UI/UX Design
Name: ui-ux-design
Description: Modern UI/UX design principles, patterns, and best practices for web and mobile applications. Use when building user interfaces, designing layouts, choosing color palettes, implementing responsive design, ensuring accessibility (WCAG), or creating beautiful modern applications. Includes 2026 design trends, Tailwind CSS patterns, Shadcn/ui integration, micro-interactions, and mobile-first responsive design.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when:
- Building or designing web/mobile interfaces
- Choosing colors, typography, or layout systems
- Implementing responsive design (mobile-first)
- Ensuring accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.2)
- Setting up Shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS projects
- Creating micro-interactions and animations
- Reviewing UI/UX decisions before coding
Core Design Principles
1. Mobile-First Always
- Start with 320px width (smallest phone)
- Breakpoints: 576px (phone), 768px (tablet), 992px (laptop), 1200px (desktop)
- Single-column default, expand only when space allows
2. Visual Hierarchy
Guide user attention using:
- Size: Larger = more important
- Color: Bright/contrasting = attention
- Whitespace: More space = emphasis
- Proximity: Related items grouped together
- Contrast: Dark on light or light on dark (4.5:1 minimum for text)
3. Whitespace is Your Weapon
- Space elements in multiples of 8px (8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64)
- Breathing room between sections: 48-64px minimum
- Padding inside cards: 24-32px
Quick Reference
Color System
Build a primary color scale (50-900):
- Primary: Brand color (CTAs, links, active states)
- Neutrals: Grays 50-900 (text, backgrounds, borders)
- Semantic: Success (green), Error (red), Warning (yellow/orange)
Tools: Huevy.app, Coolors.co, Adobe Color
Typography Scale (8px baseline)
text-xs: 12px / 16px line-height
text-sm: 14px / 20px
text-base: 16px / 24px (body default)
text-lg: 18px / 28px
text-xl: 20px / 28px
text-2xl: 24px / 32px
text-3xl: 30px / 36px (section headers)
text-4xl: 36px / 40px
text-5xl: 48px / 1 (hero titles)
Font pairing: 2 fonts max (sans-serif for UI, optional serif for headings)
Layout Patterns
- CSS Grid: 2D layouts (page structure)
- Flexbox: 1D layouts (component internals)
- Auto-fit grid:
repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr)) (no media queries!)
Micro-Interactions
- Hover: Scale 1.05x (buttons feel clickable)
- Click: Scale 0.95x (tactile feedback)
- Duration: 0.2-0.3s max (keep it subtle)
- Animate only:
transform and opacity (GPU accelerated)
Accessibility (WCAG 2.2)
- Text contrast: 4.5:1 minimum (normal text), 3:1 (large text)
- UI components: 3:1 contrast minimum
- Keyboard navigation: Tab order logical, focus states visible (3:1 contrast)
- ARIA labels: Always provide for buttons, images, interactive elements
Shadcn/ui + Tailwind Stack
Setup (Next.js)
npx create-next-app@latest project-name --typescript --tailwind --app
cd project-name
npx shadcn@latest init
Choose: Style (Default), Base color (Blue or custom), CSS variables (Yes)
Adding Components
npx shadcn@latest add button
npx shadcn@latest add card
npx shadcn@latest add dialog
npx shadcn@latest add calendar
Components appear in components/ui/ — you own the code, customize freely.
Tailwind Best Practices
- Use design tokens (not arbitrary values):
p-4 not p-[17px]
- Responsive utilities:
w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/3
- Dark mode:
dark:bg-gray-900 dark:text-white
Pre-Build Checklist
Before writing code, confirm:
Inspiration Sources
Study these products:
- Linear (linear.app) — Best keyboard-first UI, subtle animations
- Stripe Dashboard — Clean data visualization, perfect spacing
- Vercel — Minimalist, fast, modern gradients
- Notion — Intuitive drag-and-drop, clear hierarchy
Tools:
- Figma (mockups before coding)
- WebAIM Contrast Checker (accessibility)
- Coolors/Huevy (color palettes)
The 5 Laws of Beautiful UI
- Contrast creates hierarchy (big vs small, dark vs light)
- Whitespace creates calm (never fear empty space)
- Consistency builds trust (same patterns repeated)
- Feedback confirms action (animations, success messages)
- Accessibility includes everyone (contrast, keyboard, screen readers)
Full Reference
For comprehensive deep-dives (component patterns, animation examples, responsive grid techniques), see UI_UX_MASTER_GUIDE.md in this skill directory.
Last Updated: 2026-02-05
1---2name: ui-ux-design3description: Activate this skill when:4---5
6# UI/UX Design
7
8**Name:** ui-ux-design
9**Description:** Modern UI/UX design principles, patterns, and best practices for web and mobile applications. Use when building user interfaces, designing layouts, choosing color palettes, implementing responsive design, ensuring accessibility (WCAG), or creating beautiful modern applications. Includes 2026 design trends, Tailwind CSS patterns, Shadcn/ui integration, micro-interactions, and mobile-first responsive design.
