UX Variations

UX Variations

Invoke as $ux-variations.

Use this skill when the user wants to explore multiple UX/UI directions before committing to a final experience. In the default product-design tree, this skill expands one specific user flow from $user-flow-map into alternate progression branches: different ways users can enter, advance, recover, hand off, complete, or abandon the flow. It then creates variation plans for flow progression, layout implications, navigation models, interaction patterns, component choices, content density, visual tone, and behavior so the user can compare, test, and decide which branch should move into $ui-interview.

In the normal AFPS product route, use $user-flow-map first to establish the wireframe-tree root and name the user-flow branches. Then run $ux-variations [specific-user-flow] to explore alternate ways users can progress through that selected flow. After a variation branch is ready for UI treatment, route that branch to $ui-interview [specific-ux-variation] for visual mockup, alignment, approval/rejection, and next-branch routing.

Use $user-flow-map first when the interface has no credible flow structure. Use this skill directly only when a user-flow map, current implementation, screenshot, prototype, explicit user prompt, or clear feature scope already identifies the flow being varied. Do not require a finalized UI requirements spec before default UX variation work; the point is to compare alternative progression paths before a single branch becomes a UI proposal.

When invoked with --layout-mode (or when the user says "layout mode", "layout variations", or "UI variations"), this skill operates at the concrete component/layout level — it varies HOW the same content is presented visually, not WHAT the user flow is. Layout-mode is an explicit bounded mode for cases where both the flow and content contract are already fixed; otherwise default to progression-path UX variations. Layout-mode takes a fixed flow contract from specs/user-flow-[topic].md plus a fixed content contract from specs/ui-requirements-[topic].md or equivalent and generates 2-5 concrete visual/spatial approaches. Each variation must be specified well enough to build as a lightweight implementation, then evaluated through $uat --variant-evaluation (check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-testing — if product-testing is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-testing from the project shell, first) before $consolidate-variations.

Process

0. Product-Path Scope Resolution

Resolve research scope by product path before using code or app structure as a hint:

1. If $ARGUMENTS names a non-archived research/{slug}/ directory or a product-path ID whose scope_path points there, use that path. Treat {slug} as the product/app name, not the ICP, audience, or segment label.
2. If $ARGUMENTS names only research/_archive/{slug}/ or a manifest entry with status: archived or legacy status: abandoned, stop and warn that the path is archived; do not write or update scoped outputs there.
3. Read research/.progress.yaml when present. Normalize legacy active_path to active_paths on read and write back active_paths on manifest updates. Treat legacy abandoned as archived; exclude archived, abandoned, deferred, revisit_candidate, promoted, and any scope_path under research/_archive/ from active target selection.
4. If active product paths exist in the manifest, use those paths. If multiple active paths exist, ask which one to target unless this skill explicitly supports cross-path output.
5. If no active manifest target exists, list non-archived product directories under research/, excluding research/_archive/ and dot directories. Auto-select only when exactly one exists; ask when multiple exist.
6. If no product directories exist, use flat research/ single-product mode.
7. Detect monorepo/app/package structure only as a secondary hint. Suggest creating a missing research/{slug}/ product path when code clearly exposes an app, but do not require code or monorepo detection before using research/{slug}/.

When product path {slug} is active, read and write research under research/{slug}/, specs under specs/{slug}/, and treat top-level research/*.md files as flat-mode documents or cross-path summaries.

1. Resolve context

   • Read .agents/project.json if it exists.
   • Read README.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, relevant docs/, specs/, research/, task files, screenshots, route files, and component implementations when present.
   • Read research/.progress.yaml when present. Normalize active_path (singular legacy) to active_paths (plural list) when reading; treat legacy abandoned as archived and exclude archived/deferred/revisit/promoted paths plus research/_archive/ scopes from active target selection. Use active_paths as the product/app focuses and treat deferred product_paths[] as parked product directions, not required UX variants.
   • Prefer existing specs/user-flow-*.md as the normal AFPS input and select one named user-flow branch as the variation surface.
   • Also read specs/ui-*.md, product specs, journey maps, ICP research, positioning research, and user feedback as source evidence.
   • If no credible flow structure exists, run or recommend $user-flow-map before developing variants.
   • If the user explicitly requests layout-mode and no credible content/data/action contract exists, run or recommend $ui-interview --requirements-only before developing layout-mode variants.

