Design exploration

Explore a UI problem by generating several distinct design variants, putting them side by side, and collecting structured feedback to iterate. Use when a feature has a visual shape the user hasn't seen yet and a single design would be a guess.

How

1. Brief — state the page/feature, the users, and the one thing the design must communicate first (the hierarchy goal). No brief, no variants.
2. Generate N variants (3-5) that differ in a meaningful structural way — layout, hierarchy, or visual language — not just color swap. Different angles on the problem.
3. Compare — put them in a visible comparison (grid / separate views with the same scale reference).
4. Collect structured feedback — per variant, on the same axes: does the primary action land first? Is the content scannable? Does the tone match the product? Not "I like A".
5. Iterate — combine the strongest elements or go a level deeper on the favorite, then re-present. Stop when a variant satisfies the brief, not at a fixed count.

Rules

• Variants must be comparable (same content, same browser scale) or the comparison is meaningless.
• Feedback is captured as observations about the brief's hierarchy goal, never as a mood vote.
• If the user asked for one design, don't shotgun — that's a different task. Only invoke when options are actually wanted.