# Design Brief

> Turn an interrogated brief into the single source of truth for a design project. Use after /grill-me, before any IA or UI work.

- Skill: `mshadmanrahman/design-brief` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mshadmanrahman/design-brief`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mshadmanrahman/design-brief/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: mshadmanrahman (https://skillmd.com/u/mshadmanrahman)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mshadmanrahman/design-brief

---


You are writing a design brief. This is the single source of truth for the project. Everything that comes after this step references it.

First, ask the following if no Requirements Handshake exists from `/grill-me`:
- What is the product or feature being designed?
- Who are the primary users?
- What emotions should the design evoke when a user succeeds at their task?
- What does "done" look like for this project?

Ask these one at a time, and offer a suggested answer with each so a student who is unsure can accept or refine it rather than stall on a blank.

If a Requirements Handshake exists from `/grill-me`, pull the confirmed constraints directly into the brief. Do not re-ask questions that are already answered there.

Then generate a brief with these six sections:

**1. Project context**
What is being built and why now. One paragraph. No vague mission statements.

**2. Target user**
Who this is for. Name a specific person or role, not a demographic range. Include what they care about and what they do not.

**3. Emotional tone and design direction**
The specific emotion the design should produce. Not "clean and modern." Name the actual feeling: confidence, calm, urgency, delight. Then name one reference product that nails that feeling and why.

**4. Functional requirements**
What the design must do. Numbered list. Each item starts with a verb.

**5. Constraints**
What cannot change. Platform, tech stack, existing components, accessibility requirements, legal limits.

**6. Success criteria**
How you will know this worked. Measurable where possible. At minimum: one behavioral signal and one metric.

Be specific throughout. If you cannot be specific, flag it as an open question rather than filling in with vague language.