2. Define the decision surface

   • Identify what the user is deciding: the selected user flow, onboarding, activation, typical workflow, sharing flow, collaboration model, purchase flow, editor, dashboard, settings, mobile experience, page layout, or another bounded surface.
   • Identify the parent user-flow branch, the upstream user-flow-map source, and any sibling user flows or prior UX/UI proposals that this variation must coordinate with.
   • Identify which dimensions are allowed to vary:
     • First-run onboarding and activation
     • Core workflow sequencing
     • Sharing, invitations, permissions, and collaboration
     • Return-use loops and re-entry points
     • Notifications, reminders, and status surfaces
     • Handoffs between users, roles, devices, or channels
     • Recovery from errors, empty states, and stalled progress
     • Information architecture
     • Navigation
     • Page layout
     • Task flow order
     • Component model
     • Data density
     • Visual hierarchy
     • Motion and transition behavior
     • Copy tone
     • Mobile behavior
   • Identify fixed constraints: brand, stack, design system, must-keep components, accessibility, launch scope, performance, and business requirements.
   • Default progression-mode addition: For each selected user flow, identify which parts may vary: entry route, sequencing, step granularity, user choice points, system automation, handoff points, review/edit loops, save-for-later behavior, cancellation, recovery, permissions, notifications, and completion criteria. Preserve the parent flow boundary while allowing progression branches to differ meaningfully.
   • Layout-mode addition: In layout-mode, read specs/user-flow-[topic].md as the fixed screen-flow contract and specs/ui-requirements-[topic].md as the fixed content contract. The WHAT and flow order are locked; only the HOW varies. Layout dimensions that can vary:
     • Container pattern: card grid, data table, list, kanban, timeline, tree, masonry
     • Detail pattern: sidebar panel, full-page route, modal, drawer, inline expand, popover
     • Navigation: top-nav, side-nav, tab-based, breadcrumb-driven, command-palette, hybrid
     • Density: compact, comfortable, spacious
     • Hierarchy: content-first, chrome-first, action-first
     • Responsive strategy: reflow, collapse, separate mobile layout, progressive disclosure

3. Surface assumptions before probing

   • Present a UX Variation Assumptions Manifest before deep questioning.
   • Tag assumptions with [from spec], [from codebase], [from research], [from artifact], or [inferred].
   • Cover:
     • Target users and usage context
     • Parent user flow and selected branch scope
     • Primary job or workflow
     • First-run moment, activation event, and "aha" threshold
     • Typical repeat-use workflow
     • Sharing, collaboration, and permission assumptions
     • Return triggers, notifications, and re-engagement assumptions
     • Cross-device, cross-role, or external handoff assumptions
     • Existing pain points or uncertainty
     • Decisions that are locked versus open, including which parts of the parent flow may vary
     • Evaluation criteria
     • Required variants and desired breadth
     • Prototype fidelity and implementation budget
     • Success metrics and selection method
   • Ask the user to confirm, correct, or flag assumptions before proceeding.
   • Deliver every manifest/checklist/checkpoint the user must confirm inline as the final message text of its own turn; ask the confirmation question in the next turn (consistent with the one-question-per-turn cadence). Never emit it only as mid-turn text in a turn that ends with a tool or command call — harness rendering does not guarantee mid-turn text is shown. A confirmation question must never reference content the user has not been shown.

4. Interview for variation goals

   • Codex interview cadence is one primary decision question per turn by default. Use short follow-up bullets only when they clarify the same variation decision, not to batch unrelated questions.
   • Default to maximally contrasting archetypes. Do not ask how different variants should be — assume dramatic contrast unless the user explicitly requests graduated steps.
   • Default evaluation method is: build each variation, then run $uat --variant-evaluation (check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-testing — if product-testing is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-testing from the project shell, first) so the user has task-based evidence before consolidation.
   • When presenting a design decision with 3+ plausible answers during the interview, always include "Make this a variant axis (test all approaches)" as an option. When the user has already chosen "test all" for a prior question in the same session, default subsequent ambiguous decisions to variant axes without asking.
   • Establish:
     • Assume solo evaluator building and gut-checking unless the user states otherwise
     • Which user flow from the wireframe tree is being expanded
     • What they must be able to accomplish
     • Which progression moments can vary: entry, sequencing, decision points, handoffs, recovery, completion, and re-entry
     • How a new user arrives, signs up, understands the product, and reaches first value
     • What the normal repeat workflow looks like after onboarding
     • What users create, save, share, export, invite others into, or hand off
     • What roles or permission levels exist, and how collaboration should feel
     • What notifications, reminders, status updates, or activity feeds users expect
     • How users resume work after hours, days, or weeks away
     • What happens when a workflow is abandoned, blocked, invalid, offline, or partially complete
     • Which current interface parts are working
     • Which current interface parts feel wrong, uncertain, slow, confusing, too dense, too sparse, or too generic
     • What would make a variant unacceptable
     • What evidence will decide the winner
   • When the user is unsure, recommend a practical default and explain why.
   • Layout-mode interview additions: When in layout-mode, also ask:
     • What is the primary user task on this page? (scan, search, create, compare, monitor, triage)
     • How much data will typically be visible? (5 items, 50 items, 500 items)
     • Are there reference apps or pages the user admires for this type of content?
     • Are any layout patterns explicitly off the table?
     • What is the build budget per variation? (quick prototype, medium fidelity, production-ready)
     • What must the user do in each built variant before they are ready to consolidate?

