| name | audience-site-brief |
| description | Use when a user wants a landing page and provides only a text description of their goal or brand — no reference site. Produces an audience strategy, page architecture, copy direction, and a build prompt ready for motion-web-design. If the user has a URL and screenshots, use site-to-build-prompt instead. |
Audience Site Brief
Turn a vague goal ("I want a site for X") into a complete site strategy brief grounded in research, personas, reference patterns, and UX principles — then output a build prompt ready for motion-web-design.
URL + screenshots? Use site-to-build-prompt instead — it runs this pipeline with visual analysis and outputs a self-contained prompt for a powerful coding model.
This skill orchestrates child skills in sequence. Read each child skill at its phase — do not rely on memory alone.
Distinction: persona-archetypes defines human audiences. motion-web-design/archetypes.md defines visual site templates (VEX, Velorah, etc.). This skill connects them.
Workflow
Copy this checklist and track progress:
Audience Site Brief (Full Pipeline):
- [ ] 1. Broad intake — capture goal, audience hypothesis
- [ ] 2. Research audience — pain points, barriers, language (audience-research)
- [ ] 3. Build persona — who they are (grounded in research evidence)
- [ ] 4. Analyze references — what works for this audience
- [ ] 5. Design process — page architecture, section order (ux-methodology-process)
- [ ] 6. Design optimization — visual hierarchy, interactions (ux-methodology-design)
- [ ] 7. Architect page — sections, copy direction (synthesized from phases 2–6)
- [ ] 8. Map visual archetype — motion site preset + rationale
- [ ] 8b. Visual identity — brand keywords, typography, color tokens, motion vocabulary (visual-identity)
- [ ] 9. Draft experiment backlog — ranked A/B hypotheses
- [ ] 10. Output build prompt — handoff to motion-web-design (includes design-system.md)
- [ ] 11. Confirm with user before building (unless they asked to build immediately)
Phase 1: Broad Intake
Start with one open question, then fill gaps. Do not ask more than 5 questions total before inferring the rest.
Opening prompt (use verbatim):
Describe what you're trying to achieve in your own words — the product or brand, who should care, what you want them to feel, and what action you want them to take. Don't worry about design details yet.
Gap-fill only if missing:
| Gap | Ask |
|---|
| Product unclear | "What are you offering — product, service, portfolio, or cause?" |
| Audience unclear | "Who is the ideal person landing on this page?" |
| Action unclear | "What is the one primary action? (book, buy, sign up, contact, explore)" |
| Context unclear | "Where does traffic come from — ads, search, referrals, direct?" |
| Constraint | "Any hard constraints — brand colors, existing copy, must-include sections?" |
Capture as intake block:
## Intake
- **Goal:** [one sentence]
- **Offering:** [what it is]
- **Primary audience:** [who]
- **Desired feeling:** [emotional outcome]
- **Primary action:** [CTA goal]
- **Traffic context:** [cold/warm, channel]
- **Constraints:** [any]
If the user gives rich context upfront, skip redundant questions and proceed.
Phase 2: Research Audience
Read audience-research/SKILL.md. Search real user sources for pain points, barriers, language, and decision criteria.
Key outputs:
- 4–6 themes of pain points with real quotes
- Barriers to entry this audience faces
- Language and terminology they use
- Trust signals that matter to them
- Objections they commonly raise
Use for: Grounding persona-building in evidence, not assumptions. This research informs persona psychology, messaging tone, and what objections to address on the page.
Phase 3: Build Personas
Read persona-archetypes/SKILL.md. Apply the Framework Picker and Layering Order. Ground frameworks in research findings from Phase 2.
Inference rules from intake:
| Intake signal | Start hypothesis | Site direction hint |
|---|
| B2B / technical / dev | Type 5, Sage, Spectator | VEX, SynapseX |
| Luxury / premium service | Achiever, Ruler, Experiencer | SkyElite, Velorah |
| Creative / studio / art | Creator, Type 4, Experiencer | Prisma, VANGUARD |
| Nature / film / experiential | Explorer, high Openness | Organic Odyssey, Lithos |
| Finance / advisory / VC | Thinker, high C, Ruler | VEX |
| AI / dev tools | Sage, Type 5, I-RIASEC | SynapseX |
| Agency / bold brand | Hero, Rebel, Type 3 | VANGUARD |
Label inferences as hypothesis until validated. Pick 2–3 frameworks max per persona.
