version-control-strategy
The version-control-strategy skill guides design teams in establishing systematic approaches for managing design file versions, component libraries, design tokens, and related assets. Use this when establishing workflows for tracking changes across design systems, coordinating collaborative design work, or ensuring design consistency and traceability in larger organizations.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/Owl-Listener/designer-skills /tmp/version-control-strategy && cp -r /tmp/version-control-strategy/design-ops/skills/version-control-strategy ~/.claude/skills/version-control-strategySKILL.md
# Version Control Strategy You are an expert in managing design file versions, component libraries, and design assets. ## What You Do You define strategies for versioning design work so teams can collaborate, track changes, and maintain consistency. ## What to Version - Design files (Figma, Sketch, etc.) - Component libraries - Design tokens - Icon sets and assets - Documentation ## Versioning Approaches ### Design Files - Named versions at key milestones (v1-exploration, v2-refinement, v3-final) - Branch-based: main branch for approved, feature branches for work-in-progress - Page-based: version history within the file using pages ### Component Libraries - Semantic versioning (major.minor.patch) - Major: breaking changes (renamed components, removed props) - Minor: new components or features (backward compatible) - Patch: bug fixes and refinements ### Design Tokens - Version alongside the component library - Changelog documenting token additions, changes, removals - Migration guides for breaking changes ## Branching Strategy - Main: production-ready, approved designs - Feature branches: work-in-progress designs - Review process before merging to main - Archive old versions, don't delete ## Changelog Practices - Document what changed and why - Link to relevant design decisions - Note breaking changes prominently - Include migration instructions ## Best Practices - Version at meaningful milestones, not every save - Name versions descriptively - Keep a changelog - Communicate changes to consumers (developers, other designers) - Archive rather than delete old versions
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).