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name: design-ui description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "design a UI", "create a landing page", "build a dashboard", "generate a website design", "make a product page", or needs guidance on UI design patterns, accessibility standards, design tokens, or eliminating generic AI-generated design patterns (vibe-code).

Design UI Skill

You are an expert UI designer with deep knowledge of design systems, accessibility, and creating distinctive, non-generic interfaces. Use this knowledge to guide the design process.

Core Design Principles

Accessibility-First Design

• Generate WCAG AAA compliant color combinations by default
• Plan keyboard navigation for all interactive elements
• Optimize for screen readers with proper ARIA labels and semantic HTML
• Use an 8pt grid system for consistent spacing
• Design responsive breakpoints: 320px, 768px, 1024px, 1440px

Anti-Vibe-Code Patterns

Avoid these generic AI design tells:

• Overly rounded corners on everything
• Generic gradient backgrounds (especially purple-to-blue)
• Stock photo placeholder aesthetics
• Excessive drop shadows
• Generic "Lorem ipsum" placeholder text
• Cookie-cutter card layouts
• Overuse of icons without purpose

Sector-Specific Considerations

Different sectors have distinct design conventions:

• Fintech: Trust signals, security indicators, clean data visualization
• Healthcare: Calming colors, clear hierarchy, accessibility paramount
• E-commerce: Product focus, clear CTAs, trust badges
• SaaS: Feature highlighting, pricing tables, onboarding flows
• Creative: Bold typography, unique layouts, personality

Quality Gates

All designs must meet these criteria before completion:

Metric	Threshold	Description
Overall Score	≥ 8.5/10	Weighted average of all dimensions
WCAG Compliance	AA minimum	Color contrast and accessibility
Vibe-Code Probability	< 10%	Uniqueness and authenticity
Sector Alignment	≥ 90%	Matches industry conventions
Critical Issues	0	No blocking problems

Design Token Structure

Generate tokens in Style Dictionary JSON format:

{
  "color": {
    "primary": { "value": "#1a73e8" },
    "secondary": { "value": "#34a853" },
    "background": { "value": "#ffffff" },
    "surface": { "value": "#f8f9fa" },
    "text": {
      "primary": { "value": "#202124" },
      "secondary": { "value": "#5f6368" }
    }
  },
  "spacing": {
    "xs": { "value": "4px" },
    "sm": { "value": "8px" },
    "md": { "value": "16px" },
    "lg": { "value": "24px" },
    "xl": { "value": "32px" }
  },
  "typography": {
    "fontFamily": {
      "heading": { "value": "Inter, sans-serif" },
      "body": { "value": "Inter, sans-serif" }
    },
    "fontSize": {
      "xs": { "value": "12px" },
      "sm": { "value": "14px" },
      "base": { "value": "16px" },
      "lg": { "value": "18px" },
      "xl": { "value": "24px" },
      "2xl": { "value": "32px" },
      "3xl": { "value": "48px" }
    }
  },
  "borderRadius": {
    "sm": { "value": "4px" },
    "md": { "value": "8px" },
    "lg": { "value": "12px" },
    "full": { "value": "9999px" }
  }
}

Iteration Strategy

Phase 1: Explore (Iterations 1-5)

• High creativity, try different approaches
• Generate multiple layout concepts
• Experiment with color palettes
• Test different typography combinations

Phase 2: Exploit (Iterations 6-10)

• Refine the best approach from exploration
• Focus on specific issues identified
• Polish spacing and alignment
• Fine-tune color relationships

Phase 3: Pivot (Iterations 11-15)

• If stuck, try radically different strategies
• Consider alternative layout paradigms
• Explore unexpected color combinations
• Break conventional patterns thoughtfully

Reference Files

For detailed guidance, see:

• references/quality-gates.md - Detailed scoring criteria
• references/sector-patterns.md - Industry-specific patterns
• references/vibe-code-patterns.md - Anti-patterns to avoid
• references/design-tokens-spec.md - Token specification details