design

name	design
description	Research-driven feature design with implementation plan. Combines brainstorming and planning into one flow. Use when designing a new feature. Triggers on "design", "brainstorm", "plan a feature", "how should we build X".

Design: Research-Driven Feature Design

Research competitors → design the feature → create implementation plan → get approval.

Announce at start: "I'm using the design skill."

Workflow

┌───────────┐    ┌───────────┐    ┌───────────┐    ┌───────────┐
│ 1. Scope  │───▶│ 2. Research│───▶│ 3. Design │───▶│ 4. Plan   │
└───────────┘    └───────────┘    └───────────┘    └───────────┘

Step 1: Scope

Ask focused questions (max 3-4):

• What — Core capability
• Why — Problem it solves
• Where — ERP, MES, or Academy
• Who — Primary users

Classify domain for research:

Domain	Keywords	Competitors
Accounting	GL, AP, AR, invoicing	SAP, NetSuite
Manufacturing	Jobs, BOMs, routing	SAP, Epicor
MES	Tracking, scheduling	SAP, Manufacturo, First Resonance
CNC/Sheet Metal	Quoting, nesting	SAP, Fulcrum, Paperless Parts
Quality	Inspection, SPC, FAI	SAP, 1factory, HighQA
Inventory	Valuation, lots	SAP, NetSuite, Fishbowl

Step 2: Research

Invoke /research [feature] to survey competitors.

Save to llm/research/[feature].md.

Step 3: Design

With research in hand, design the feature:

3.1 Design Decisions

For each decision:

1. State the question
2. Reference research — "SAP and NetSuite both..."
3. Recommend approach

3.2 Write Spec

Save to docs/specs/[feature]-design.md:

# [Feature] Design

## Summary
[One paragraph]

## Research
Key findings from [llm/research/[feature].md]:
- [Pattern 1]
- [Pattern 2]

## Decisions

### [Decision 1]
**Question:** ...
**Industry:** ...
**Our Approach:** ...

## Data Model
[Tables, columns, relationships]

## Workflows
[User journeys, state transitions]

## Edge Cases
[Tricky stuff, informed by competitors]

Step 4: Plan

Create implementation plan in llm/tasks/[feature]-plan.md.

Load Conventions

Before writing tasks, load from llm/conventions/:

• database.md — Migrations, RLS, transactions
• forms.md — ValidatedForm, validators, actions
• services.md — Service function patterns
• ui.md — Components, polish

Task Structure

Each task is 2-5 minutes, one discrete action:

## Task 1: Create migration

**Files:**
- Create: `packages/database/supabase/migrations/20240115041739_add_thing.sql`

**Steps:**
1. Create migration following `llm/conventions/database.md`
2. Run: `npm run db:build`
3. Commit

Task Order

1. Database migrations
2. Types and validators
3. Service functions
4. Route handlers
5. UI components
6. Tests

Output

Artifact	Location
Research	llm/research/[feature].md
Design spec	docs/specs/[feature]-design.md
Implementation plan	llm/tasks/[feature]-plan.md

Approval Gate

Present spec and plan together. Wait for explicit approval before handing off to /execute.

When to Stop

• Feature is more complex than expected
• Research reveals conflicting patterns
• Need business input (not just technical)