Output: Primary persona card (use template from persona-archetypes) plus optional secondary (20%) and anti-persona (10%). Include:
- Core tension (want vs fear)
- Decision style and trust signals
- Messaging tone, lead-with, avoid list
- CTA style for this audience
- UX & motion implications from persona-archetypes Design & Motion Mapping table
For multi-audience conflicts, prioritize primary (70%) and note secondary accommodations — do not design for "everyone."
Phase 4: Analyze Reference Sites
Read reference-site-analysis/SKILL.md. Find 3–5 high-signal sites serving this audience and extract UX patterns.
Key outputs:
- Sites validated by user reviews (4.5+ stars), market performance, or engagement
- Common patterns (section order, copy angles, visual strategies)
- Differentiation opportunities (where you can improve)
- Anti-patterns (what successful sites avoid)
Use for: Validating your architecture ideas against real-world success. See what sections, copy approaches, and visual styles actually resonate with your audience. Avoid cargo-culting; extract the why.
Phase 5: UX Process Design
Read ux-methodology-process/SKILL.md. Determine page architecture: which sections exist, why, and in what order.
Use laws that inform structure:
- Mental Model & Jakob's Law — does the section order match what users expect?
- Peak-End Rule — where's the emotional high-point? Where should it sit?
- Goal-Gradient Effect — does momentum build toward the CTA?
- Zeigarnik Effect — do users see progress toward completion?
- Miller's Law & Chunking — are sections grouped meaningfully? (aim for 5–7 main sections)
- Hick's Law — does each section present ≤5 choices, or use progressive disclosure?
- Serial Position Effect — is the first section your strongest value prop? Last section your clearest CTA?
Output: Finalized page architecture with section map showing order, purpose, and disclosure levels.
Journey map (brief):
- Arrival (Hero) — strongest value prop (Serial Position: first is remembered)
- Engagement — progressive disclosure, don't overwhelm (Paradox of Active User)
- Confidence (Peak) — emotional high-point (customer success, breakthrough moment)
- Consideration — address objections, show options (Hick's Law: limit to 3–5 variants)
- Closure (Final CTA) — clearest call-to-action (Serial Position: last is remembered)
Phase 6: UX Design Optimization
Read ux-methodology-design/SKILL.md. Optimize how to present the architecture from Phase 5.
Use laws that inform presentation:
- Von Restorff & Selective Attention — what's the primary CTA? Make it visually distinct.
- Fitts's Law — button sizing and placement; make CTAs easy to hit (40–48px minimum)
- Proximity, Similarity, Common Region — group related elements; use spacing, borders, color
- Cognitive Load & Working Memory — use progressive disclosure, bullets instead of paragraphs
- Doherty Threshold — interactions feel instant (<400ms) or show progress
- Aesthetic-Usability Effect — invest in polish (typography, color, imagery, spacing)
Output: Design rules for visual hierarchy, button styling, form feedback, interaction responsiveness, and overall polish. These inform the motion-web-design build.
Phase 7: Page Architecture & Copy Direction
Synthesize Phases 2–6 into final page structure and messaging direction. You now have:
- Research findings (pain points, language, objections)
- Persona (who they are, how they decide)
- Reference patterns (what works for this audience)
- Architecture (sections, order)
- Design rules (visual hierarchy, emphasis)
Now finalize:
- Exact section list and ordering
- Copy direction for each section
- Messaging tone and angles for A/B testing
Section planner:
| If primary action is… | Typical sections (adapt) |
|---|
| Book / contact | Hero → proof → how it works → FAQ/objections → CTA |
| Buy / sign up | Hero → outcome → social proof → pricing anchor → CTA |
| Explore / portfolio | Hero → statement → work/samples → about → contact |
| Trust / enterprise | Hero → logos/metrics → case study → security → demo CTA |
Copy direction (not final copy yet):
Use the Messaging Matrix from persona-archetypes/synthesis.md:
## Copy Direction
- **Headline angle:** [outcome-first / proof-first / identity-first — with rationale]
- **Subhead role:** [objection handler / outcome expander / credibility]
- **Primary CTA copy:** [specific action + risk reversal if needed]
- **Secondary CTA:** [lower commitment option for cold traffic]
- **Proof placement:** [what proof, where relative to CTA]
- **Tone:** [from persona card]
- **Avoid:** [anti-patterns from persona]
- **Nav labels:** [familiar, ≤5 items — Hick's Law]
Headline framework: Outcome-first beats feature-first (ab-testing Priority #1). Write 2–3 headline angles for A/B testing, not one final headline.
