designer-skills

Design an A/B experiment — hypothesis, variants, primary metric, and sample size. Use when a change can be measured quantitatively at scale. For observing behaviour qualitatively, use `test-scenario`.

Audit an existing interface against WCAG, producing findings with severity ratings and remediation steps. Use when you have a design or build to assess now. Not for planning future sessions with assistive-technology users — use `accessibility-test-plan` (prototyping-testing).

Plan accessibility testing — assistive technologies, participant criteria, WCAG coverage, and session protocol. Use when scheduling testing with real AT users. Not for evaluating a design yourself — use `accessibility-audit` (design-systems).

Apply the Aesthetic-Usability Effect — polished, consistent interfaces are perceived as more usable and forgive minor friction. Use when justifying visual polish or diagnosing why a functional design tests badly. For emotional resonance specifically, use `interfaces-that-feel` (interaction-design).

Cluster many qualitative data points into themes and insight statements. Use when synthesising across multiple sessions or sources. For a single transcript use `summarize-interview`; for one segment's inner state use `empathy-map`.

Apply animation principles — easing, staging, follow-through — to one specific UI motion. Use when tuning how an animation feels. For product-wide duration and easing tokens use `motion-system` (design-systems); for a full interaction spec use `micro-interaction-spec`.

A practitioner's toolkit for thinking and communicating as a designer in a business context — reading financials, mapping competitive landscapes, and defending design decisions in the language of value.

Analyse open or closed card sort results into a proposed grouping and label set. Use after running a sort study. For turning that evidence into a full structure, use `information-architecture` (ux-strategy).

Craft a portfolio case study with narrative arc, process evidence, and outcomes. Use when telling a project's story to an external audience. For an internal stakeholder deck, use `presentation-deck`.

Design first-click and click tests for findability and navigation. Use when testing whether people can locate something. For full task-based observation, use `test-scenario`.

Build a product colour system — tonal scales, semantic roles, and contrast compliance. Use when defining or rebuilding colour from scratch. For dark-mode adaptation use `dark-mode-design`; for chart palettes use `data-visualization`; for multi-brand token architecture use `theming-system` (design-systems).

Conduct a structured competitive analysis comparing UX patterns, features, strengths, and gaps across rival products.

Specify one component — props, states, variants, accessibility, and usage rules. Use when defining a library component. For the reusable doc scaffold use `documentation-template`; for a problem-solution pattern use `pattern-library`.

Define what content a product needs, how it should be structured, and who owns it.

Design voice and conversational interfaces — dialog flows, error recovery, and persona. Use when the interface speaks and listens rather than being tapped. For graphical input collection, use `form-design`.

Adapt an existing palette to dark mode — surface elevation, contrast rebalancing, and desaturation rules. Use when you already have a light palette to translate. For building the base palette first, use `color-system`.

Select chart types and design data encodings — marks, axes, labels, and accessible chart styling. Use when presenting data graphically. Owns chart selection and encoding only; the categorical colour ramp itself belongs to `color-system`.

Facilitate a structured team critique — framing, feedback rules, and actionable outcomes. Use when running a session with people in the room. For a solo expert review, use `heuristic-evaluation` (prototyping-testing).

Inventory and prioritise accumulated design inconsistencies across a product. Use when drift has built up over time. For token coverage specifically use `design-token-audit` (designer-toolkit); for WCAG gaps use `accessibility-audit` (design-systems).

Communicate design's contribution to business and user outcomes in stakeholder language. Use when reporting results upward. For choosing the metrics in the first place, use `metrics-definition` (ux-strategy).

Advocate for design quality, scope, and timeline with partners and leadership using evidence and shared goals. Use in the conversation itself. For the commercial vocabulary behind it, use `business-design` (ux-strategy).

Build a QA checklist for verifying that a build matches the design. Use at implementation review. For the spec engineers build from, use `handoff-spec`.

Write rationale connecting decisions to user needs, business goals, and principles. Use when a decision needs defending in writing. For a live conversation, use `design-negotiation`.

Establish review gates — criteria, checkpoints, and approval flow. Use when work ships without consistent review. For running one individual session, use `design-critique`.