shape

The 'shape' skill is designed to guide the planning of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) for a feature before any code is written. It addresses a common problem in product development: jumping directly into implementation without fully understanding the user's needs or the feature's purpose. By structuring discovery through guided interviews and context gathering, 'shape' ensures that the resulting design decisions are informed and purposeful, reducing the risk of poorly thought-out interfaces and wasted development effort.

This skill operates in two main phases. The first phase is a discovery interview, where it engages in a structured conversation to extract critical information about the feature's purpose, user context, content, design goals, constraints, and anti-goals. It avoids making any design or coding assumptions during this phase. The second phase synthesizes these insights into a comprehensive design brief, which outlines the feature summary, primary user action, design direction, layout strategy, and key states. The design brief acts as a blueprint for any subsequent implementation, ensuring alignment with the project's broader design context and principles captured in the associated '/impeccable' skill.

'Shape' is particularly useful for product designers, UX researchers, and project managers who are involved in early-stage feature planning. It is ideal for teams aiming to establish clear design direction, constraints, and strategy before coding begins. By formalizing the discovery process and producing structured design documentation, it helps ensure that development efforts are targeted, efficient, and user-centered, making it suitable for digital product teams across web and mobile platforms.