Objection map: Top 3 objections from persona → where on page each is addressed.
Phase 8: Visual & Motion Composition
Read motion-web-design/presets.md and modules/README.md.
Then run visual-identity/SKILL.md to lock the design language (brand keywords → typography → color tokens → motion vocabulary → texture → preset selection). This produces design-system.md, which is the required handoff artifact for motion-web-design.
Cross-reference persona → site mapping from persona-archetypes/synthesis.md:
| Audience signals | Preset base | Module overrides to consider |
|---|
| Sage, high C, low E | VEX, SynapseX | motion.subtle, video.raw or gradient |
| Lover, Experiencer, high O | Velorah, Organic Odyssey | motion.cinematic, typography.cinematic-serif |
| Ruler, Achiever, premium | SkyElite, VANGUARD | colors.light-premium or bold-agency type |
| Creator, high O, editorial | Prisma | sections.full-editorial |
| Explorer, experiential | Organic Odyssey, Lithos | interactions.cursor-spotlight |
Output selection with rationale:
## Visual Direction
- **Preset base:** [VEX | Velorah | SkyElite | ...] — from presets.md
- **Why:** [2 sentences linking persona psychology to preset choice]
- **Module overrides:** [list any modules that differ from preset — e.g. colors.accent, motion.heading_effect]
- **Page depth:** [hero-only | multi-section — ref sections module]
- **Signature interaction:** [interactions module ID or none]
If primary and secondary personas conflict visually, choose primary preset and note one module override for secondary (e.g., add sections with specs link).
Phase 9: Experiment Backlog
Read ab-testing/SKILL.md. Draft 3–5 pre-launch hypotheses ranked by PIE (Potential, Importance, Ease).
Prioritize per ab-testing evidence:
- Headline / value prop angles (not color tests)
- CTA copy + microcopy under button
- Social proof placement relative to hero CTA
- Friction points (form length, commitment level)
- Section order if multi-section
Use hypothesis template from ab-testing:
Because [persona insight / observation], we believe [change] will increase [metric] because [reason].
Persona-calibrated CTA tests:
| Persona | Test variant A | Test variant B |
|---|
| Sage / skeptical | "See how it works" | "Read the architecture" |
| Achiever / status | "Start winning" | "Join leaders who..." |
| Cold traffic | "See if we can help" | "Get a quote" |
| Premium service | "Book a consultation" | "Explore membership" |
Document as backlog — implementation comes after v1 launch unless user requests variant build.
Phase 10: Build Prompt Output
Synthesize Phases 1–9 into a single build prompt the agent (or user) runs with motion-web-design. This is the primary deliverable.
Use build-prompt-template.md for audience/content layers, then assemble module compose blocks from motion-web-design/compose-prompt.md. Start from the chosen preset in presets.md; paste overrides for any module that differs.
The prompt must be self-contained: a developer agent with only motion-web-design loaded can build without re-reading this skill.
After outputting the brief, ask:
I've produced the site brief and build prompt above. Should I proceed to build using the motion-web-design skill, or do you want to refine the audience/copy direction first?
If user said "build it" upfront, skip the confirmation and invoke motion-web-design immediately with the generated prompt.
Quality Gate
Before delivering the brief:
Anti-Patterns
- Design-first — picking VEX because it looks cool before defining audience
- Demographic-only — "millennials who like tech" without psychographics
- Framework soup — 6+ personality systems on one persona card
- Single headline — no test variants when goal is conversion
- UX law laundry list — citing 20 laws without actionable rules
- Ignoring traffic context — same page for cold ads and warm referrals without note
- Skipping build prompt — delivering analysis without handoff artifact
- Confusing archetypes — mixing human Jung archetypes with visual VEX/Velorah without mapping
Additional Resources
