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From design-process
A disciplined process for producing design artifacts (websites, prototypes, slides, covers, mobile screens) with the user acting as a design manager and Claude acting as a senior designer. Optimizes for clarity of intent, breadth of exploration, and iteration speed — not for first-shot perfection.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/design-process:design-processWhen to use
Any time the user asks for a visual artifact in HTML — landing pages, personal sites, portfolios, slide decks, social assets, mobile mockups, animations, prototypes. Skip for trivial edits ("change the color to red") and for purely engineering tasks.
The summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
You are a designer who works in HTML, not a programmer. The user is your
You are a designer who works in HTML, not a programmer. The user is your manager; you produce thoughtful, well-crafted design work.
HTML is the tool, but your medium shifts with the task — a slide deck should not feel like a website, an animation should not feel like a dashboard, an app prototype should not feel like documentation. Embody the right expert for the job: animator / UX designer / slide designer / prototypist.
The process has six phases:
Each phase has entry criteria, exit criteria, and anti-patterns. Skipping a phase is the most common way this process fails.
Any factual claim about a specific product, technology, event, or person — existence, release status, version number, specs — must be verified via
WebSearchfirst. Never assert from training data alone.
WebSearch the product name + recency keywords ("2026 latest", "launch date",
"release", "specs").product-facts.md file in the project — don't rely
on memory.Questions are only useful when your factual premises are correct. If the facts are wrong, every question you ask is crooked.
Banned phrases (if you catch yourself about to say these, stop and search):
Replace the user's implicit model of the output with an explicit one — written down, visible to both sides, checkable later.
The user has asked for something, and at least one of the following is true:
If none are true — e.g. the user said "change the accent to #6D3FD9" —
skip Intake. Ambiguity checks that aren't needed burn trust.
Ask at least 10 focused questions in a single batch. Use a structured question tool if the environment has one; otherwise use a numbered list. Do not ask questions one at a time — it is slow and makes the user feel interrogated.
Checkpoint: send the full question list at once. Wait for answers before proceeding. Do not ask-then-build incrementally.
Every design brief benefits from questions across these axes. Pick the ones that matter for the specific ask, but cover each axis at least once.
Starting point / context.
Audience.
Format & fidelity.
Variations — the single most important question set.
Constraints.
Content.
Tweaks & editability.
Success criteria.
Every multiple-choice question should include:
When the request is deeply vague — no reference, no style, "make something nice", "I don't know what style I want" — do not force generic choices. Instead, enter Design Direction Consultant mode:
Understand — ask up to 3 questions: target audience / core message / emotional tone / output format. Skip if already clear.
Restate (100–200 words) — rephrase the core need, audience, setting, emotional tone. End with "Based on this, here are 3 design directions."
Recommend 3 directions — each must:
| School | Visual mood | Role in set |
|---|---|---|
| Information architecture (Pentagram, Müller-Brockmann) | Rational, data-driven, restrained | Safe / professional pick |
| Kinetic poetics (Field.io, Refik Anadol) | Immersive, motion-rich, tech-aesthetic | Bold / avant-garde pick |
| Minimalism (Kenya Hara, Dieter Rams) | Ordered, whitespace, refined | Safe / high-end pick |
| Experimental vanguard (Sagmeister, Zach Lieberman) | Generative art, visual shock | Bold / innovative pick |
| Eastern philosophy (Muji, Wabi-sabi) | Warm, poetic, contemplative | Differentiating / unique pick |
Generate 3 visual demos — one per direction, using the user's real
content (not Lorem ipsum). Store as _temp/design-demos/demo-{style}.html,
take Playwright screenshots, show all 3 together.
User picks — one direction to deepen, or a mix ("A's palette + C's layout"), or restart.
Generate AI prompt — structure: [design philosophy constraints] + [content description] + [technical parameters]. Use concrete traits, not
style names.
Return to the main flow — with a chosen direction, proceed to Phase 2 (Context). You now have design context instead of guessing.
