User Interface Wiki - Project Standards

Version 1.0.0
January 2026

Note:
This document is for agents and LLMs to follow when maintaining, generating,
or refactoring code in this repository. Humans may also find it useful, but
guidance here is optimized for automation and consistency by AI-assisted workflows.

Abstract

Standards and conventions for the User Interface Wiki, a Next.js documentation site focused on UI/UX design principles. Contains guidelines for components, styling, content, and code organization to ensure consistency and maintainability.

Table of Contents

1. Project Overview
2. Naming Conventions
3. File Structure
4. Component Standards
5. CSS Standards
6. Content Standards
7. TypeScript Standards
8. Animation Standards
9. Accessibility Standards
10. Performance Standards
11. External Skills

1. Project Overview

Tech Stack

Key Directories

/app           → Next.js pages and routes
/components    → Reusable UI components
/content       → MDX articles and demos
/icons         → SVG icon components
/lib           → Utilities, types, and stores
/public        → Static assets
/skills        → AI skill definitions (SKILL.md files)
/styles        → Global CSS and theme

2. Naming Conventions

All names use kebab-case throughout the project.

Incorrect:

.buttonPrimary { }
.NavItem { }
.button_primary { }

Correct:

.button-primary { }
.nav-item { }

Exception: React component function names use PascalCase (e.g., function Button()).

3. File Structure

Component Structure

Each component lives in its own directory with colocated files:

components/
  button/
    index.tsx          # Component implementation
    styles.module.css  # Scoped styles

Rules:

• Export components from index.tsx using named exports
• Colocate CSS modules with components
• Use index.ts barrel files only for multi-file exports (e.g., hooks)

Incorrect:

// button.tsx - wrong filename
export default function Button() { ... }

Correct:

// index.tsx
export function Button() { ... }

Content Structure

MDX content lives in /content/ with demos colocated:

content/
  12-principles-of-animation/
    index.mdx           # Article content
    demos/
      index.ts          # Demo barrel export
      squash-stretch/
        index.tsx
        styles.module.css

Rules:

• Each article is a directory with index.mdx
• Demos are colocated in demos/ subdirectory
• Export all demos from demos/index.ts

4. Component Standards

Component Definition

Use function declarations with explicit prop interfaces:

Incorrect:

const Button = (props: any) => { ... }

Correct:

interface ButtonProps {
  variant?: "primary" | "secondary" | "ghost" | "text";
  size?: "small" | "medium" | "large";
  children: ReactNode;
}

function Button({ variant = "primary", size = "medium", children }: ButtonProps) {
  return (
    <button className={clsx(styles.button, styles[variant], styles[size])}>
      {children}
    </button>
  );
}

export { Button };

Client Components

Add "use client" directive only when necessary:

When to use "use client":

• Using React hooks (useState, useEffect, etc.)
• Using browser APIs (window, localStorage, etc.)
• Using event handlers
• Using motion/animation libraries

Incorrect:

"use client"; // Unnecessary - no client features used

function StaticCard({ title }: { title: string }) {
  return <div>{title}</div>;
}

Props Pattern

Use data attributes for variants instead of multiple className conditionals:

Correct:

function Callout({ type = "info", children }: CalloutProps) {
  return (
    <div className={styles.callout} data-variant={type}>
      {children}
    </div>
  );
}

.callout[data-variant="info"] {
  background: var(--blue-a3);
}

.callout[data-variant="error"] {
  background: var(--red-a3);
}

Motion Components

Use motion.create() for Base UI components:

Correct:

import { Button as BaseButton } from "@base-ui/react/button";
import { motion } from "motion/react";

const MotionBaseButton = motion.create(BaseButton);

function Button(props: ButtonProps) {
  return (
    <MotionBaseButton
      whileTap={{ scale: 0.98 }}
      {...props}
    />
  );
}

5. CSS Standards

CSS Modules

All component styles use CSS Modules with .module.css extension:

Rules:

• Use kebab-case for all class names
• Leverage CSS custom properties from theme
• Use clsx for conditional class composition

Incorrect:

/* Hardcoded values */
.button {
  background: #333;
  font-size: 14px;
}

Correct:

/* Using theme variables */
.button {
  background: var(--gray-12);
  font-size: 14px;
  font-weight: var(--font-weight-medium);
  letter-spacing: var(--font-letter-spacing-14px);
}

Theme Variables

Use variables from /styles/styles.theme.css:

Sizing Convention

Use consistent size scales:

.small {
  height: 28px;
  padding: 5px 8px;
  font-size: 13px;
}

.medium {
  height: 32px;
  padding: 6px 12px;
  font-size: 14px;
}

.large {
  height: 40px;
  padding: 8px 16px;
  font-size: 15px;
}

Transitions

Use consistent transition timing:

.element {
  transition:
    color 0.2s ease,
    background-color 0.2s ease,
    transform 0.18s ease;
}

6. Content Standards

MDX Frontmatter

Every MDX article requires frontmatter:

---
title: "Article Title"
description: "Brief description for SEO and previews"
date: "2025-04-08"
tags: ["tag1", "tag2"]
author: "raphael-salaja"
icon: "code"
---

MDX Components

Import demos from colocated directory:

import { DemoComponent } from "./demos";

<Figure>
  <DemoComponent />
  <Caption>Description of the demo</Caption>
</Figure>

Figure Pattern

Wrap demos in <Figure> with optional <Caption>:

Correct:

<Figure>
  <InteractiveDemo />
  <Caption>Caption text with optional footnote[^1]</Caption>
</Figure>

Playground Demos

Playground demos use Sandpack and must be self-contained (no @/components imports).

