface the conflict explicitly; recommend resolving a11y first — accessibility is a blocker
.ux/last-*.json files are malformed or unreadable	Skip the unreadable file, surface the parse error in evidence, continue with the rest
User asks for a specific report and it doesn't exist	List the reports that do exist and let the user pick

For path issues: see references/process/discovery-protocol.md for state file location (.ux/ in project root). Report bugs at https://github.com/Laith0003/ux-skill/issues.

Next prompt

This command's next prompt is itself. After any state-changing action, /ux-next is the way back to the conductor.

---

v2 Python integration

/ux-next reads the chain of state files in .ux/ and suggests the next deterministic step based on what's been done.

Read state to suggest the next move

python3 -c "
import json, os
def has(p): return os.path.exists(p)
state = {
    'discovery':       has('.ux/last-discovery.json'),
    'recommendation':  has('.ux/last-recommendation.json'),
    'generated':       has('.ux/generated/manifest.json'),
    'lint_report':     has('/tmp/ux-lint-report.json'),
}
print('STATE:', state)
suggestion = None
if not state['discovery']:
    suggestion = '/ux-frame  -- start by framing the problem (10-field intake)'
elif not state['recommendation']:
    suggestion = '/ux-recommend  -- get the merged design system'
elif not state['generated']:
    suggestion = '/ux-design [brief]  -- generate frontend code using the recommendation'
elif not state['lint_report']:
    suggestion = '/ux-lint .  -- run the anti-slop linter on the generated code'
else:
    suggestion = '/ux-fix .  -- apply linter findings if any, or /ux-polish for taste-level upgrades'
print()
print('NEXT:', suggestion)
"

Suggest commands when state is partial or missing

The suggestion logic above maps state -> next command deterministically. The LLM can layer judgment on top (e.g., 'you also might want /ux-case-study to write this up') but the base suggestion comes from Python.

Fallback

If state files are missing entirely, the answer is always /ux-frame first.