Ui Ux Methodology

---
name: ui-ux-methodology
domain: design
description: |
  [METHODOLOGY] UI/UX design intelligence database (50+ styles,
  161 color palettes, 57 font pairings, 161 product types, 99 UX guidelines,
  25 chart types across 10 stacks — React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, SwiftUI,
  React Native, Flutter, Tailwind, shadcn/ui, HTML/CSS). Preloaded by
  design-ux-designer agent.
---

# UI/UX Pro Max - Design Intelligence

Comprehensive design guide for web and mobile applications. Contains 50+ styles, 161 color palettes, 57 font pairings, 161 product types with reasoning rules, 99 UX guidelines, and 25 chart types across 10 technology stacks. Searchable database with priority-based recommendations.

## When to Apply

This Skill should be used when the task involves **UI structure, visual design decisions, interaction patterns, or user experience quality control**.

### Must Use

This Skill must be invoked in the following situations:

- Designing new pages (Landing Page, Dashboard, Admin, SaaS, Mobile App)
- Creating or refactoring UI components (buttons, modals, forms, tables, charts, etc.)
- Choosing color schemes, typography systems, spacing standards, or layout systems
- Reviewing UI code for user experience, accessibility, or visual consistency
- Implementing navigation structures, animations, or responsive behavior
- Making product-level design decisions (style, information hierarchy, brand expression)
- Improving perceived quality, clarity, or usability of interfaces

### Recommended

This Skill is recommended in the following situations:

- UI looks "not professional enough" but the reason is unclear
- Receiving feedback on usability or experience
- Pre-launch UI quality optimization
- Aligning cross-platform design (Web / iOS / Android)
- Building design systems or reusable component libraries

### Skip

This Skill is not needed in the following situations:

- Pure backend logic development
- Only involving API or database design
- Performance optimization unrelated to the interface
- Infrastructure or DevOps work
- Non-visual scripts or automation tasks

**Decision criteria**: If the task will change how a feature **looks, feels, moves, or is interacted with**, this Skill should be used.

## Rule Categories by Priority

*For human/AI reference: follow priority 1→10 to decide which rule category to focus on first; use `--domain <Domain>` to query details when needed. Scripts do not read this table.*

| Priority | Category | Impact | Domain | Key Checks (Must Have) | Anti-Patterns (Avoid) |
|----------|----------|--------|--------|------------------------|------------------------|
| 1 | Accessibility | CRITICAL | `ux` | Contrast 4.5:1, Alt text, Keyboard nav, Aria-labels | Removing focus rings, Icon-only buttons without labels |
| 2 | Touch & Interaction | CRITICAL | `ux` | Min size 44×44px, 8px+ spacing, Loading feedback | Reliance on hover only, Instant state changes (0ms) |
| 3 | Performance | HIGH | `ux` | WebP/AVIF, Lazy loading, Reserve space (CLS &lt; 0.1) | Layout thrashing, Cumulative Layout Shift |
| 4 | Style Selection | HIGH | `style`, `product` | Match product type, Consistency, SVG icons (no emoji) | Mixing flat & skeuomorphic randomly, Emoji as icons |
| 5 | Layout & Responsive | HIGH | `ux` | Mobile-first breakpoints, Viewport meta, No horizontal scroll | Horizontal scroll, Fixed px container widths, Disable zoom |
| 6 | Typography & Color | MEDIUM | `typography`, `color` | Base 16px, Line-height 1.5, Semantic color tokens | Text &lt; 12px body, Gray-on-gray, Raw hex in components |
| 7 | Animation | MEDIUM | `ux` | Duration 150–300ms, Motion conveys meaning, Spatial continuity | Decorative-only animation, Animating width/height, No reduced-motion |
| 8 | Forms & Feedback | MEDIUM | `ux` | Visible labels, Error near field, Helper text, Progressive disclosure | Placeholder-only label, Errors only at top, Overwhelm upfront |
| 9 | Navigation Patterns | HIGH | `ux` | Predictable back, Bottom nav ≤5, Deep linking | Overloaded nav, Broken back behavior, No deep links |
| 10 | Charts & Data | LOW | `chart` | Legends, Tooltips, Accessible colors | Relying on color alone to convey meaning |

## Quick Reference

Per-category rule cheat-sheet (10 priority categories, ~230 lines of named rules with platform / WCAG sources) moved to **`references/quick-reference.md`** in v0.2 (the reference split). Load that file when:

- doing an accessibility audit or contrast / focus-state check
- selecting animation timing / motion patterns
- verifying navigation pattern fit (bottom nav vs sidebar vs tabs)
- checking touch-target sizing or gesture conflict prevention
- choosing chart type / data viz patterns

The priority order is unchanged: priorities 1-2 (Accessibility, Touch & Interaction) are CRITICAL gates — always reviewed. Priorities 3-5 (Performance, Style, Layout) are HIGH. Priorities 6-9 (Typography & Color, Animation, Forms, Navigation) are MEDIUM-HIGH. Priority 10 (Charts) is LOW unless the surface is data-heavy.