Button Labels for Boolean Toggles:

For buttons that toggle boolean state, use "Toggle" as the label instead of swapping between two words.

Incorrect:

<Button onClick={() => setIsVisible(!isVisible)}>
  {isVisible ? "Hide" : "Show"}
</Button>

Correct:

<Button onClick={() => setIsVisible(!isVisible)}>Toggle</Button>

Inline Components:

Playground demos must define Button and Controls inline since they can't import from the main codebase:

function Button({ children, onClick }: { children: React.ReactNode; onClick: () => void }) {
  return <button className={styles.button} onClick={onClick}>{children}</button>;
}

function Controls({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return <div className={styles.controls}>{children}</div>;
}

Skills

The /skills/ directory contains a unified skill following the Vercel agent-skills pattern:

skills/
  SKILL.md              # Compact quick-reference (one-liner per rule)
  AGENTS.md             # Full compiled doc with all rules expanded
  metadata.json         # Version, author, abstract, references
  rules/
    _sections.md        # Category definitions + ordering
    _template.md        # Template for adding new rules
    timing-under-300ms.md
    spring-for-gestures.md
    ...                 # 89 individual rule files

To add a new rule, copy rules/_template.md, fill in the frontmatter, and add the rule ID to SKILL.md and AGENTS.md.

7. TypeScript Standards

Type Definitions

Define types in component files or /lib/types.ts:

Component-specific types:

// In component file
interface ButtonProps {
  variant?: "primary" | "secondary";
}

Shared types:

// In /lib/types.ts
export interface Author {
  name: string;
  avatar: string;
}

Import Conventions

Use path aliases from tsconfig.json:

Incorrect:

import { Button } from "../../../components/button";

Correct:

import { Button } from "@/components/button";

Strict Typing

Avoid any type. Use specific types or unknown:

Incorrect:

function process(data: any) { ... }

Correct:

function process(data: unknown) {
  if (isValidData(data)) { ... }
}

8. Animation Standards

Motion Library Usage

Use motion/react for animations:

import { motion } from "motion/react";

<motion.div
  initial={{ opacity: 0 }}
  animate={{ opacity: 1 }}
  exit={{ opacity: 0 }}
/>

Timing Guidelines

Never exceed 300ms for user-initiated actions.

Easing Functions

Use appropriate easing:

Active States

Apply scale transform on interaction:

.button:active {
  transform: scale(0.98);
}

9. Accessibility Standards

Semantic HTML

Use appropriate semantic elements:

Incorrect:

<div onClick={handleClick}>Click me</div>

Correct:

<button onClick={handleClick}>Click me</button>

ARIA Attributes

Add ARIA attributes when semantic HTML is insufficient:

<div role="tablist" aria-label="Content tabs">
  <button role="tab" aria-selected={isActive}>Tab 1</button>
</div>

Focus Management

Ensure visible focus states:

.button:focus-visible {
  outline: 2px solid var(--gray-12);
  outline-offset: 2px;
}

Motion Preferences

Respect reduced motion preferences:

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .animated {
    animation: none;
    transition: none;
  }
}

Skip Links

Include skip-to-content link in layout:

<a href="#main-content" className="skip-to-content">
  Skip to content
</a>

10. Performance Standards

Image Optimization

Use Next.js Image component:

import Image from "next/image";

<Image
  src="/content/image.jpg"
  alt="Descriptive alt text"
  width={640}
  height={360}
/>

Dynamic Imports

Lazy-load heavy components:

import dynamic from "next/dynamic";

const HeavyComponent = dynamic(
  () => import("./heavy-component").then(m => m.HeavyComponent),
  { ssr: false }
);

Bundle Size

Avoid barrel imports for large libraries:

Incorrect:

import { motion, AnimatePresence } from "motion/react";

Correct (if tree-shaking fails):

import { motion } from "motion/react";
import { AnimatePresence } from "motion/react";

Server Components

Default to Server Components. Only add "use client" when needed.

Code Review Checklist

Before submitting changes, verify:

• All names use kebab-case (files, directories, CSS classes)
• Components use named exports from index.tsx
• CSS uses theme variables, not hardcoded values
• TypeScript types are explicit, no any
• Imports use @/ path aliases
• MDX has complete frontmatter
• Animations respect prefers-reduced-motion
• Interactive elements are keyboard accessible
• "use client" is only used when necessary
• No linter errors (run npm run lint)

External Skills

This project follows additional guidelines from Vercel's agent-skills repository. Fetch and apply these when working on the codebase:

React Best Practices

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/main/skills/react-best-practices/SKILL.md

Covers performance optimization, bundle size, server-side rendering, re-render optimization, and advanced React patterns. Apply when writing or refactoring React components.

Web Design Guidelines

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md

Covers UI/UX best practices, accessibility, and design compliance. Apply when reviewing UI code, checking accessibility, or auditing design.

References

1. Next.js Documentation
2. React Documentation
3. Motion Documentation
4. Biome Documentation
5. Vercel React Best Practices
6. Vercel Web Design Guidelines