5. Create distinct variation concepts

   • Produce 5 variations by default. Present the concepts for adjustment — do not ask the user to choose a count first.
   • Each variation must be meaningfully different, not just a color or spacing change.
   • At this stage, keep each concept lightweight: name, thesis, archetype, best-fit user/context, core workflow difference, major tradeoff, and rough complexity. Do not fully specify screens, controls, or implementation details yet.
   • Useful archetypes include:
     • Task-first workflow
     • Data-dense operator console
     • Guided step-by-step flow
     • Onboarding-first activation path
     • Collaboration-first workspace
     • Sharing-first artifact flow
     • Notification/status-driven workflow
     • Role-based handoff workflow
     • Visual canvas or board
     • Command/search-first interface
     • Mobile-first progressive disclosure
     • Familiar SaaS dashboard
     • Editorial or showcase layout
   • Only choose archetypes that fit the product and user context.
   • Layout-mode archetypes (use these instead of the UX-flow archetypes above when in layout-mode):
     • Card grid: visual items in a responsive grid, good for browsing and scanning
     • Data table: dense rows with sortable/filterable columns, good for operators and power users
     • List + detail panel: master list on left, detail sidebar on right, good for email/messaging patterns
     • Full-page detail: list view navigates to full-page item view, good for content-heavy items
     • Kanban / board: columns representing states or categories, good for workflow and status tracking
     • Timeline / feed: chronological stream, good for activity, logs, and social patterns
     • Dashboard mosaic: mixed widget grid with charts, lists, and stats, good for monitoring and overview
     • Split-pane workspace: resizable panels for parallel content, good for editors and comparison
     • Command-first minimal: search/command bar with minimal chrome, good for keyboard-heavy power users
     • Sidebar-driven: persistent sidebar navigation with content area, good for settings and multi-section apps

6. Concept selection checkpoint

   • Before fully specifying any variant, ask the user to adjust the concept set.
   • Use bounded wording such as: "How should I adjust these UX variants before writing the final spec?"
   • Present clear options:
     • Keep all concepts
     • Make one concept bolder or more extreme
     • Add another concept
   • Do not ask the user to remove or merge concepts before they have been built. Pre-build narrowing is consistently rejected.
   • Ask the user to name the affected concept and briefly describe the change when they choose anything other than keeping all concepts.
   • Recommend a practical default when evidence supports it; do not imply that variants have already been built or committed.
   • Revise the concept set based on the answer before moving on.

7. Specify each approved variation enough to build

   • For each variation, define:
     • Name and design thesis
     • Target user fit
     • Parent user flow and branch relationship
     • Page and flow changes
     • Progression model: how the user advances through the flow and how this differs from sibling variations
     • Onboarding and activation model
     • Typical workflow sequence
     • Sharing, collaboration, and permissions model
     • Return-use and notification model
     • Failure recovery and abandoned-workflow behavior
     • Navigation model
     • Screen-by-screen layout
     • Key components and controls
     • Button and link behavior
     • Spatial density, sizing, and hierarchy
     • Responsive behavior
     • Visual tone
     • Strengths, risks, and failure modes
     • Implementation complexity
     • What to prototype first
     • What user signal would make this branch ready for $ui-interview
   • Layout-mode variation spec additions: In layout-mode, each variation spec must also include:
     • Content-to-component mapping: which content requirement maps to which UI component
     • Page regions with approximate proportions (e.g., sidebar 280px, content fluid, detail panel 400px)
     • Primary content component
     • Detail view pattern
     • Action placement
     • Navigation pattern and placement
     • Responsive behavior at 3 breakpoints (mobile <=640px, tablet <=1024px, desktop >1024px)
     • Density approach
     • States rendering
     • Implementation file list
     • Estimated build time
     • Variant evaluation task: the user task to perform in this variation before consolidation
     • Evidence to capture: screenshots, notes, time-to-complete, friction points, and acceptance/rejection signals

