name	design
description	UI/UX design guidelines for interactions, animation, layout, accessibility, and visual design. Use when building UI components, designing user experiences, or implementing user-facing features.

Design System Guidelines

Name: design
Author: zoonk

Follow Apple, Linear, and Vercel as design inspirations. Ask yourself "How would Apple, Linear, or Vercel design this?"

When designing React components, also use the compound-components skill to build the components.

Interactions

MUST: Mobile <input> font-size >=16px or set:

<meta
  name="viewport"
  content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1, viewport-fit=cover"
/>

NEVER: Disable browser zoom
MUST: touch-action: manipulation to prevent double-tap zoom; set -webkit-tap-highlight-color to match design

MUST: Hydration-safe inputs (no lost focus/value)
NEVER: Block paste in <input>/<textarea>
MUST: Loading buttons show spinner and keep original label
MUST: Enter submits focused text input. In <textarea>, Cmd/Ctrl+Enter submits; Enter adds newline
MUST: Keep submit enabled until request starts; then disable, show spinner, use idempotency key
MUST: Don't block typing; accept free text and validate after
MUST: Allow submitting incomplete forms to surface validation
MUST: Errors inline next to fields; on submit, focus first error
MUST: autocomplete + meaningful name; correct type and inputmode
SHOULD: Disable spellcheck for emails/codes/usernames
SHOULD: Placeholders end with ellipsis and show example pattern (eg, +1 (123) 456-7890, sk-012345...)
MUST: Warn on unsaved changes before navigation
MUST: Compatible with password managers & 2FA; allow pasting one-time codes
MUST: Trim values to handle text expansion trailing spaces
MUST: No dead zones on checkboxes/radios; label+control share one generous hit target

MUST: URL reflects state (deep-link filters/tabs/pagination/expanded panels). Prefer libs like nuqs
MUST: Back/Forward restores scroll
MUST: Links are links--use <a>/<Link> for navigation (support Cmd/Ctrl/middle-click)

SHOULD: Optimistic UI; reconcile on response; on failure show error and rollback or offer Undo
MUST: Confirm destructive actions or provide Undo window
MUST: Use polite aria-live for toasts/inline validation
SHOULD: Ellipsis (...) for options that open follow-ups (eg, "Rename...")

MUST: Design forgiving interactions (generous targets, clear affordances; avoid finickiness)
MUST: Delay first tooltip in a group; subsequent peers no delay
MUST: Intentional overscroll-behavior: contain in modals/drawers
MUST: During drag, disable text selection and set inert on dragged element/containers
MUST: No "dead-looking" interactive zones--if it looks clickable, it is

SHOULD: Autofocus on desktop when there's a single primary input; rarely on mobile (to avoid layout shift)

MUST: Honor prefers-reduced-motion (provide reduced variant)
SHOULD: Prefer CSS > Web Animations API > JS libraries
MUST: Animate compositor-friendly props (transform, opacity); avoid layout/repaint props (top/left/width/height)
SHOULD: Animate only to clarify cause/effect or add deliberate delight
SHOULD: Choose easing to match the change (size/distance/trigger)
MUST: Animations are interruptible and input-driven (avoid autoplay)
MUST: Correct transform-origin (motion starts where it "physically" should)

SHOULD: Optical alignment; adjust by +/-1px when perception beats geometry
MUST: Deliberate alignment to grid/baseline/edges/optical centers--no accidental placement
SHOULD: Balance icon/text lockups (stroke/weight/size/spacing/color)
MUST: Verify mobile, laptop, ultra-wide (simulate ultra-wide at 50% zoom)
MUST: Respect safe areas (use env(safe-area-inset-*))
MUST: Avoid unwanted scrollbars; fix overflows

SHOULD: Inline help first; tooltips last resort
MUST: Skeletons mirror final content to avoid layout shift
MUST: <title> matches current context
MUST: No dead ends; always offer next step/recovery
MUST: Design empty/sparse/dense/error states
SHOULD: Curly quotes (" "); avoid widows/orphans
MUST: Tabular numbers for comparisons (font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums or a monospace font)
MUST: Redundant status cues (not color-only); icons have text labels
MUST: Don't ship the schema--visuals may omit labels but accessible names still exist
MUST: Use the ellipsis character ... (not ..)
MUST: scroll-margin-top on headings for anchored links; include a "Skip to content" link; hierarchical <h1-h6>
MUST: Resilient to user-generated content (short/avg/very long)
MUST: Locale-aware dates/times/numbers/currency
MUST: Accurate names (aria-label), decorative elements aria-hidden, verify in the Accessibility Tree
MUST: Icon-only buttons have descriptive aria-label
MUST: Prefer native semantics (button, a, label, table) before ARIA
SHOULD: Right-clicking the nav logo surfaces brand assets
MUST: Use non-breaking spaces to glue terms: 10 MB, Cmd + K, Vercel SDK