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name: software-ui-ux-design description: UI/UX design principles, usability heuristics, accessibility standards, and design system patterns for creating user-centered interfaces.

Software UI/UX Principles Skill — Quick Reference

Use this skill when the primary focus is designing intuitive, accessible, and user-centered interfaces rather than implementing technical features.

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When to Use This Skill

Invoke when users ask for:

• UI/UX design patterns and best practices
• Usability evaluation and improvement recommendations
• Accessibility compliance (WCAG, ARIA)
• Design system setup and component libraries
• User-centered design methodologies
• Information architecture and navigation design
• Mobile-first and responsive design patterns
• Form design and input validation UX
• Pattern selection based on user pain points (from software-ux-research analysis)
• UI fixes for feedback-identified issues (navigation, onboarding, performance, forms)

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Quick Reference Table

UX Task	Pattern/Tool	Implementation	When to Use
Distinctive Aesthetics	Creative typography, bold color	Avoid Inter/Roboto, commit to theme	Prevent generic AI aesthetics
Pain Point → Pattern	Feedback-driven design	Use software-ux-research first	When you have user feedback to act on
Cognitive Load & Cues	Gestalt grouping, preattentive cues	Chunk info, align, use contrast/weight/icons	Dense data, complex flows; reduce working-memory load
Signifiers & Mappings	Visible affordances, natural layouts	Show clickable states, map controls to outputs	Any interactive element; prevent slips/mistakes
Loading States	Skeleton screens	Shimmer placeholders	All async data (preferred over spinners)
User Feedback	Toast notifications	3-5 sec auto-dismiss	Non-blocking confirmations
Form Validation	Inline validation	Validate on blur	Real-time feedback without annoyance
Navigation	Breadcrumbs + tabs	Hierarchical + contextual	Multi-level content (max 3 clicks)
Empty States	Action-oriented prompts	"Create your first..."	Never show blank pages
Accessibility	WCAG 2.2 AA	4.5:1 contrast, keyboard nav	All production apps (legal requirement)
Component Library	shadcn/ui or MUI	Copy-paste or npm install	Design system foundation
Micro-interactions	200-400ms animations	CSS transitions/Framer Motion	Button states, hover, loading

Decision Tree: UI/UX Design Approach

Design challenge: [Feature Type]
    ├─ Building from scratch?
    │   ├─ Need full control? → shadcn/ui (copy-paste, Tailwind)
    │   ├─ Need speed? → MUI (comprehensive, out-of-the-box)
    │   └─ Accessibility priority? → Chakra UI (best-in-class a11y)
    │
    ├─ Improving existing UI?
    │   ├─ Usability issues? → Nielsen heuristics evaluation (resources/nielsen-heuristics.md)
    │   ├─ Accessibility gaps? → WCAG 2.2 audit (resources/wcag-accessibility.md)
    │   └─ Visual inconsistency? → Design system setup (resources/design-systems.md)
    │
    ├─ Loading/feedback states?
    │   ├─ Data loading? → Skeleton screens (not spinners)
    │   ├─ User action? → Optimistic UI + toast notifications
    │   └─ Form submission? → Inline validation + progress indicators
    │
    ├─ Complex form?
    │   ├─ Multi-step? → Progress bar + save drafts
    │   ├─ Many fields? → Group related fields + progressive disclosure
    │   └─ Validation? → Inline on blur (not on every keystroke)
    │
    ├─ First 5 seconds clear?
    │   ├─ First-click test? → Primary action obvious, trunk nav clear
    │   └─ Scannable copy? → Plain-language labels, front-loaded headings
    │
    ├─ Mobile vs Desktop?
    │   ├─ Mobile-first design → Start 320px, scale up
    │   └─ Touch targets 44x44px minimum
    │
    └─ Have user pain points from feedback?
        ├─ Navigation issues? → Breadcrumbs, tabs, simplified IA
        ├─ Onboarding confusion? → Progressive disclosure, guided tours
        ├─ Performance complaints? → Skeleton screens, optimistic UI
        ├─ Form frustration? → Inline validation, autosave, chunking
        └─ Need pain points first? → Use software-ux-research skill

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Navigation

Resources (Best Practices & Guides)

• resources/frontend-aesthetics-2025.md — Distinctive design principles to avoid generic AI aesthetics (typography, color, motion, backgrounds, AI design tools)
• resources/design-systems.md — Comprehensive design system implementation guide (foundations, components, patterns)
• resources/component-library-comparison.md — 2025 UI library comparison (MUI, shadcn/ui, Ant Design, Chakra UI, Radix UI, React Aria, Mantine, Headless UI)
• resources/modern-ux-patterns-2024.md — Modern UX patterns (skeleton screens, optimistic UI, progressive disclosure, micro-interactions)
• resources/nielsen-heuristics.md — Heuristic evaluation guide with practical examples
• resources/wcag-accessibility.md — WCAG 2.2 success criteria and implementation guide
• data/sources.json — 85+ curated external references (usability research, design systems, component libraries, animation libraries, 2024 patterns)

Templates by Category

Component Libraries (Implementation Guides):

• templates/component-libraries/template-shadcn-ui.md — shadcn/ui with Radix UI + Tailwind CSS (copy-paste components, full ownership)
• templates/component-libraries/template-mui-material-ui.md — Material-UI (Google Material Design, enterprise-grade, 95k+ stars)

Interaction Patterns (Micro-interactions & Animations):

• templates/interaction-patterns/template-micro-interactions.md — 2024 micro-interaction patterns (buttons, forms, loading states, toasts, drag-and-drop)

Design & Planning:

• templates/design-brief.md — Single-source design brief (goals, IA, accessibility, experimentation)
• templates/ux-review-checklist.md — Heuristic + accessibility review checklist

Related Skills (Cross-Functional)

• ../software-ux-research/SKILL.md — Research sibling: Use FIRST for feedback analysis, pain point extraction, competitive analysis → feeds pattern selection here
• ../software-frontend/SKILL.md — Frontend implementation (Next.js 16, React, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui)
• ../software-mobile/SKILL.md — Mobile UX patterns (iOS Swift, Android Kotlin, platform conventions)
• ../product-management/SKILL.md — Product strategy, user research, positioning
• ../qa-testing-strategy/SKILL.md — UI/E2E testing, visual regression, accessibility automation
• ../software-architecture-design/SKILL.md — System design patterns and architecture principles
• ../software-backend/SKILL.md — API design for optimal UX (REST, GraphQL, real-time)

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Operational Playbooks

• resources/operational-playbook.md — Design themes, accessibility heuristics, mobile-first guidance, and decision frameworks