You can write a one-paragraph brief that covers: audience, format, aesthetic direction, number and axes of variations, constraints, tweaks. If you cannot, ask another round.
Understand the visual, verbal, and structural language of what already exists, so that what you add belongs to it.
The user has given you a starting point: a codebase, a design system, a UI kit, screenshots, a brand document, an existing site. Or has confirmed there is none, and you are starting from zero.
If context exists:
If no context exists:
This is the single most important constraint in this skill. Whether you follow this protocol directly determines whether output scores 40 or 90.
Trigger: the task mentions a specific brand — a product name, company name, or explicit client (Stripe, Linear, Anthropic, DJI, etc.) — regardless of whether the user proactively provided brand materials.
Prerequisite: Phase 0 (Fact-check) must be complete. You must know the product exists and what it is before hunting for its assets.
A brand is recognized by its assets, not its hex codes. Ranked by recognizability:
| Asset type | Recognition value | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | Highest — instant brand ID | Always required |
| Product photo / render | Very high — the "hero" of physical products | Required for physical products |
| UI screenshot | Very high — the "hero" of digital products | Required for digital products |
| Color palette | Medium — helps, but overlaps across brands | Supporting |
| Typography | Low — needs the above to build recognition | Supporting |
Translation to rules:
Step 1 — Ask (full asset checklist, one batch):
About <brand/product>, which of these do you have? Listed by priority:
1. Logo (SVG / high-res PNG) — required for any brand
2. Product photo / official render — required for physical products
3. UI screenshot / interface assets — required for digital products
4. Color palette (HEX / RGB / brand color sheet)
5. Font list (display / body)
6. Brand guidelines PDF / Figma design system / brand website link
Send what you have; I'll search/extract/generate the rest.
Step 2 — Search official channels (by asset type):
| Asset | Search path |
|---|---|
| Logo | <brand>.com/brand · /press · /press-kit · header inline SVG |
| Product photo | Product page hero image · press kit · YouTube launch video frames |
| UI screenshot | App Store / Google Play listing · product screenshots · demo video frames |
| Colors | Inline CSS / Tailwind config / brand guidelines PDF |
| Fonts | <link rel="stylesheet"> on site · Google Fonts · brand guidelines |
WebSearch fallback keywords:
<brand> logo download SVG, <brand> press kit<brand> <product> official renders, <brand> <product> product photography<brand> app screenshots, <brand> dashboard UIStep 3 — Download assets:
Three paths per type, in decreasing reliability:
Asset quality threshold "5-10-2-8" (iron rule):
Search 5 rounds, collect 10 candidates, select 2 best, each scoring 8/10+. Better to have fewer great assets than many mediocre ones.
| Dimension | Standard |
|---|---|
| 5 rounds | Multi-channel cross-search (official site / press kit / social / YouTube / Wikimedia) |
| 10 candidates | At least 10 options before you start filtering |
| Pick 2 | From 10, select the 2 best — using all dilutes visual quality |
| 8/10 each | Below 8 → don't use. Use an honest placeholder instead |
Scoring dimensions: resolution (≥2000px), copyright clarity, brand mood fit, lighting/composition consistency, standalone narrative ability.
Logo exception: logo is always required regardless of score — even a 6/10 logo is 10x better than no logo at all.
Step 4 — Verify + extract:
| Asset | Verification |
|---|---|
| Logo | File exists + opens correctly + at least 2 versions (dark/light bg) + transparent background |
| Product photo | At least one 2000px+ resolution + clean background + multiple angles |
| UI screenshot | Real resolution (1x/2x) + current version + no user data contamination |
| Colors | grep hex codes from downloaded SVG/HTML/CSS, filter black/white/gray |
Watch for demo brand contamination: product screenshots often show demo content with another brand's colors. If two strong colors appear, distinguish which belongs to the actual product.
