# App Planner > Produces a design-plan (living document like an exec-plan) that maps an app domain to feature groups using Apple Design DNA patterns. Each feature group becomes a milestone buildable in one ios-taste session. Use when the user describes an app idea, domain, or workflow and needs a structured plan before building. Triggers on "plan this app", "what features does X need", "design plan", "feature breakdown", "what screens do I need", or any pre-build planning question. Also trigger when the user provides workflow notes or user interview results. CRITICAL: This skill produces a DESIGN-PLAN document only. It does NOT generate SwiftUI code, layouts, or visual design. - Skill: `pproenca/app-planner` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add pproenca/app-planner` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/pproenca/app-planner/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: pproenca (https://skillmd.com/u/pproenca) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/pproenca/app-planner --- # App Planner You produce a **design-plan** — a living document in the same format as exec-plans — that maps an app domain to feature groups organized by Apple Design DNA patterns. Each feature group becomes one milestone, buildable in a single ios-taste session. The output is a markdown file saved to `docs/design-plans/` (or wherever the project keeps its plans). It drives the entire build process across multiple sessions. ## What You Produce A design-plan document with these sections: 1. Purpose / Big Picture (what the redesign achieves) 2. User & Moments (personas + frequency-ranked interactions) 3. Progress (living checkboxes, updated each session) 4. Design Milestones (one per screen, pattern-mapped) 5. Deliberate Omissions (what's NOT in scope) 6. Decision Log (updated during execution) 7. Surprises & Discoveries (updated during execution) ## What You Do NOT Produce - SwiftUI code or data models - Layouts, wireframes, or mockups - Colors, typography, or spacing choices - Navigation architecture diagrams - The entire app in one go Building happens later. One milestone at a time. Using ios-taste. ## The Pattern-First Approach Read `references/apple-design-dna.md` in the ios-taste skill directory (`~/.claude/skills/ios-taste/references/apple-design-dna.md`). It contains 22 patterns extracted from 6 Apple apps. These are your building blocks. | Pattern | From | Best For | |---------|------|----------| | Time Grid | Calendar | Scheduling, appointments, day planning | | Poster Detail | Contacts | Person/entity profiles, identity views | | Glass-on-Gradient | Contacts | Premium detail views, record displays | | Dashboard Cards | Fitness | At-a-glance metrics, daily summaries | | Modular Card Grid | Weather | Multi-metric displays, status dashboards | | Hierarchical Zoom | Calendar | Browsing across time scales or detail levels | | Haptic State Transitions | Calendar | Mode changes, drag interactions, snap points | | Metric Detail Template | Health | Data drill-down with chart + education | | Semantic Domain Colors | Health | Multi-category systems needing visual coding | | Dense Grid | Photos | Image/thumbnail collections | | Annotation Layer | Photos Markup | Drawing/marking/annotating on images | | Signature Capture | Photos Markup | Consent, sign-off, handwritten input | | Card vs Row Grammar | Fitness/Contacts | Dashboard (cards) vs detail (rows) | | Inline Data Enhancement | Contacts/Fitness | Previews embedded in rows | | Empty State Skeletons | Fitness | Show structure before data exists | ## Output Format Save the design-plan as a markdown file. Structure it EXACTLY like this: ```markdown # [App Name] Design Plan — [Focus] This DesignPlan is a living document. Progress, Decision Log, and Surprises & Discoveries must stay up to date as work proceeds. ## Purpose / Big Picture [1-3 sentences: what the user can do AFTER this plan is executed. Outcome-focused, not feature-list.] ## User & Moments - **[Persona 1]**: [who, when, device context] - **[Persona 2]**: [who, when, device context] | Frequency | Moment | What they do | |-----------|--------|-------------| | 50x/day | [moment name] | [one line] | | 10x/day | [moment name] | [one line] | | 5x/day | [moment name] | [one line] | | 1x/day | [moment name] | [one line] | | 1x/week | [moment name] | [one line] | ## Progress - [ ] Milestone 1: [screen name] - [ ] Milestone 2: [screen name] - [ ] Milestone 3: [screen name] ... ## Design Milestones ### Milestone 1: [Screen Name] **User goal**: "[What the user is trying to do — in their words]" **Pattern**: [Apple Design DNA pattern name] (from [source app]) **Priority**: Must-have **Frequency**: [how often this screen is used] **Existing TCA domain**: [which reducer/feature this touches] **Features**: - [Feature] — [why the user needs it] - [Feature] — [why the user needs it] - [Feature] — [why the user needs it] **Acceptance criteria**: 1. [Observable proof — what the screen shows/does] 2. [User test — "show to [persona], they say X"] 3. [Technical — builds, tests pass, no raw design tokens] **ios-taste prompt** (use this to start the build session): > "[Exact prompt to give ios-taste to build this screen, including > user context, emotional intent, and which pattern to reference]" --- ### Milestone 2: [Screen Name] ... ## Deliberate Omissions - [Feature] — [why it's excluded] - [Feature] — [why it's excluded] ## Decision Log _Updated during execution._ ## Surprises & Discoveries _Updated during execution._ ``` ## Rules 1. **Group by user goal, not technical category.** "See my day at a glance" not "Calendar Module." 2. **Every milestone = ONE screen = ONE pattern = ONE ios-taste session.** If a milestone needs two patterns, split it into two milestones. 3. **Build order follows frequency.** The 50x/day screen is Milestone 1. 4. **Max 8 milestones.** More than 8 means over-scoping. Merge or defer. 5. **Every feature has a "why".** Not "patient search" but "patient search — because she's on the phone and needs to find the caller's record one-handed." 6. **Include the ios-taste prompt.** Each milestone has a pre-written prompt that starts the build session. The person building doesn't need to figure out what to ask — it's ready to paste. 7. **Reference existing code.** If the project has existing reducers, models, or domains, name them in each milestone so the builder knows what they're working with. 8. **Acceptance criteria are testable.** Not "looks good" but "the receptionist can identify the next patient in under 2 seconds."