| name | design-shotgun |
| description | Rapid design-variant exploration for Codex. Use when the user wants multiple UI directions, visual options, or a faster feedback loop on taste. |
Design Shotgun
Use this skill when the user wants to see several substantially different design directions before committing to one.
This port is adapted from garrytan/gstack at commit 4d2c8d94d00cc4f4f3d4c26316a4f939ceedc045.
Workflow
- Capture the product surface, constraints, and non-negotiables.
- Load
PRODUCT.md, DESIGN.md, or equivalent context plus the existing design system.
- Produce 4-6 meaningfully different directions, not tiny variations.
- For each direction, name:
- the thesis
- the visual mood
- the main tradeoff
- If Impeccable live mode is already installed and the user wants interactive web variants, use it through
design-quality. Keep its runtime and source-rewrite machinery external.
- Otherwise generate or assemble visual variants with the available visual tools; use structured descriptions only when visual generation is unavailable.
- Apply a squint test for hierarchy and a product-context test for distinctiveness.
- Narrow based on the user's reaction and iterate.
Guardrails
- Do not waste cycles on superficial color swaps.
- Keep each direction distinct enough that the user can develop taste preferences.
- Stay anchored to the product goal rather than free-associating visually.
- Never install or enable Impeccable implicitly.
Outputs
Always include:
- the set of design directions
- what makes each one distinct
- recommended favorite and why
- what feedback to collect next
- visual evidence and runtime path used