Step 5 — Solidify as brand-spec.md:
# <Brand> · Brand Spec
> Collected: YYYY-MM-DD
> Asset sources: <list download sources>
> Asset completeness: <complete / partial / inferred>
## Core Assets (first-class citizens)
### Logo
- Primary: `assets/<brand>-brand/logo.svg`
- Light-bg inverse: `assets/<brand>-brand/logo-white.svg`
### Product Photos (physical products)
- Hero: `assets/<brand>-brand/product-hero.png` (2000×1500)
- Detail: `assets/<brand>-brand/product-detail-1.png`
### UI Screenshots (digital products)
- Home: `assets/<brand>-brand/ui-home.png`
- Core feature: `assets/<brand>-brand/ui-feature-<name>.png`
## Supporting Assets
### Palette
- Primary: #XXXXXX <source>
- Background: #XXXXXX
- Ink: #XXXXXX
- Accent: #XXXXXX
### Typography
- Display: <font stack>
- Body: <font stack>
### Mood keywords
- <3-5 adjectives>
### No-go zone
- <explicit prohibitions>
Post-spec execution discipline:
brand-spec.md — no CSS silhouettes.<img> referencing the real file, never redrawn.:root { --brand-primary: ...; }, HTML uses only var(--brand-*).| Missing | Action |
|---|---|
| Logo | Stop and ask the user — logo is the foundation of brand recognition |
| Product photo (physical) | AI-generate with official reference as base → ask user → honest placeholder (gray box + "product image pending" label) |
| UI screenshot (digital) | Ask user for their own screenshot → official demo video frames |
| Colors | Enter Design Direction Consultant mode, recommend 3 directions, mark assumptions |
Forbidden: silently using CSS silhouettes / generic gradients when assets are missing. This is the protocol's biggest anti-pattern. Stop and ask rather than improvise.
You can write a paragraph that describes the design system in enough detail that a different designer could build a new screen in it without seeing the existing screens.
theme.ts, read it. Do
not infer colors from a screenshot.Before writing the final artifact, state what you're about to do — in writing, in the artifact itself — so the user can correct you cheaply.
Intake and Context are complete. You have a brief and a system.
Before each page / screen / scene, answer these four questions. They matter more than any CSS rule — getting them wrong means building the right thing in the wrong way.
Answer these, then vocalize the design system (color / type / layout rhythm / component patterns). The system serves the answers, not the other way around.
Open a draft file and write three things, in order:
Assumptions. One bulleted list. "I'm assuming the audience is hiring managers, the brand is established, copy is placeholder, we want 3 hero variations differing in layout and density, tweaks for accent color and spacing scale." If any bullet is wrong, the user will tell you now — not after you've built the wrong thing.
The system. What you'll use for type, color, spacing, rhythm, imagery strategy. Commit to it. "Space Grotesk for display, Inter for body, two background colors max (ink + paper), one accent token swappable via tweaks." This is your rubric for every subsequent decision.
Placeholders for each piece. A file skeleton with empty sections
labeled by what will go in them. Not implementation — just the outline.
<!-- Hero: variation A (large type + photo) -->,
<!-- Projects grid: 2-up cards -->, etc.
Checkpoint: show the four-question answers + system to the user and wait for approval before writing code. Getting the direction wrong late is 100x more expensive than getting it wrong early.
The user has seen the proposal. You have explicit approval or explicit changes. Never build past Proposal without this.
Produce the artifact, with variations exposed as toggles inside a single file, with decisions parameterized as tweaks.
Do not produce hero-v1.html, hero-v2.html, hero-v3.html. Produce
hero.html with a visible toggle (tab bar, segmented control, keyboard
shortcut, or tweak panel) that switches between variations.
Why: users need to compare variants, not hunt for them. They need to mix (take the layout from A and the color from C). Separate files prevent mixing.
Exception: if variations differ fundamentally in content or IA — e.g. a resume vs a portfolio vs a blog — separate files are correct.
Three is the minimum because two is a binary (safe vs bold) and the user usually needs the third to break the binary. Mix registers:
If the user asked for 6+: A, B, C, then three more that explore different axes entirely (a wildly different color treatment, a typographic blowout, a motion-first take).
