UI/UX 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)
code
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:
transformandopacity(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)
bash
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
bash
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-4notp-[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:
- • Color palette defined (primary + neutrals + semantic colors)
- • Typography scale chosen (6-8 sizes)
- • Component library picked (Shadcn + Tailwind)
- • Mobile breakpoints planned (576px, 768px, 992px)
- • Accessibility contrast ratios checked (4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI)
- • Micro-interaction list (hover, click, success states)
- • Grid layout sketched (mobile → desktop progression)
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