layers-surface
Techniques for auditing and deciding the surface against the layers below — vocabulary, object consistency, completeness, feedback, hierarchy, accessibility
Security Assessment
About layers-surface
layers-surface is a design-methodology skill covering the "surface" layer of a layered design process — the point where decisions made in lower layers (conceptual model, interaction flow, user needs) become something a person actually encounters: words, sounds, visuals, physical affordances, motion, and feedback. It assumes a companion /layers-intro skill has been loaded and presents itself as a library of auditing and decision-making techniques rather than a linear script. Its central discipline is distinguishing genuine surface fixes (copy, layout) from surface symptoms whose real cause lives in a deeper layer that should be revisited instead of patched.
The skill enumerates the decisions the surface layer owns and the disciplines that keep it honest — vocabulary matching the product's ubiquitous language, object consistency (no shapeshifters or masked objects), two-way completeness against the breadboard, errors that diagnose/explain/recover, prominence reflecting importance, deliberate accessibility, and emotional register matching users' emotional and social jobs. It then offers a technique toolkit: vocabulary checks, object-consistency checks, completeness checks, emotional-register checks, feedback and error inventories, hierarchy reviews, accessibility passes per medium (screen, voice, physical), consistency passes, and "make it" methods for producing surface (real medium, mockups, style tiles, prototypes, design systems, copy-first).
It targets product designers, UX practitioners, and design-minded developers who want a rigorous way to audit an existing interface or work through open surface decisions, capturing only the residue — tagged findings, prioritized open decisions, and cross-layer issues to resolve first. It is pure methodology guidance with no code execution.
FAQ
Do I need other skills first?
Yes. It assumes /layers-intro has been loaded, and it routes deeper issues to companion skills such as /layers-interaction-flow. It builds on artifacts from lower layers like the conceptual model, ubiquitous language, breadboard, and job stories.
Is this a step-by-step script?
No. It is explicitly a library of techniques. You choose the technique that fits the live concern — a vocabulary check when terms feel off, a feedback inventory when users don't know what happened — rather than running all of them.
What's the core judgment it teaches?
Telling apart a true surface fix (copy or layout) from a surface symptom whose root cause is in a deeper layer, so you revisit the model or interaction flow instead of patching the symptom.
Does it cover accessibility?
Yes. It includes a per-medium accessibility pass for screen (contrast, sizing, touch targets, keyboard, screen-reader labels, focus), voice, and physical interfaces, treating accessibility as a deliberate decision rather than a default.
Install layers-surface
Quick Setup:
- Copy the skill folder to
.claude/skills/ - Claude will automatically detect and use the skill
Repository
jamiemill/layers-skills