designer

name	designer
description	UX design and business analysis skills: user journey mapping, requirements gathering, UX principles, business rules. Use when: designing user experiences, gathering requirements, defining business logic.

Designer Skills

Core Competencies

1. User Journey Mapping

Best Practices:

• Focus on one persona and one journey at a time
• Use real data (interviews, analytics, support logs) not assumptions
• Map 4-6 key stages (Awareness → Consideration → Decision → Use → Retention → Advocacy)
• Include actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points at each stage
• Identify "moments of truth" (critical touchpoints)

Journey Map Structure:

Stage	User Goal	Actions	Touchpoints	Emotions	Pain Points	Opportunities
...	...	...	...	...	...	...

Common Mistakes:

• Mapping based on assumptions (not real data)
• Focusing only on happy paths (ignore error flows)
• Too much detail (keep it readable)
• Keeping maps static (update as product changes)

2. Requirements Gathering

Best Practices:

• Start with user needs, not features
• Use "Jobs to be Done" framework
• Document use cases (main flow + alternate flows + error flows)
• Define acceptance criteria for each requirement
• Identify edge cases early

Use Case Structure:

• Main Flow:

  1. User action 1
  2. System response 1
  3. User action 2
  4. System response 2 ...

• Alternate Flows:

  • What if user cancels?
  • What if data is invalid?
  • What if system is unavailable?

• Error Flows:

  • What happens on failure?
  • How do we recover?
  • What error messages do we show?

3. Business Rules & Validations

Best Practices:

• Document all business rules explicitly
• Separate business rules from technical implementation
• Define validation rules clearly
• Consider permissions and access control
• Document exceptions and edge cases

Business Rules Template:

• Rule ID: [unique identifier]
• Description: [what the rule does]
• When: [when it applies]
• Who: [who it applies to]
• Exceptions: [any exceptions]
• Examples: [concrete examples]

Validation Rules:

• Required fields
• Format constraints (email, phone, etc.)
• Range constraints (min/max values)
• Business constraints (e.g., "can't publish without cover image")

4. UX Design Principles

Best Practices:

• Design for the user, not for yourself
• Keep it simple (reduce cognitive load)
• Provide clear feedback (loading, success, error states)
• Make errors recoverable
• Follow platform conventions

UI States to Consider:

• Loading: Show progress, don't leave users guessing
• Empty: Helpful message, suggest actions
• Error: Clear error message, recovery path
• Success: Confirmation, next steps

Accessibility:

• Keyboard navigation
• Screen reader support
• Color contrast
• Focus indicators

5. Prototyping & Wireframing

Best Practices:

• Start with low-fidelity (sketches, wireframes)
• Test early and often
• Use real content (not lorem ipsum)
• Consider all states (loading, empty, error, success)
• Test with real users

Prototype Checklist:

• All screens/states exist
• Navigation flows work
• Error states handled
• Loading states shown
• Empty states have helpful messages
• Success states confirm actions

Output Quality Checklist

When producing artifacts, ensure:

• ✅ Journey map based on real data (not assumptions)
• ✅ Use cases include main + alternate + error flows
• ✅ Business rules explicitly documented
• ✅ Validation rules defined
• ✅ UI states considered (loading, empty, error, success)
• ✅ Edge cases identified
• ✅ Acceptance criteria clear

Common Pitfalls

• Assumption-based design: Not validating with real users
• Happy path only: Ignoring error and edge cases
• Feature-first: Starting with features instead of user needs
• Missing states: Forgetting loading/empty/error states
• Over-complication: Adding unnecessary features