8. Plan experimentation

   • Recommend serial full buildout of all approved variants when the user is using layout-mode or explicitly wants to compare built interfaces. Do not recommend building a subset first unless the user asks for a smaller experiment.
   • For prototype-stage product or feature work, prefer numerous small route-based experiments over one merged prototype when multiple workflows, layouts, densities, copy approaches, navigation models, or interaction patterns remain plausible. Name the route for each experiment, such as /experiments/table-first, /experiments/command-first, or the project's equivalent, and keep shared production infrastructure out of those routes unless explicitly approved.
   • If route experiments imply materially different products, apps, ICPs, or product lines, update research/.progress.yaml with experiment product-path entries instead of making every divergent path a required UX variation. Include id, label, source_skill: ux-variations, scope_path, status, reason, archive_reason, archived_at, promoted_at, evidence_refs, revisit_trigger, next_skill, pipeline_stage: ux-variations, and last_touched.
   • After progression variants are specified, route the next selected branch to $ui-interview [specific-ux-variation] for visual mockup and approval/rejection. If variants are built before UI interview, recommend $uat --variant-evaluation (check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-testing — if product-testing is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-testing from the project shell, first) before $consolidate-variations. Consolidation is premature until evaluation evidence exists or the user explicitly says they reviewed the variants and is ready to converge.
   • Define the cheapest useful validation method:
     • Static mockups for visual direction
     • Clickable prototype for navigation and flow
     • Feature-flagged implementation for real usage
     • A/B test only when traffic and metrics are credible
     • Human UAT when target-user acceptance is the question
   • Define comparison criteria before selecting a winner.
   • Include a lock-in checklist so the chosen direction becomes a decision record, not a vague preference.
   • Include a UAT handoff checklist:
     • Target task for each variant
     • Success criteria and non-acceptance signals
     • Side-by-side comparison questions
     • Evidence to capture
     • Tradeoffs to notice
     • Readiness criteria for $consolidate-variations

9. Coverage checkpoint

   • Before concluding, summarize the variants, the decision criteria, and the proposed experiment plan inline as the final message text of its own turn.
   • In the next turn, ask whether any decision criteria, risks, validation steps, or implementation constraints are missing before writing deliverables.

Deliverables

• Write the variation plan to specs/ux-variations-[topic].md.
• Write the interview log to ux-variations-[topic]-interview.md.
• Update research/.progress.yaml only when variant or route experiments create materially different product paths; downstream research remains active-path-only until a path is activated.
• Include a branch-routing section that names the parent user flow, each UX variation branch, sibling flow/variation dependencies, and the recommended next $ui-interview [specific-ux-variation] branch.

Alignment Page

When this skill produces durable deliverables (research, specs, plans, reports, prototypes, or any document output), build a full-depth HTML alignment page following ALIGNMENT-PAGE.md in this skill's directory. Output: alignment/ux-variations-{topic}.html.

Constraints

• Do not present superficial variants that differ only by color palette, typography, or decorative treatment.
• Do not treat default UX variation work as only visual layout exploration. Default variations should compare different ways users progress through a named user flow.
• Do not choose a winner for the user unless the evidence clearly supports it and the user asked for a recommendation.
• Do not defer all decisions to testing. State a recommended variant or experiment when evidence is sufficient.
• Do not ignore implementation cost. A compelling variation still needs a prototype path and selection criteria.
• Do not route directly from built UI variants to $consolidate-variations; insert $uat --variant-evaluation (check .agents/project.json.enabled_packs for product-testing — if product-testing is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install product-testing from the project shell, first) unless the user explicitly confirms they have already evaluated the variants.
• Do not skip $ui-interview for a UX variation branch that needs a proposed UI, HTML visual mockup, or approval/rejection decision.
• Do not enforce shared design constraints across variations. Each variation independently decides layout, density, color, navigation, and component choices. Only technical stack is shared unless the user explicitly locks a shared constraint.

Archive-First Replacement Policy

• Before replacing or substantively rewriting an existing canonical research/spec document (research/**/*.md, specs/**/*.md, or docs/specifications/**/*.md), copy the current file to docs/history/archive/YYYY-MM-DD/HHMMSS/<original-relative-path>.
• Preserve the archived snapshot exactly as it existed before the change; do not edit the archived copy after creating it.
• After the archive snapshot exists, write the updated document to the original canonical path.
• Report both the archive path and the updated canonical path in the final output.
• New files do not need archive snapshots. Append-only updates do not need archive snapshots unless an existing section is regenerated or rewritten.

Default Shipping Contract

Follow the shared shipping contract convention in CLAUDE.md.