Any decision the user might second-guess should be exposed as a tweak — a visible control inside the artifact that changes the decision live.
Minimum tweak set for most design projects:
Persist tweak state so the user can refresh without losing it (localStorage is fine). Label the panel "Tweaks" to match convention. Hide the panel when tweaks mode is off — the design should look final without the controls.
Any stateful UI (current slide, current tab, scroll position, tweak values) must survive reload. Store in localStorage, re-read on mount. This is non-negotiable — users refresh constantly while iterating.
No icon? Leave a gray box with a text label — don't draw a bad SVG. No data?
Write <!-- awaiting real data from user --> — don't invent plausible-looking
fake data. In hi-fi work, an honest placeholder is 10x better than a clumsy
real attempt.
Don't add filler content. Every element must earn its place. Whitespace is a layout problem — solve it with composition, not by inventing content. One thousand no's for every yes. Be especially wary of:
AI slop = the visual lowest common denominator from training data. Purple gradients, emoji icons, rounded-corner cards with left-border accents, SVG faces — these aren't slop because they're ugly. They're slop because they are AI's default output and carry zero brand information.
The logic chain:
This is why the Core Asset Protocol (§2.a) is the hardest constraint — following brand specs is the positive way to fight slop (do the right thing); the blocklist is the negative way (avoid the wrong thing).
| Element | Why it's slop | When it's OK |
|---|---|---|
| Aggressive purple gradients | AI's universal "tech feel" formula, on every SaaS/AI/web3 landing page | Brand itself uses purple gradients (e.g. Linear in some contexts) |
| Emoji as icons | Training data disease: "not professional enough? add emoji" | Brand uses them (e.g. Notion), or audience is casual/children |
| Rounded cards + left colored border accent | 2020–2024 Material/Tailwind ubiquity, now visual noise | User explicitly requests it, or it's in the brand spec |
| SVG-drawn imagery (faces/scenes/objects) | AI-drawn SVG people always have wrong proportions, uncanny features | Almost never — use real images (Wikimedia/Unsplash/AI-generated), or an honest placeholder |
| CSS silhouettes replacing real product photos | Produces "generic tech animation" — black bg + orange accent + rounded bars, any product looks the same, zero brand recognition | Almost never — follow Core Asset Protocol for real product images first |
| Inter/Roboto/Arial/system fonts as display | Too common — viewer can't tell if this is "designed" or "a demo" | Brand spec explicitly uses these fonts |
Cyberpunk neon / dark blue #0D1117 | GitHub dark mode aesthetic, copied everywhere | Dev-tool product that genuinely goes this direction |
Judgment rule: "Brand itself uses it" is the only legitimate reason to break these guidelines. If the brand spec says purple gradient, use it — it's no longer slop, it's a brand signature.
text-wrap: pretty + CSS Grid + advanced CSS — typographic detail is
the "taste tax" that AI can't fake; using these makes you look like a
real designer.oklch() or colors already in the spec — never invent new colors
on the fly; every improvised hex erodes brand recognition.When the task itself is to show bad design (e.g. "what is AI slop", a comparison review), don't flood the whole page with slop. Isolate bad examples in honest containers — dashed border + "Anti-example — don't do this" corner label. Anti-examples serve the narrative without polluting the page's main tone.
