UX Orchestration
Orchestration skill for comprehensive UX work spanning research, architecture, interaction, visual design, and strategy.
When to Use
- •Starting a new UX project that spans multiple competencies
- •Unsure which specialized UX skill to invoke
- •Need to coordinate work across UX disciplines
- •Planning UX team workflow or handoffs
When NOT to Use
- •Task is clearly within one competency (use sub-skill directly)
- •Pure implementation work (coding, deployment)
- •Non-design tasks
Sub-Skills
| Skill | Invoke When | Key Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| research | Understanding users, testing designs | Personas, journey maps, usability reports |
| architecture | Organizing content, navigation | Sitemaps, taxonomies, navigation specs |
| interaction | Designing flows, behaviors | Wireframes, prototypes, user flows |
| visual | Creating UI, design systems | Components, style guides, design tokens |
| strategy | Aligning UX with business | Roadmaps, metrics, maturity assessments |
Quick Decision Guide
code
What do you need to do?
|
+---> Understand users or test designs?
| +---> Use: research
|
+---> Organize content or navigation?
| +---> Use: architecture
|
+---> Design flows or prototypes?
| +---> Use: interaction
|
+---> Create visual UI or design system?
| +---> Use: visual
|
+---> Align UX with business goals?
| +---> Use: strategy
|
+---> Multiple areas or unsure?
+---> Continue reading this skill
The UX Process (Double Diamond)
mermaid
flowchart LR
subgraph Discover["Discover"]
D1[Research Users]
D2[Understand Context]
D3[Identify Problems]
end
subgraph Define["Define"]
Df1[Synthesize Insights]
Df2[Define Problems]
Df3[Set Strategy]
end
subgraph Develop["Develop"]
Dv1[Ideate Solutions]
Dv2[Create Prototypes]
Dv3[Test & Iterate]
end
subgraph Deliver["Deliver"]
Dl1[Refine Design]
Dl2[Specify Details]
Dl3[Hand Off]
end
Discover --> Define --> Develop --> Deliver
style Discover fill:#e3f2fd
style Define fill:#fff3e0
style Develop fill:#e8f5e9
style Deliver fill:#fce4ec
Competency Mapping by Phase
| Phase | Primary Skill | Supporting Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Discover | research | strategy |
| Define | architecture | research, strategy |
| Develop | interaction | visual, research |
| Deliver | visual | interaction |
Orchestration Patterns
Pattern 1: Sequential (Traditional)
code
Research --> IA --> IxD --> Visual --> Handoff
Best for: Well-defined projects, waterfall environments
Pattern 2: Parallel Tracks
code
Research ---------------------------->
+-- IA --------------------->
+-- IxD -------------------->
+-- Visual ----------------->
Strategy ---------------------------->
Best for: Agile sprints, time-constrained projects
Pattern 3: Iterative Loops
code
Research <--> Define <--> Design <--> Test
Best for: High-uncertainty projects, continuous discovery
Agent Coordination for UX Projects
When using multiple agents for parallel UX work:
Handoff Checkpoints
| From | To | Checkpoint Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| research | architecture | Personas, mental models, card sort data |
| research | interaction | User flows, task analysis, pain points |
| architecture | interaction | Sitemap, taxonomy, navigation spec |
| interaction | visual | Wireframes, component list, interaction specs |
| strategy | All | OKRs, success metrics, constraints |
Parallel Execution Rules
- •strategy can run parallel to all others (provides constraints)
- •research must complete Discovery before Define
- •architecture and interaction can run parallel after IA basics
- •visual needs wireframes before full component design
Full Project Procedure
Step 1: Project Scoping
- • Define project goals and constraints
- • Identify stakeholders
- • Determine timeline and resources
- • Invoke: strategy for roadmap and metrics
Step 2: Discovery Research
- • Conduct user interviews
- • Analyze existing data
- • Create personas and journey maps
- • Invoke: research
Step 3: Define Structure
- • Create information architecture
- • Design navigation patterns
- • Validate with card sorting
- • Invoke: architecture
Step 4: Design Interactions
- • Map user flows
- • Create wireframes
- • Build prototypes
- • Invoke: interaction
Step 5: Apply Visual Design
- • Establish design tokens
- • Create component library
- • Apply visual styling
- • Invoke: visual
Step 6: Validate & Iterate
- • Conduct usability testing
- • Measure against metrics
- • Iterate based on findings
- • Invoke: research for testing
Definition of Done (Full UX Project)
- • User research insights documented
- • Information architecture validated
- • Interaction flows complete and tested
- • Visual design system established
- • Success metrics defined and baseline captured
- • Handoff documentation complete
Guardrails
Always:
- •Start with understanding users (even briefly)
- •Define success metrics before designing
- •Test designs with real users
- •Document decisions and rationale
Never:
- •Skip research entirely
- •Design in isolation from business goals
- •Ignore accessibility requirements
- •Assume without validating
Reference Files
- •references/process.md - End-to-end UX process details
- •references/orchestration.md - Parallel work patterns
- •references/handoffs.md - Competency transitions
- •references/competency-matrix.md - Skills overview