form-design
Design forms that minimize friction, prevent errors, and guide users to successful completion.
What this skill does
# Form Design You are an expert in designing forms that are clear, forgiving, and efficient to complete. ## What You Do You apply form design principles to reduce abandonment, prevent errors, and make data collection feel effortless — from single-field inputs to complex multi-step flows. ## Layout - **Single column**: almost always correct for forms. Two-column layouts disrupt reading flow and create ambiguity about field order. - **Field width should reflect expected input length**: a postcode field is narrow; a bio field is wide. Width is a affordance for what belongs there. - **Top-aligned labels**: faster to scan and more resilient to long labels than left-aligned or placeholder-only patterns. - **Group related fields** using proximity (Law of Proximity) and section headings for longer forms — don't let long forms run as an undifferentiated column. ## Labels and Instructions - Every field has a persistent label — never rely on placeholder text as the only label (it disappears on input and fails accessibility) - Labels are concise and in sentence case; avoid ALL CAPS - Helper text goes below the label, above the field: "Format: DD/MM/YYYY" - Required fields: mark optional, not required — if most fields are required, flagging optional reduces visual noise - Character counts: show remaining characters when limits exist; show them always, not only on approach to the limit ## Input Types Match input type to the data being collected: | Data type | Input type | |---|---| | Short text | Text input | | Long text | Textarea (with visible resize) | | One from few options (≤5) | Radio buttons (all visible) | | One from many options (6+) | Select / combobox | | Multiple from few options | Checkboxes | | Date | Date picker or segmented inputs (day/month/year) — never a freeform text field for structured dates | | Phone / card numbers | Formatted text input with masking | | Password | Password input with show/hide toggle | ## Validation - **Inline validation**: validate on blur (when the user leaves the field), not on every keystroke — real-time validation on typing is distracting - **Error placement**: directly below the field, not at the top of the form - **Error messages**: explain what went wrong and how to fix it — "Email address must include @" not "Invalid email" - **Success indication**: a subtle indicator (checkmark) on fields with non-obvious correctness (password strength, username availability) - **Server-side errors**: surface inline to the field if possible; summarize at the top if multiple fields are affected ## Multi-Step Forms - Show progress clearly (step indicator, not just "Step 2 of 5") - Each step should feel completeable as a unit — related questions together - Allow back navigation without losing data - Save progress for long forms (auto-save or explicit "save and continue") - Confirm before discarding partial input ## Accessibility - Every field has a programmatic label (`<label for>` or `aria-label`) - Error messages are associated with their field (`aria-describedby`) - Focus order follows visual order - Error summary at top is keyboard-focusable and links to each field - Don't use color alone to indicate required or error states ## Best Practices - Remove every optional field you can — fewer fields = higher completion - Default to the most common answer where one exists; don't default to blank for binary choices - Test forms with real users entering real data — synthetic test data hides length and format edge cases - Measure field-level abandonment (which fields do users leave the form on?) — this is where to invest optimization effort - For high-stakes forms (payments, medical, legal), add a review step before final submission
Related in Design
contribute
IncludedLocal-only OSS contribution command center. Auto-refreshes the user's in-flight PR and issue state on invoke so conversations start with full context — no need to brief Claude on what's in flight. Helps the user find issues to contribute to on GitHub, builds per-repo dossiers of what each upstream expects (CLA, DCO, branch convention, AI policy, draft-first, review bots, issue templates), runs deterministic gates before any external action so AI-assisted contributions don't reach maintainers as slop. State is markdown-only: candidate files at ~/.contribute-system/candidates/, repo dossiers at ~/.contribute-system/research/, append-only event log at ~/.contribute-system/log.jsonl. No database, no cloud calls. Use when the user asks about their PRs / issues / contributions, wants to find new work to take on, claim an issue, build/refresh a repo's dossier, or draft a Design Issue or PR. Trigger with "/contribute", "what's my PR status", "find a contribution", "claim issue X", "draft a Design Issue for Y", "refresh dossier for Z".
architectural-analysis
IncludedUser-triggered deep architectural analysis of a codebase or scoped subtree across eight modes — information architecture, data flow, integration points, UI surfaces, interaction patterns, data model, control flow, and failure modes. This skill should be used when the user asks to "diagram this codebase," "map the architecture," "show the data flow," "give me an ERD," "trace control flow," "find the integration points," "verify the layout pattern," "audit the UX architecture," or any similar request whose primary deliverable is mermaid diagrams plus cited reports under docs/architecture/. Dispatches haiku/sonnet sub-agents in parallel for per-mode exploration, then verifies every citation mechanically before any node lands in a diagram. Not for one-off prose explanations of code (use code-explanation) or for high-level system design from scratch (use system-design).
mcp
IncludedModel Context Protocol (MCP) server development and tool management. Languages: Python, TypeScript. Capabilities: build MCP servers, integrate external APIs, discover/execute MCP tools, manage multi-server configs, design agent-centric tools. Actions: create, build, integrate, discover, execute, configure MCP servers/tools. Keywords: MCP, Model Context Protocol, MCP server, MCP tool, stdio transport, SSE transport, tool discovery, resource provider, prompt template, external API integration, Gemini CLI MCP, Claude MCP, agent tools, tool execution, server config. Use when: building MCP servers, integrating external APIs as MCP tools, discovering available MCP tools, executing MCP capabilities, configuring multi-server setups, designing tools for AI agents.
react-native-skia
IncludedDesign, build, debug, and optimise high-polish animated graphics in React Native or Expo using @shopify/react-native-skia, Reanimated, and Gesture Handler. Use when the user wants canvas-driven UI, shaders, paths, rich text, image filters, sprite fields, Skottie, video frames, snapshots, web CanvasKit setup, or performance tuning for custom motion-heavy elements such as loaders, hero art, cards, charts, progress indicators, particle systems, or gesture-driven surfaces. Also use when the user asks for fluid, glow, glass, blob, parallax, 60fps/120fps, or GPU-friendly animated effects in React Native, even if they do not explicitly say "Skia". Do not use for ordinary form/layout work with standard views.
plaid
IncludedProduct Led AI Development — guides founders from idea to launched product. Six capabilities: Idea (discover a product idea), Validate (pressure-test the idea against fatal flaws, problem reality, competition, and 2-week MVP feasibility), Plan (vision intake + document generation), Design (translate image references into a design.md spec), Launch (go-to-market strategy), and Build (roadmap execution). Use when someone says "PLAID", "plaid idea", "help me find an idea", "product idea", "idea from my business", "idea from my expertise", "plaid validate", "validate my idea", "pressure-test", "is this idea good", "find fatal flaws", "validate the problem", "plan a product", "define my vision", "generate a PRD", "product strategy", "plaid design", "design from image", "translate image to design", "create design.md", "extract design tokens", "plaid launch", "go-to-market", "launch plan", "GTM strategy", "launch playbook", "plaid build", "build the app", "start building", or "execute the roadmap".
nextjs-framer-motion-animations
IncludedAdds production-safe Motion for React or Framer Motion animations to Next.js apps, including reveal, hover and tap micro-interactions, whileInView, stagger, AnimatePresence, layout and layoutId transitions, reorder, scroll-linked UI, and lightweight route-content transitions. Use when the user asks to add, refactor, or debug Motion or Framer Motion in App Router or Pages Router codebases, especially around server/client boundaries, reduced motion, LazyMotion, bundle size, hydration, or route transitions. Avoid for GSAP-style timelines, WebGL or 3D scenes, heavy scroll storytelling, or CSS-only effects unless Motion is explicitly requested.