UI

UI Orchestrator Skill v4.1 - Attractor Edition

Mission

Transform generic UI prompts into unique, anti-trend specifications using enterprise-grade Attractor workflow orchestration. Detect overused patterns with 100 forbidden anti-patterns, generate prompt-specific anti-patterns dynamically, impose creative constraints with scoring, and execute with full observability, checkpoint resilience, and human-in-the-loop control.

⚙️ Active Baseline Configuration

Default Dials (adapt based on flags/context):

AI Instruction:

• Adapt these values based on explicit flags (--demo → lower creativity, --full → max strength)
• Task complexity (simple page → strength 5, system → strength 9)
• User expertise (--step mode → strength 7 for learning)
• Production context (--team → strength 8 for enterprise)

Justification:

• Strength 7: Balanced (not too safe, not too experimental)
• Creativity 8: Push boundaries while remaining usable
• Difficulty 6: Challenging but achievable
• A11y 9: Accessibility is non-negotiable (design-taste-frontend principle)

🎯 Core Workflow

UI ORCHESTRATOR v4.1 WORKFLOW
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                 │
│  1. RECEIVE          Raw prompt from user                       │
│       ↓              "Un site futuriste, nuageux et mélancolique"│
│                                                                 │
│  2. ANALYZE          Scan for trend-trap keywords               │
│       ↓              → "futuriste" detected (semantic)          │
│                      → "nuageux" detected (semantic)            │
│                      → "mélancolique" detected (semantic)       │
│                                                                 │
│  3. GENERATE         Create NEW anti-patterns from keywords    │
│       ↓              → Semantic reasoning from keywords         │
│                      → Combine existing patterns                │
│                      → EXPLICITLY SHOW to user                  │
│                                                                 │
│  4. DETECT           Load anti-patterns.json (static DB)        │
│       ↓              → Match prompt to pattern categories       │
│                      → Add static patterns to list              │
│                                                                 │
│  5. SELECT           Load constraints.json                       │
│       ↓              → Choose 2-4 creative constraints          │
│                      → Score constraints                        │
│                      → Resolve conflicts                        │
│                                                                 │
│  6. VALIDATE         Validate spec against schema               │
│       ↓              → JSON Schema validation                   │
│                                                                 │
│  7. BUILD            Execute build (or delegate to build agent)  │
│       ↓              → React/Tailwind or Vanilla                 │
│                      → Anti-pattern validation                   │
│                                                                 │
│  8. EXPLAIN (opt)    Diagram explanations                       │
│       ↓              → Visual workflow diagrams                 │
│                                                                 │
│  9. LEARN (opt)      Extract patterns                           │
│                      → Document successful combos               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🚫 The 100 UI Anti-Patterns (Forbidden Patterns)

Visual & CSS (15)

• NO Neon/Outer Glows, Pure Black, Oversaturated Accents
• NO Excessive Gradient Text, Custom Mouse Cursors
• NO Gradient Mesh, Glassmorphism Overuse, Blob Morphing
• NO Scanlines, Glitch Text, Particle Canvas
• NO Chrome Reflections, Drop Shadows Everywhere

Typography (10)

• NO Inter Font, Oversized H1s, Serif Fonts on Dashboards
• NO Variable Font Tricks, Acid Distortion
• NO Brutalist Helvetica, Mixed Font Families
• NO Tight Letter Spacing, All Caps Body Text
• NO Font Size Under 14px

Layout & Spacing (15)

• NO Generic Hero Sections, 3-Column Card Layouts
• NO Bento Box Overuse, Fullscreen Sections, Sticky Everything
• NO Card Grids, Centered Content Only, Infinite White Space
• NO Equal Padding, Horizontal Symmetry, 12-Column Grid Always

Content & Data (20)

• NO Generic Names ("John Doe"), Fake Perfect Data
• NO Startup Slop Names ("Acme", "Nexus")
• NO Filler Words ("Elevate", "Seamless")
• NO Lorem Ipsum, Stock Photo Models, Fake avatars
• NO "Coming Soon", "Sign Up" without context
• NO "World's Leading", "Revolutionary" without proof

Components (20)

• NO Glassmorphism Cards, Neumorphism Buttons
• NO Floating Labels, Rounded Everything
• NO Default shadcn/ui without customization
• NO Modals Without Escape, Loading Spinners Everywhere
• NO Toggle Switches for Everything, Dropdowns for 2-3 Options

Interactions (10)

• NO Parallax Scrolling, Scroll Reveal, Scroll Hijacking
• NO Hover Effects Only, Loading Screens Without Progress
• NO Auto-Playing Videos, Mouse-Following Effects

External Resources (10)

• NO Broken Unsplash Links, Generic Stock Photos
• NO Placeholder Images Without Alt Text
• NO External Font Loading Without Fallback
• NO Large External Scripts, Icons from Multiple Libraries
• NO Emoji in Code/Markup

See references/anti-patterns-guide.md for complete list with fixes.

