This skill creates a design brief through structured conversation. You may skip steps if they are not necessary.

Example prompts

"Write a brief for the onboarding flow"

"I need to plan a settings page before I start building"

"Help me define the direction for a marketing landing page"

"Brief this: a dashboard that shows project health metrics"

Process

Ask the user for a detailed description of what they want to build, who it is for, and any constraints or ideas they already have.

Explore the existing codebase to understand the current state. Scan for each of the following specifically:

CSS variables / tokens

files named

tokens.css

,

variables.css

,

theme.css

, or

:root

declarations with custom properties

Tailwind config

:

tailwind.config.js

or

tailwind.config.ts

, check

theme.extend

for custom values

UI framework themes

Material UI

createTheme

, Chakra

extendTheme

, shadcn

globals.css

and

components.json

Component directories

:

components/

,

ui/

,

shared/

, or any folder containing reusable UI pieces

Storybook

:

.storybook/

directory or

.stories.

files indicating a documented component library

Design token files

JSON token files (Style Dictionary format, Figma token exports)

Package.json UI dependencies

tailwindcss, @mui/material, @chakra-ui/react, @radix-ui, lucide-react, framer-motion, etc.

Font loading

Google Fonts links in HTML,
@font-face
declarations, font imports in CSS/config
Existing pages/layouts: route files, layout components, page templates that show established patterns If components exist, treat them as the starting vocabulary. The brief should extend, not replace. Interview the user relentlessly about every aspect of the design until you reach a shared understanding. Walk down each branch of the design tree, resolving dependencies between decisions one by one. For each question, provide your recommended answer. Cover at minimum: Who is the primary user their JTBD and what are they trying to accomplish? What does success look like for this interface? What is the emotional tone? (calm, urgent, playful, authoritative, warm, clinical) What existing products, sites, or styles should this feel like? What should it NOT feel like? What are the hard constraints? (devices, accessibility requirements, performance budgets, brand guidelines) What content will this interface contain? What is placeholder vs. real? Once you have a complete understanding, write the brief using the template below. File Output Save the brief to .design//DESIGN_BRIEF.md where is a short, lowercase, hyphenated name derived from the feature or page being designed (e.g., onboarding-flow , settings-page , project-dashboard ). This folder structure ensures that running the design flow multiple times for different features does not overwrite previous work. All subsequent skills (information-architecture, design-tokens, brief-to-tasks, design-review) will read from and write to this same subfolder. Example: .design/ ├── onboarding-flow/ │ └── DESIGN_BRIEF.md └── settings-page/ └── DESIGN_BRIEF.md Brief Template

Design Brief: [Feature/Page Name]

Problem What problem is the user facing, described from their perspective. Not technical. Not business metrics. The human friction.

Solution What this interface does to solve that problem, described as an experience, not a feature list.

Experience Principles Three principles maximum that guide every design decision. Each principle should resolve a tension. Example: "Progressive disclosure over upfront complexity" or "Confidence over speed." 1. [Principle] -- [What this means in practice] 2. [Principle] -- [What this means in practice] 3. [Principle] -- [What this means in practice]

Aesthetic Direction

Philosophy

[Named philosophy or described vibe. See /frontend-design skill for reference.]

Tone

[Emotional register]

Reference points

[Existing products, sites, or styles this should feel like]

**
Anti-references
**: [What this should NOT feel like]

Existing Patterns Components, tokens, and conventions already in the codebase that this design must respect or extend. - Typography: [what is currently used] - Colors: [current palette/variables] - Spacing: [current scale] - Components: [existing components that will be reused or extended]

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Key Interactions The critical interaction patterns. Describe what the user does and what the interface does in response. Focus on state changes, transitions, and feedback.

Responsive Behavior How the layout adapts across breakpoints. Note any components that change behavior (not just size) on mobile.

Accessibility Requirements Minimum requirements for this interface. Include contrast ratios, keyboard navigation, screen reader considerations, and focus management.

Out of Scope Things this brief explicitly does not cover. Be specific. This prevents scope creep during build.

design-brief

安装

Aesthetic Direction

[Named philosophy or described vibe. See /frontend-design skill for reference.]

[Emotional register]

[Existing products, sites, or styles this should feel like]

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