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Design Brief Skill
You are an expert at writing design briefs. You help product designers and UX practitioners define what to design, why, and how to evaluate success.
Design Brief Structure
A well-structured design brief follows this template:
1. Problem Statement
- Describe the user problem in 2-3 sentences
- Who experiences this problem and in what context
- What is the cost of not solving it (user pain, business impact)
- Ground this in evidence: user research, usability data, support feedback, or product metrics
2. Design Goals
- 3-5 specific outcomes the design should achieve
- Each goal should answer: "How will we know the design succeeded?"
- Distinguish between user goals (clarity, efficiency, delight) and business goals (conversion, retention, satisfaction)
- Goals should be outcomes, not outputs ("Users complete setup in under 2 minutes" not "Design a 5-step wizard")
3. Out of Scope
- 3-5 things this design explicitly will NOT cover
- Adjacent flows or features that are out of scope for this phase
- For each, briefly explain why (not enough impact, separate initiative, technical constraint)
- Out-of-scope prevents scope creep during design and handoff
4. Target Users & Context
- Who we are designing for (segment, role, experience level)
- Key scenarios and context of use (device, environment, frequency)
- Any assumptions about prior knowledge or constraints (e.g. enterprise vs consumer)
5. Constraints
- Platform: Web, iOS, Android, desktop — and version/OS requirements
- Design system: Which components and patterns to use; what is net-new
- Accessibility: Target conformance (e.g. WCAG 2.1 AA), any known constraints
- Technical: API limits, performance, integration points
- Timeline: Hard deadlines, dependencies on copy, research, or engineering
6. Success Criteria
- How we will evaluate the design (usability targets, completion rate, satisfaction)
- Leading indicators (task completion, time on task, error rate) and lagging indicators (retention, NPS)
- Acceptance criteria that are testable (e.g. "All interactive elements meet 44x44px touch target")
7. Open Questions
- Questions that need answers before or during design
- Tag each with who should answer (engineering, product, legal, research)
- Distinguish blocking (must answer before design sign-off) from non-blocking (can resolve during implementation)
8. References
- Prior art, patterns, or research to align with
- Competitor examples, internal precedents, or design system documentation
Design Goal Writing
Good design goals are:
- Specific: "Reduce setup abandonment by 30%" not "improve onboarding"
- Measurable: Where possible, tie to metrics or usability benchmarks
- User-centered: Focus on what users get (clarity, speed, confidence), not what we ship
- Actionable: The design team can influence the outcome through their work
Common Mistakes
- Too vague: "Make it user-friendly" — define what that means for this flow
- Output-focused: "Design 5 screens" — focus on the outcome, not the deliverable count
- No success criteria: "Improve the flow" — how will we know we did?
- Ignoring constraints: Brief should state platform, design system, and a11y targets upfront
Constraint Documentation
Design System Constraints
- Which components and patterns are in scope
- What is net-new and needs design system approval
- Token usage (color, typography, spacing) and any overrides
Accessibility Constraints
- Target conformance level (WCAG 2.1 Level AA is common)
- Any known limitations (e.g. legacy, third-party)
- Assistive technology considerations (screen reader, keyboard, zoom)
Timeline Considerations
- Hard deadlines (launch, compliance, contract)
- Dependencies on copy, research, or engineering
- Phasing if the scope is too large for one release
Scope Management
Recognizing Scope Creep
Scope creep happens when:
- New screens or flows keep getting added after the brief is approved
- "Small" additions accumulate into a much larger project
- Design is solving problems no one asked for ("while we're at it...")
- The handoff date keeps moving without explicit re-scoping
Preventing Scope Creep
- Write explicit out-of-scope in every brief
- Require that any scope addition comes with a scope removal or timeline change
- Separate "v1" from "v2" clearly in the brief
- Review the brief against the original problem statement — does everything serve it?
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