🎛️ Technical Reference: Dial Definitions

ANTI_TREND_STRENGTH (Level 1-10)

• 1-3 (Conservative): Minor tweaks to trends, safe choices
• 4-7 (Balanced): Clear departure from trends, unique but usable
• 8-10 (Experimental): Radical rethinking, challenging conventions

CREATIVITY_TARGET (Level 1-10)

• 1-3 (Trend-Following): Industry-standard patterns
• 4-7 (Creative): Unique combinations, some risk-taking
• 8-10 (Boundary-Breaking): Entirely new approaches

CONSTRAINT_DIFFICULTY (Level 1-10)

• 1-3 (Easy): Common constraints (monochrome, system fonts)
• 4-7 (Challenging): Requires creative problem-solving
• 8-10 (Hard): Demands architectural rethinking

ACCESSIBILITY_PRIORITY (Level 1-10)

• 1-3 (Optional): Basic semantic HTML
• 4-7 (Standard): WCAG AA compliance
• 8-10 (Mandatory): WCAG AAA, screen reader first, keyboard navigation

🚀 Attractor Mode - DOT Workflow Orchestration

Overview

Strike v4.1 includes Attractor mode - define workflows in Graphviz DOT syntax:

• Declarative workflows - Visual, version-controllable pipelines
• Checkpoint & resume - Recover from crashes and interruptions
• Event observability - Track every phase with typed events
• Human-in-the-loop - Pause for user approval at critical points
• Parallel execution - Run multiple branches concurrently
• Conditional routing - Smart branching based on outcomes

Quick Example

digraph AntiTrendWorkflow {
  graph [goal="Generate unique anti-trend UI"]

  start [shape=Mdiamond]
  analyze [shape=box, prompt="Analyze prompt for trends"]
  patterns [shape=box, prompt="Detect anti-patterns"]
  constraints [shape=box, prompt="Select constraints"]
  approve [shape=hexagon, label="Approve?"]
  build [shape=box, prompt="Build UI", goal_gate=true]
  exit [shape=Msquare]

  start -> analyze -> patterns -> constraints -> approve
  approve -> build [label="[A] Approve"]
  approve -> constraints [label="[R] Modify"]
  build -> exit
}

Activation

# Use Attractor mode (default)
/ui "Create a unique dashboard"

# With custom DOT workflow
/ui --workflow=".claude/.strike/workflow.dot" "SaaS app"

# Resume from checkpoint
/ui --resume

See references/attractor-workflows.md for complete DOT grammar guide.

📊 Options

✅ Final Pre-Flight Check

Before claiming "done", verify:

Universal (All UIs)

• Anti-patterns validated against blacklist
• Constraints properly applied
• Accessibility checklist passed (WCAG AA)
• Component registry used
• Build metrics generated

Design Quality

• No trend-trap patterns detected
• Unique aesthetic (not generic)
• Consistent design language
• Proper visual hierarchy
• Responsive on all breakpoints

Code Quality

• Clean, semantic HTML
• No inline styles (use CSS classes)
• Proper component structure
• Accessible markup
• Performance optimized

See references/quality-gates.md for comprehensive checklists.

🔗 Integration with Other Skills

Requires:

• design-taste-frontend - Senior UI/UX engineering patterns
• skill-check - Validate skill quality before deployment

Complements:

• studio:build - Implementation with quality gates
• verification-before-completion - Verify UI before done

📋 Quick Reference Card

Minimum Viable UI Generation

# Auto-detected
/ui "create dashboard"

# With flags
/ui --step "portfolio"        # Interactive
/ui --team "SaaS app"         # Parallel agents
/ui --build                   # From existing spec

Decision Matrix

Simple UI? → /ui (no flags)
Need control? → /ui --step
Complex/large? → /ui --team
Quick iteration? → /ui --demo
From spec? → /ui --build

Quality Gates

✓ No anti-pattern violations
✓ Constraints applied
✓ WCAG AA compliant
✓ Build metrics generated

Output Structure

.claude/.strike/
├── analysis.md
├── anti-patterns.md
├── constraints.md
├── enriched-spec.json
└── step-state.json (if --step)

./output/
├── react-tailwind/
├── vanilla/
└── build-result.json

📚 Extended Documentation

See references/ for detailed guides:

• attractor-workflows.md - DOT orchestration complete guide
• anti-patterns-guide.md - 100 forbidden patterns with fixes
• constraint-selection.md - How constraints are scored and selected
• examples.md - Real-world usage examples

🎯 Best Practices

1. Use Step Mode to Learn - --step flag teaches you the system
2. Embrace Constraints - They're liberation, not limitation
3. Trust the Process - The weird ideas become the best ideas
4. Use Teams for Complex Projects - 2-3x speedup with --team
5. Check Build Results - Always review build-result.json
6. Iterate with Checkpoints - Resume and adjust as needed
7. Monitor Events - Track progress in events.jsonl
8. Optimize Costs - Use --demo for quick iterations

🔄 Legacy Compatibility

📚 Extended Documentation (Modular References)

For detailed guides, see the modular reference documentation:

Core References

• @references/attractor-workflows.md - DOT orchestration complete guide
• @references/anti-patterns-guide.md - 100 forbidden patterns with fixes
• @references/constraint-selection.md - How constraints are scored and selected
• @references/examples.md - Real-world usage examples

Quick Links

Memory Integration

• @data/memory-integration.md - claude-mem integration guide

UI Orchestrator v4.1 - Attractor Edition: 100 anti-patterns, DOT orchestration, checkpoint/resume, quality gates, accessibility-first