10
11---
12
13## When to Use This Skill
14
15Activate this skill when:
16- Building or designing web/mobile interfaces
17- Choosing colors, typography, or layout systems
18- Implementing responsive design (mobile-first)
19- Ensuring accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.2)
20- Setting up Shadcn/ui + Tailwind CSS projects
21- Creating micro-interactions and animations
22- Reviewing UI/UX decisions before coding
23
24---
25
26## Core Design Principles
27
28### 1. Mobile-First Always
29- Start with 320px width (smallest phone)
30- Breakpoints: 576px (phone), 768px (tablet), 992px (laptop), 1200px (desktop)
31- Single-column default, expand only when space allows
32
33### 2. Visual Hierarchy
34Guide user attention using:
35- **Size:** Larger = more important
36- **Color:** Bright/contrasting = attention
37- **Whitespace:** More space = emphasis
38- **Proximity:** Related items grouped together
39- **Contrast:** Dark on light or light on dark (4.5:1 minimum for text)
40
41### 3. Whitespace is Your Weapon
42- Space elements in multiples of 8px (8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64)
43- Breathing room between sections: 48-64px minimum
44- Padding inside cards: 24-32px
45
46---
47
48## Quick Reference
49
50### Color System
51Build a primary color scale (50-900):
52- **Primary:** Brand color (CTAs, links, active states)
53- **Neutrals:** Grays 50-900 (text, backgrounds, borders)
54- **Semantic:** Success (green), Error (red), Warning (yellow/orange)
55
56Tools: Huevy.app, Coolors.co, Adobe Color
57
58### Typography Scale (8px baseline)
59```
60text-xs: 12px / 16px line-height
61text-sm: 14px / 20px
62text-base: 16px / 24px (body default)
63text-lg: 18px / 28px
64text-xl: 20px / 28px
65text-2xl: 24px / 32px
66text-3xl: 30px / 36px (section headers)
67text-4xl: 36px / 40px
68text-5xl: 48px / 1 (hero titles)
69```
70
71**Font pairing:** 2 fonts max (sans-serif for UI, optional serif for headings)
72
73### Layout Patterns
74- **CSS Grid:** 2D layouts (page structure)
75- **Flexbox:** 1D layouts (component internals)
76- **Auto-fit grid:** `repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr))` (no media queries!)
77
78### Micro-Interactions
79- **Hover:** Scale 1.05x (buttons feel clickable)
80- **Click:** Scale 0.95x (tactile feedback)
81- **Duration:** 0.2-0.3s max (keep it subtle)
82- **Animate only:** `transform` and `opacity` (GPU accelerated)
83
84### Accessibility (WCAG 2.2)
85- **Text contrast:** 4.5:1 minimum (normal text), 3:1 (large text)
86- **UI components:** 3:1 contrast minimum
87- **Keyboard navigation:** Tab order logical, focus states visible (3:1 contrast)
88- **ARIA labels:** Always provide for buttons, images, interactive elements
89
90---
91
92## Shadcn/ui + Tailwind Stack
93
94### Setup (Next.js)
95```bash
96npx create-next-app@latest project-name --typescript --tailwind --app
97cd project-name
98npx shadcn@latest init
99```
100
101Choose: Style (Default), Base color (Blue or custom), CSS variables (Yes)
102
103### Adding Components
104```bash
105npx shadcn@latest add button
106npx shadcn@latest add card
107npx shadcn@latest add dialog
108npx shadcn@latest add calendar
109```
110
111Components appear in `components/ui/` — you own the code, customize freely.
112
113### Tailwind Best Practices
114- Use design tokens (not arbitrary values): `p-4` not `p-[17px]`
115- Responsive utilities: `w-full md:w-1/2 lg:w-1/3`
116- Dark mode: `dark:bg-gray-900 dark:text-white`
117
118---
119
120## Pre-Build Checklist
121
122Before writing code, confirm:
123- [ ] Color palette defined (primary + neutrals + semantic colors)
124- [ ] Typography scale chosen (6-8 sizes)
125- [ ] Component library picked (Shadcn + Tailwind)
126- [ ] Mobile breakpoints planned (576px, 768px, 992px)
127- [ ] Accessibility contrast ratios checked (4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI)
128- [ ] Micro-interaction list (hover, click, success states)
129- [ ] Grid layout sketched (mobile → desktop progression)
130
131---
132
133## Inspiration Sources
134
135**Study these products:**
136- Linear (linear.app) — Best keyboard-first UI, subtle animations
137- Stripe Dashboard — Clean data visualization, perfect spacing
138- Vercel — Minimalist, fast, modern gradients
139- Notion — Intuitive drag-and-drop, clear hierarchy
140
141**Tools:**
142- Figma (mockups before coding)
143- WebAIM Contrast Checker (accessibility)
144- Coolors/Huevy (color palettes)
145
146---
147
148## The 5 Laws of Beautiful UI
149
1501. **Contrast creates hierarchy** (big vs small, dark vs light)
1512. **Whitespace creates calm** (never fear empty space)
1523. **Consistency builds trust** (same patterns repeated)
1534. **Feedback confirms action** (animations, success messages)
1545. **Accessibility includes everyone** (contrast, keyboard, screen readers)
155
156---
157
158## Full Reference
159
160For comprehensive deep-dives (component patterns, animation examples, responsive grid techniques), see `UI_UX_MASTER_GUIDE.md` in this skill directory.
161
162---
163
164**Last Updated:** 2026-02-05
modbender