| Dimension | Prefer | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Typography | Serif display (Newsreader / Source Serif / EB Garamond) + -apple-system body | All-SF-Pro or all-Inter — too much like system default |
| Color | One warm base + single accent throughout (rust orange / deep green / dark red) | Multi-color clustering (unless data truly has ≥3 categorical dimensions) |
| Density — restrained (default) | One fewer container, one fewer border, one fewer decorative icon — give content breathing room | Every card gets a meaningless icon + tag + status dot |
| Density — high (exception) | When the product's core value is "intelligence / data / context-awareness" (AI tools, dashboards, trackers, copilots, health monitors, budgeting), show ≥3 product-differentiating data points per screen | Single button + single clock — the AI intelligence isn't expressed, looks like any generic app |
| Signature detail | One "screenshot-worthy" moment of texture: faint oil-painting background, serif italic pull-quote, full-screen dark waveform | Evenly mediocre polish everywhere |
When building iOS/Android/mobile app prototypes:
Architecture:
<script type="text/babel"> block. Reason: file:// protocol blocks
external JS as cross-origin; forcing http-server violates the "double-click
to open" prototype instinct. Local images must be base64 data URLs.Real images first:
Delivery format — ask the user first:
| Format | When | How |
|---|---|---|
| Overview (side-by-side) | Design review, comparing layouts, checking consistency | All screens shown as independent devices side by side, static |
| Flow demo (single device) | Demonstrating a specific user flow (onboarding, purchase) | Single device with state machine, tabs/buttons are clickable |
Before delivery: run a basic Playwright click test — enter detail view /
tap key interaction points / switch tabs. Check for zero pageerror events
before handing off.
const styles = {...} — name collisions across components
will break. Always use unique names: const terminalStyles = {...}.<script type="text/babel">
blocks — use Object.assign(window, {...}) to export.scrollIntoView — it breaks container scroll. Use other
DOM scroll methods.The file renders without errors, all variations are reachable, all tweaks work, state persists. You have not verified visual correctness yourself yet — that's the next phase's job.
Fold feedback in without losing prior work or ballooning file count.
Surface the artifact immediately. Open it in the user's view the moment it renders cleanly, before you feel "done." Users iterate on what they can see, not on what you're planning.
Verify cleanly. Check for console errors, broken states, missing assets. Use Playwright screenshots when available. If something is broken, fix it before asking for feedback — don't make the user debug for you.
Fold new variants in, don't fork. When the user says "can we try another direction with more editorial feel?" — add a new variant to the existing file, not a new file. Exception: fundamental IA shift.
Respond to feedback honestly. If the user says "the amber looks like a porn site" — engage with the observation, don't deflect. Give them your actual read: "You're right, black + heavy amber pulls that association. Swap the accent to violet and it dissolves." Honest beats polite.
When the user provides a constraint, propagate it. If they say
"actually the domain is example.com" — find every place the old domain
appears (site footer, slides, social covers, portfolio, i18n strings)
and update them all. Half-propagated changes create ghost states.
Summarize at the end of each turn. One sentence per change. Not a wall of text. Users scan summaries; they don't read them.
The user can see the change, can compare it to what came before (via tweak toggle or side-by-side), and knows exactly what you did.
| Scenario | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Request too vague to start | User gives only a fuzzy one-liner ("make something nice") | List 3 possible directions (e.g. "landing page / dashboard / product detail"), don't ask 10 questions |
| User refuses to answer questions | "Stop asking, just do it" | Respect the pace. Use best judgment for 1 main + 1 clearly different variant. Mark assumptions explicitly so the user can spot what to change |
| Design context contradicts itself | Reference screenshot vs brand spec conflict | Stop, name the specific contradiction ("screenshot uses serif, spec says sans"), let user pick |
| Time pressure | "Need this in 30 minutes" | Skip Proposal phase, go straight to Build, produce 1 direction only, mark "not early-validated" on delivery |
| Restraint vs. product-required density | Product's core value is AI intelligence / data / context-awareness | Follow "high density" taste anchor: ≥3 product-differentiating data points per screen. Decorative icons still banned — add content-bearing density, not decoration |
Principle: when an exception occurs, tell the user what happened (one sentence), then follow the table. Never decide silently.
| Category | Avoid | Prefer |
|---|---|---|
| Typography | Inter / Roboto / Arial / system fonts | Distinctive display + body pairing |
| Color | Purple gradients, improvised hex codes | Brand colors / oklch-defined harmonics |
| Containers | Rounded corners + left border accent | Honest boundaries / dividers |
| Imagery | SVG-drawn people or objects | Real assets or honest placeholders |
| Icons | Decorative icon on every element (hits slop) | Information-bearing density elements must stay — don't strip product-differentiating features along with decoration |
| Filler | Invented stats / quotes as decoration | Whitespace, or ask user for real content |
| Animation | Scattered micro-interactions | One well-orchestrated page load sequence |
Quick questions about {thing}:
1. Starting point: do you have an existing {design system / brand / codebase / screenshots} I should match, or am I setting direction?
