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frontend-design skill

/skills/frontend-design

This skill helps you implement pixel-perfect frontend experiences that align with human-centered psychology and production-grade design systems.

npx playbooks add skill xenitv1/claude-code-maestro --skill frontend-design

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SKILL.md
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---
name: frontend-design
description: Elite Tier Web UI standards, including pixel-perfect retro aesthetics, immersive layouts, and UX psychology protocols.
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep, Bash
---

<domain_overview>
# Frontend Design System

> **Philosophy:** Minimize cognitive load and make interactions intuitive. Every design decision should respect human psychology, behavioral patterns, and cognitive limitations. The designer bears complexity so the user experiences simplicity.
> **Core Principle:** Good design is invisible - users should accomplish their goals without noticing the design itself. Design should feel effortless and natural, aligning with how humans naturally think and behave.

## ⚠️ Core Protocols & Standards
**ANTI-AI AESTHETIC MANDATE (CRITICAL):** Never use generic aesthetics that give the impression of being AI-generated. This includes overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts), cliché color schemes (especially purple gradients on white backgrounds), predictable layouts, and repetitive component patterns.
**ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN:** The "Cyberpunk" aesthetic is strictly prohibited. Do NOT use neon glows, matrix rain, glitch effects, or "high-tech" dark modes unless explicitly requested for a specific context. This cliché is the hallmark of lazy AI generation.
Specifically avoid template-driven designs that lack context-specific character. This skill aims to create distinctive, original, and production-level frontends. Realize functional, high-fidelity code by paying extraordinary attention to aesthetic details and creative decisions.

**CRITICAL PROTOCOL:** The detailed rules are stored in separate reference files. You **MUST** use the `Read` tool to load these files into your context **BEFORE** starting any design work. Do not assume you know the contents.

- **[frontend_reference.md](frontend_reference.md)**: Contains Technical Standards, Aesthetic Signatures, and Creative Protocols.
- **[animation_reference.md](animation_reference.md)**: Contains 2025 Motion Standards, Physics-based animation rules, and Micro-interactions.
- **[css_art_reference.md](css_art_reference.md)**: **FOR VISUAL OBJECTS.** Use this when asked to "draw" or "create" complex items (Swords, Logos, Icons) using code. Defines Geometric Composition & LCH Materials.
- **[security-protocols.md](security-protocols.md)**: Contains critical Frontend Security rules.

## 🎬 Core Animation Principles
> **Motion Mandate:** Animation must be **Physics-Based** (Springs), **Continuous** (No Teleportation), and **Meaningful** (Storytelling).

- **Continuity:** State changes must morph, not cut (View Transitions).
- **Weight:** Objects must feel like they have mass (Use Spring Animations).
- **Focus:** Animation guides attention; it does not distract.
- **Narrative:** Every motion tells a story about where an element came from and where it is going.
*(See `animation_reference.md` for the full 12-Principle Framework)*

## 🔗 Related & Required Skills
When executing Frontend tasks, you **MUST** integrate these complementary skills to ensure architectural integrity:

| Skill | Purpose in Frontend Context |
|-------|-----------------------------|
| **`brainstorming`** | **MANDATORY PRE-REQUISITE.** Before ANY design work, use this to interrogate the user's vague instructions and crystallize the "Screenplay/Narrative" defined in `frontend_reference.md`. |
| **`clean-code`** | **MANDATORY.** Ensures component modularity, cleaner hooks/state logic, and security compliance. Prevents "spaghetti UI code". |
| **`tdd-mastery`** | **MANDATORY.** "Iron Law" applies to components too. Use for visual regression tests and logic verification before coding UI. |
| **`optimization-mastery`** | Use for Performance Audits (Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals), reducing bundle size, and optimizing re-renders. |
| **`backend-design`** | Consult this when defining API data shapes, error handling states, and ensuring type safety across the network boundary. |
| **`planning-mastery`** | Use this to break down complex UI implementations into "Atomic" deliverables (Atoms -> Molecules -> Organisms). |

## 🛠️ Automation Scripts
Use the following script to audit your implementation:
- **`scripts/js/ux-audit.js`**: Run this to perform a heuristic analysis of the UI for consistency, accessibility (contrast/spacing), and compliance with the design tokens.
  - *Usage:* `node scripts/js/ux-audit.js`
</domain_overview>

Overview

This skill defines elite-tier Web UI standards focused on pixel-perfect retro aesthetics, immersive layouts, and UX psychology protocols. It prioritizes low cognitive load, invisible design, and production-ready fidelity so interfaces feel effortless and natural. The guidance balances aesthetic originality with rigorous technical and accessibility standards.

How this skill works

The skill inspects visual direction, component composition, motion, and UX patterns against core protocols: anti-AI aesthetic rules, physics-based animation principles, and cognitive-first interaction design. It enforces meaningful continuity in transitions, mass and weight in motion, and context-specific visual signatures rather than template-driven layouts. Recommended integrations include design interrogation, clean code practices, test-driven visual regression, and performance audits to ensure implementation quality.

When to use it

  • Designing high-fidelity production frontends with distinct visual identity
  • Creating immersive layouts that require nuanced UX psychology and attention guidance
  • Specifying motion systems that must be physics-based and continuous
  • Auditing or hardening UI aesthetics to avoid AI-generated clichés
  • Preparing UI deliverables for accessibility, performance, and long-term maintenance

Best practices

  • Start with a structured discovery: define user goals, narrative, and behavioral constraints before visual work
  • Avoid generic fonts, cliché palettes, and template layouts—craft context-specific signatures
  • Implement spring-based, continuous animations that convey weight and narrative
  • Treat design tokens, spacing, and contrast as enforceable rules for consistency and accessibility
  • Integrate clean-code and TDD workflows to produce maintainable, testable components
  • Run performance and UX audits early and iterate on regressions, accessibility, and bundle size

Example use cases

  • Reimagining a legacy admin UI into an immersive, low-cognitive-load dashboard with distinct retro aesthetics
  • Designing a product onboarding flow where micro-interactions guide attention and reduce drop-off
  • Creating a component library with unique visual signatures and physics-driven motion for consistent cross-product use
  • Performing a heuristic UX and accessibility audit to remove AI-like generic patterns and improve usability
  • Building pixel-perfect marketing pages that require precise typography, spacing, and motion narrative

FAQ

Does this skill allow dark neon or cyberpunk styling?

No. Cyberpunk elements—neon glows, glitch effects, matrix motifs—are explicitly discouraged unless the client explicitly requests that specific aesthetic.

What workflows should be combined with this skill?

Combine it with discovery/brainstorming, clean-code enforcement, test-driven visual regression, performance optimization, and backend collaboration for API shapes and states.

How are animations expected to behave?

Animations should be physics-based (spring systems), continuous (morphing between states), convey weight, and guide focus without distracting users.