→ Full per-category rule list with platform / WCAG sources: `references/quick-reference.md`.

## How to Use

Search specific domains using the CLI tool below.

---

## Prerequisites

Check if Python is installed:

```bash
python3 --version || python --version
```

If Python is not installed, install it based on user's OS:

**macOS:**
```bash
brew install python3
```

**Ubuntu/Debian:**
```bash
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3
```

**Windows:**
```powershell
winget install Python.Python.3.12
```

---

## How to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user requests any of the following:

| Scenario | Trigger Examples | Start From |
|----------|-----------------|------------|
| **New project / page** | "Build a landing page", "Build a dashboard" | Step 1 → Step 2 (design system) |
| **New component** | "Create a pricing card", "Add a modal" | Step 3 (domain search: style, ux) |
| **Choose style / color / font** | "What style fits a fintech app?", "Recommend a color palette" | Step 2 (design system) |
| **Review existing UI** | "Review this page for UX issues", "Check accessibility" | Quick Reference checklist above |
| **Fix a UI bug** | "Button hover is broken", "Layout shifts on load" | Quick Reference → relevant section |
| **Improve / optimize** | "Make this faster", "Improve mobile experience" | Step 3 (domain search: ux, react) |
| **Implement dark mode** | "Add dark mode support" | Step 3 (domain: style "dark mode") |
| **Add charts / data viz** | "Add an analytics dashboard chart" | Step 3 (domain: chart) |
| **Stack best practices** | "React performance tips"、"SwiftUI navigation" | Step 4 (stack search) |

Follow this workflow:

### Step 1: Analyze User Requirements

Extract key information from user request:
- **Product type**: Entertainment (social, video, music, gaming), Tool (scanner, editor, converter), Productivity (task manager, notes, calendar), or hybrid
- **Target audience**: C-end consumer users; consider age group, usage context (commute, leisure, work)
- **Style keywords**: playful, vibrant, minimal, dark mode, content-first, immersive, etc.
- **Stack**: React Native (this project's only tech stack)

### Step 2: Generate Design System (REQUIRED)

**Always start with `--design-system`** to get comprehensive recommendations with reasoning:

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "<product_type> <industry> <keywords>" --design-system [-p "Project Name"]
```

This command:
1. Searches domains in parallel (product, style, color, landing, typography)
2. Applies reasoning rules from `ui-reasoning.csv` to select best matches
3. Returns complete design system: pattern, style, colors, typography, effects
4. Includes anti-patterns to avoid

**Example:**
```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "beauty spa wellness service" --design-system -p "Serenity Spa"
```

### Step 2b: Persist Design System (Master + Overrides Pattern)

To save the design system for **hierarchical retrieval across sessions**, add `--persist`:

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "<query>" --design-system --persist -p "Project Name"
```

This creates:
- `design-system/MASTER.md` — Global Source of Truth with all design rules
- `design-system/pages/` — Folder for page-specific overrides

**With page-specific override:**
```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "<query>" --design-system --persist -p "Project Name" --page "dashboard"
```

This also creates:
- `design-system/pages/dashboard.md` — Page-specific deviations from Master

**How hierarchical retrieval works:**
1. When building a specific page (e.g., "Checkout"), first check `design-system/pages/checkout.md`
2. If the page file exists, its rules **override** the Master file
3. If not, use `design-system/MASTER.md` exclusively

**Context-aware retrieval prompt:**
```
I am building the [Page Name] page. Please read design-system/MASTER.md.
Also check if design-system/pages/[page-name].md exists.
If the page file exists, prioritize its rules.
If not, use the Master rules exclusively.
Now, generate the code...
```

### Step 3: Supplement with Detailed Searches (as needed)

After getting the design system, use domain searches to get additional details:

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "<keyword>" --domain <domain> [-n <max_results>]
```

**When to use detailed searches:**

| Need | Domain | Example |
|------|--------|---------|
| Product type patterns | `product` | `--domain product "entertainment social"` |
| More style options | `style` | `--domain style "glassmorphism dark"` |
| Color palettes | `color` | `--domain color "entertainment vibrant"` |
| Font pairings | `typography` | `--domain typography "playful modern"` |
| Chart recommendations | `chart` | `--domain chart "real-time dashboard"` |
| UX best practices | `ux` | `--domain ux "animation accessibility"` |
| Alternative fonts | `typography` | `--domain typography "elegant luxury"` |
| Individual Google Fonts | `google-fonts` | `--domain google-fonts "sans serif popular variable"` |
| Landing structure | `landing` | `--domain landing "hero social-proof"` |
| React Native perf | `react` | `--domain react "rerender memo list"` |
| App interface a11y | `web` | `--domain web "accessibilityLabel touch safe-areas"` |
| AI prompt / CSS keywords | `prompt` | `--domain prompt "minimalism"` |

### Step 4: Stack Guidelines (React Native)

Get React Native implementation-specific best practices:

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "<keyword>" --stack react-native
```