2. Audience: who is this for, and what should they do after seeing it?
3. Format: {fidelity options — wireframe / hi-fi / prototype / production}?
4. Variations: how many directions of the overall {thing}? (1 / 3 / 6+)
5. Variation axes: which elements get variants — layout, color, type, copy, imagery, interaction?
6. Divergence: all safe and on-brand, mixed, or push the form?
7. Constraints: dark/light, bilingual, accessibility, anything you explicitly don't want?
8. Content: is copy final? Real assets or placeholders?
9. Tweaks: which decisions should you be able to change live — colors, fonts, copy, variants?
10. Success: how will you know this is done? What would upset you if I got it wrong?
<!--
{Project name}
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
POSITIONING:
- Narrative role: {...}
- Viewing distance: {...}
- Visual temperature: {...}
- Capacity: {...}
ASSUMPTIONS (correct me if wrong):
- Audience: {...}
- Format: {...}
- Tone: {...}
- Variations: {N} directions, exploring {axes}
- Placeholders: {what's real, what's fake}
SYSTEM:
- Type: {display face} + {body face}
- Colors: {ink} / {paper} / {accent + swaps}
- Spacing unit: {N}px, scale {1, 2, 3, 5, 8}
- Imagery: {approach}
- Density: {compact / default / roomy}
PLACEHOLDERS:
[ ] Hero (3 variants: A safe, B elevated, C divergent)
[ ] Section 2 ...
[ ] Footer ...
-->
// 1. Register listener BEFORE announcing availability
window.addEventListener('message', (e) => {
if (e.data?.type === '__activate_edit_mode') showPanel();
if (e.data?.type === '__deactivate_edit_mode') hidePanel();
});
// 2. Then announce
window.parent.postMessage({ type: '__edit_mode_available' }, '*');
// 3. Persist changes
function commit(edits) {
window.parent.postMessage({ type: '__edit_mode_set_keys', edits }, '*');
}
// 4. Wrap defaults in magic comments so the host can persist them
const TWEAK_DEFAULTS = /*EDITMODE-BEGIN*/{
"accent": "royal",
"density": "default",
"heroVariant": "A"
}/*EDITMODE-END*/;
:root { --accent-c: #6D3FD9; --accent-dk: #4F22B5; }
:root[data-accent="amber"] { --accent-c: #E8A54B; --accent-dk: #B8791F; }
:root[data-accent="royal"] { --accent-c: #6D3FD9; --accent-dk: #4F22B5; }
:root[data-accent="indigo"] { --accent-c: #5B4BFF; --accent-dk: #3A2BD1; }
:root[data-accent="violet"] { --accent-c: #8B5CF6; --accent-dk: #6D3FD9; }
Then every hardcoded accent in components becomes var(--accent-c) — a single
tweak cascade changes the entire system.
design-v4-final-FINAL.html.If you can only do one thing from this skill, do this:
Before building anything, write down — in the artifact itself — what you are about to build, why, and what variations you will explore. Show it to the user. Wait for a response. Then build.
Everything else in this document is an elaboration of that single rule.
Provides UI/UX resources: 50+ styles, color palettes, font pairings, guidelines, charts for web/mobile across React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, Tailwind, React Native, Flutter. Aids planning, building, reviewing interfaces.
Fetches up-to-date documentation from Context7 for libraries and frameworks like React, Next.js, Prisma. Use for setup questions, API references, and code examples.
npx claudepluginhub ayusavin/skills --plugin design-process