Design Intelligence

Tool Selection

Two primary AI design tools for frontend teams:

When to Use Claude Design

• You need designs that match your existing codebase and design system
• Iterative refinement through conversation ("make the CTA more prominent")
• Generating presentations and visual prototypes alongside code
• Your team uses Claude for everything already

When to Use Google Stitch

• Generating entire multi-screen flows from a single prompt (up to 5 screens)
• Rapid exploration with model selection (Gemini Pro for quality, Flash for speed)
• You need exports in frameworks beyond React (Vue, Angular, Flutter, SwiftUI)
• Free access with no usage caps

Design System Generation Workflow

Step 1: Define Design Tokens

Generate a complete token set from your brand identity:

:root {
  /* Color Tokens */
  --color-primary-50:  #eff6ff;
  --color-primary-100: #dbeafe;
  --color-primary-500: #3b82f6;
  --color-primary-600: #2563eb;
  --color-primary-700: #1d4ed8;
  --color-primary-900: #1e3a5f;

  --color-accent-400:  #fbbf24;
  --color-accent-500:  #f59e0b;

  --color-neutral-50:  #fafafa;
  --color-neutral-100: #f5f5f5;
  --color-neutral-200: #e5e5e5;
  --color-neutral-500: #737373;
  --color-neutral-800: #262626;
  --color-neutral-900: #171717;

  --color-success: #22c55e;
  --color-warning: #f59e0b;
  --color-error:   #ef4444;
  --color-info:    #3b82f6;

  /* Typography Tokens */
  --font-display: 'Space Grotesk', sans-serif;
  --font-body:    'Inter', sans-serif;
  --font-mono:    'JetBrains Mono', monospace;

  /* Spacing Scale (8px grid) */
  --space-1:  0.25rem;   /* 4px  */
  --space-2:  0.5rem;    /* 8px  */
  --space-3:  0.75rem;   /* 12px */
  --space-4:  1rem;      /* 16px */
  --space-6:  1.5rem;    /* 24px */
  --space-8:  2rem;      /* 32px */
  --space-12: 3rem;      /* 48px */
  --space-16: 4rem;      /* 64px */
  --space-24: 6rem;      /* 96px */

  /* Border Radius */
  --radius-sm:   0.25rem;
  --radius-md:   0.5rem;
  --radius-lg:   0.75rem;
  --radius-xl:   1rem;
  --radius-full: 9999px;

  /* Shadows */
  --shadow-sm:  0 1px 2px 0 rgb(0 0 0 / 0.05);
  --shadow-md:  0 4px 6px -1px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
  --shadow-lg:  0 10px 15px -3px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
  --shadow-xl:  0 20px 25px -5px rgb(0 0 0 / 0.1);
}

Step 2: Analyze Product + Audience

Before designing, determine:

Step 3: Select Style Direction

Match the aesthetic to the product:

Component Design Patterns

Card Component

function ProductCard({ product }: { product: Product }) {
  return (
    <article className="group relative overflow-hidden rounded-xl border bg-white shadow-sm transition-all hover:shadow-lg hover:-translate-y-1">
      <div className="aspect-[4/3] overflow-hidden">
        <img
          src={product.image}
          alt={product.name}
          className="h-full w-full object-cover transition-transform duration-300 group-hover:scale-105"
          loading="lazy"
        />
      </div>
      <div className="p-4 space-y-2">
        <span className="text-xs font-medium uppercase tracking-wider text-primary-600">
          {product.category}
        </span>
        <h3 className="font-display text-lg font-semibold leading-tight">
          {product.name}
        </h3>
        <p className="text-sm text-neutral-600 line-clamp-2">
          {product.description}
        </p>
        <div className="flex items-center justify-between pt-2">
          <span className="text-lg font-bold">${product.price}</span>
          <button className="rounded-lg bg-primary-600 px-4 py-2 text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-primary-700 focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-primary-500 focus-visible:ring-offset-2">
            Add to Cart
          </button>
        </div>
      </div>
    </article>
  );
}

Dashboard Layout

function DashboardLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <div className="flex h-screen bg-neutral-50">
      {/* Sidebar */}
      <aside className="hidden w-64 flex-shrink-0 border-r bg-white lg:block">
        <nav className="flex h-full flex-col gap-1 p-4">
          {/* Nav items */}
        </nav>
      </aside>

      {/* Main content */}
      <main className="flex-1 overflow-auto">
        <header className="sticky top-0 z-10 flex h-16 items-center border-b bg-white/80 backdrop-blur px-6">
          {/* Top bar */}
        </header>
        <div className="p-6">
          {children}
        </div>
      </main>
    </div>
  );
}

Pre-Delivery Design QA Checklist

• Contrast ratio: All text meets 4.5:1 (AA) minimum
• Touch targets: All interactive elements 44x44px minimum on mobile
• Responsive breakpoints: Tested at 375, 768, 1024, 1440px
• Focus indicators: Visible ring on every focusable element
• Hover states: Every button, card, and link has hover feedback
• Loading states: Skeleton screens matching content shape
• Empty states: Helpful message with illustration and CTA
• Error states: Clear message, retry action, supportive tone
• Dark mode: Proper color token inversion if supported
• Motion: prefers-reduced-motion media query respected
• Typography hierarchy: Clear visual distinction between h1/h2/h3/body/caption
• Spacing consistency: All values from the spacing scale, no magic numbers

Integration with Other Skills

• frontend-design: Aesthetic direction, typography, micro-interactions
• css-architecture: Implementation with Tailwind/CSS Modules
• accessibility: Contrast, focus, ARIA for design components
• react-patterns: Component structure for design system components