---

## Search Reference

### Available Domains

| Domain | Use For | Example Keywords |
|--------|---------|------------------|
| `product` | Product type recommendations | SaaS, e-commerce, portfolio, healthcare, beauty, service |
| `style` | UI styles, colors, effects | glassmorphism, minimalism, dark mode, brutalism |
| `typography` | Font pairings, Google Fonts | elegant, playful, professional, modern |
| `color` | Color palettes by product type | saas, ecommerce, healthcare, beauty, fintech, service |
| `landing` | Page structure, CTA strategies | hero, hero-centric, testimonial, pricing, social-proof |
| `chart` | Chart types, library recommendations | trend, comparison, timeline, funnel, pie |
| `ux` | Best practices, anti-patterns | animation, accessibility, z-index, loading |
| `google-fonts` | Individual Google Fonts lookup | sans serif, monospace, japanese, variable font, popular |
| `react` | React/Next.js performance | waterfall, bundle, suspense, memo, rerender, cache |
| `web` | App interface guidelines (iOS/Android/React Native) | accessibilityLabel, touch targets, safe areas, Dynamic Type |
| `prompt` | AI prompts, CSS keywords | (style name) |

### Available Stacks

| Stack | Focus |
|-------|-------|
| `react-native` | Components, Navigation, Lists |

---

## Example Workflow

**User request:** "Make an AI search homepage."

### Step 1: Analyze Requirements
- Product type: Tool (AI search engine)
- Target audience: C-end users looking for fast, intelligent search
- Style keywords: modern, minimal, content-first, dark mode
- Stack: React Native

### Step 2: Generate Design System (REQUIRED)

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "AI search tool modern minimal" --design-system -p "AI Search"
```

**Output:** Complete design system with pattern, style, colors, typography, effects, and anti-patterns.

### Step 3: Supplement with Detailed Searches (as needed)

```bash
# Get style options for a modern tool product
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "minimalism dark mode" --domain style

# Get UX best practices for search interaction and loading
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "search loading animation" --domain ux
```

### Step 4: Stack Guidelines

```bash
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "list performance navigation" --stack react-native
```

**Then:** Synthesize design system + detailed searches and implement the design.

---

## Output Formats

The `--design-system` flag supports two output formats:

```bash
# ASCII box (default) - best for terminal display
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "fintech crypto" --design-system

# Markdown - best for documentation
python3 skills/ui-ux-methodology/scripts/search.py "fintech crypto" --design-system -f markdown
```

---

## Tips for Better Results

### Query Strategy

- Use **multi-dimensional keywords** — combine product + industry + tone + density: `"entertainment social vibrant content-dense"` not just `"app"`
- Try different keywords for the same need: `"playful neon"` → `"vibrant dark"` → `"content-first minimal"`
- Use `--design-system` first for full recommendations, then `--domain` to deep-dive any dimension you're unsure about
- Always add `--stack react-native` for implementation-specific guidance

### Common Sticking Points

| Problem | What to Do |
|---------|------------|
| Can't decide on style/color | Re-run `--design-system` with different keywords |
| Dark mode contrast issues | Quick Reference §6: `color-dark-mode` + `color-accessible-pairs` |
| Animations feel unnatural | Quick Reference §7: `spring-physics` + `easing` + `exit-faster-than-enter` |
| Form UX is poor | Quick Reference §8: `inline-validation` + `error-clarity` + `focus-management` |
| Navigation feels confusing | Quick Reference §9: `nav-hierarchy` + `bottom-nav-limit` + `back-behavior` |
| Layout breaks on small screens | Quick Reference §5: `mobile-first` + `breakpoint-consistency` |
| Performance / jank | Quick Reference §3: `virtualize-lists` + `main-thread-budget` + `debounce-throttle` |

### Pre-Delivery Checklist

- Run `--domain ux "animation accessibility z-index loading"` as a UX validation pass before implementation
- Run through Quick Reference **§1–§3** (CRITICAL + HIGH) as a final review
- Test on 375px (small phone) and landscape orientation
- Verify behavior with **reduced-motion** enabled and **Dynamic Type** at largest size
- Check dark mode contrast independently (don't assume light mode values work)
- Confirm all touch targets ≥44pt and no content hidden behind safe areas

---

## Common Rules for Professional UI + Pre-Delivery Checklist

Frequently-overlooked App UI rules (Icons & Visual Elements / Interaction / Light-Dark Contrast / Layout & Spacing) PLUS the 5-section Pre-Delivery Checklist (Visual Quality / Interaction / Light-Dark Mode / Layout / Accessibility) moved to **`references/professional-ui-rules.md`** in v0.2 (the reference split). Load that file at delivery time / pre-handoff sanity pass.

Scope notice: rules + checklist are for App UI (iOS/Android/React Native/Flutter), not desktop-web interaction patterns.

→ Full rule tables + 5-section pre-delivery verification checklist: `references/professional-ui-rules.md`.