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ScinoScino/fstack/skills/principle-exhaust-the-design-space/SKILL.md

principle-exhaust-the-design-space

Skill18 starsChanged 54 days agoMITView on GitHub

Apply when facing a novel UI interaction or architectural decision with no precedent in the codebase. Build 2-3 competing prototypes and compare side by side before committing.

44 other projects use a version of this, 42 of them edited.

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Projects with it also use principle-explain-the-number, setup-pstack and 10 more.

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The file

We split this skill into the rules it gives an agent

2 rules. 2 are common, 0 are distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.

  • 2

    Common

    Most of the 31 edited versions we read keep these.

  • 0

    Distinctive

    This author's own choices. Worth a look.

  • 0

    Very specific

    Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

  • Common
  • Distinctive
  • Very specific
  1. Common:

    When a novel interaction or architectural decision has no established precedent, explore several concrete alternatives before …

    line 10
  2. Common:

    The rule: When the right answer is not obvious, build 2-3 competing prototypes or sketches.

    line 12

“Common” is measured: kept by at least 6 in 10 of the 31 edited versions of this file we could read. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.
Files
SKILL.md

Exhaust the Design Space

When a novel interaction or architectural decision has no established precedent, explore several concrete alternatives before implementation. Building the wrong thing costs more than exploring three options.

The rule. When the right answer is not obvious, build 2-3 competing prototypes or sketches. Compare them side by side. Only then commit. Design it twice is this rule by another name. A second flavor of the first shape does not count.

When it applies:

  • Novel UI interactions (no prior art in the codebase)
  • Architectural choices with multiple viable approaches
  • Product design decisions where user experience depends on feel, not logic

When it doesn't:

  • Mechanical implementation where the pattern is established
  • Bug fixes or refactors with a clear target state
  • Changes where constraints dictate a single viable approach

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