planner-design-k
How to think about design — product outcomes, system architecture, code structure, tradeoffs
What this skill does
> **Knowledge skill** — Design thinking framework: product outcomes, system architecture, code structure, tradeoffs. # Design Thinking ## Product Level Start from the user, not the code: - What problem are we solving? (Not what feature are we building) - What can they do after that they couldn't before? - What does "done" look like? Frame as observable behaviors, not implementation details. - What's in scope, what's explicitly out, what's deferred? ## System Level When the change affects boundaries, data flow, or integration points: - What are the core entities and how do they relate? - Where does this fit in the existing system topology? - Does it cross or create boundaries? - How does data enter, transform, store, and get read? - What external systems does this touch? What happens when they're unavailable? - What's the blast radius if this fails? **Diagram first, prose second.** Every system-level design must lead with visuals: ``` Required visuals (pick what fits): ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Component diagram — boxes, arrows, boundaries │ │ Data flow diagram — how data moves through │ │ Sequence diagram — who calls who, in what order │ │ State diagram — states and transitions │ │ Dependency graph — what depends on what │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` Prose explains the *why* behind the diagram. No code snippets in design plans — describe interfaces and contracts in words or type signatures, not implementations. ## Code Level When designing how code should be structured: - What modules will exist and what's each one's responsibility? - Which modules depend on which? Are dependencies pointing toward stability? - Is every abstraction earning its complexity? Would functions suffice instead of classes? - Are interfaces minimal — exposing only what's needed? Prefer the boring obvious solution. Three similar functions is often better than a premature abstraction. ## Tradeoffs Every major decision should present 2-3 realistic approaches: - What each offers and costs - Your recommendation with rationale - What unknowns remain Frame as tradeoffs, not pros/cons lists. Every choice trades something for something else. ## Questions That Cut Through - What's the simplest version that solves the problem? - What happens if we don't do this? - Are we designing for a hypothetical future or the current need? - What changes if we need to scale this 10x? - Are we coupling things that should be independent?
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.