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Designing Beautiful Websites
Core philosophy: Make the next action obvious. Build from user goals upward. Systemise visuals. Validate early.
Why this exists
Websites fail when they look “nice” but:
- don’t match user goals,
- hide key actions,
- require too much thinking,
- or are visually inconsistent.
This skill turns vague requests like “make it look better” into a repeatable workflow that produces:
- clear structure,
- usable interactions,
- and a cohesive visual system.
What “done” looks like
Deliverables should be usable by builders (engineers, no-code builders, future agents):
- Design brief : users, goals, constraints, success metrics.
- IA + flows : sitemap (or nav model), and 1–3 key user journeys.
- Layout + wireframes : responsive page structure, component inventory.
- Visual system : tokens (type, spacing, colour, radius, shadow), and usage rules.
- Component specs : states, behaviour, empty/loading/error.
- QA notes : accessibility, responsiveness, edge cases.
If time is limited, prioritise: clarity + hierarchy + consistency + accessibility.
Quick start workflow
Copy this checklist into the working notes and tick it off:
- 0. Inputs : goal, audience, content, constraints, brand signals.
- 1. Strategy : user goals + business goals + success metrics.
- 2. Scope : pages/features/content; prioritise “key paths”.
- 3. Structure : IA + navigation model + flows.
- 4. Skeleton : wireframes + component inventory + responsive layout.
- 5. Surface : visual system + page comps + states.
- 6. Validate : usability pass + accessibility pass + consistency pass.
- 7. Hand-off : tokens + component specs + implementation notes.
Default rule: do not jump to surface polish until structure and skeleton are believable.
Non‑negotiables
1) Reduce thinking
Design so users rarely wonder:
- “Where am I?”
- “What do I do next?”
- “Is that clickable?”
- “Why did they call it that?”
Prefer obvious over clever.
2) Use conventions aggressively
Use familiar patterns unless there is a measured reason to deviate. Unusual UI is a tax on every user interaction.
3) Clear visual hierarchy
Every screen must answer (at a glance):
- what this page is,
- what the primary action is,
- where the navigation is,
- what is secondary.
4) Grouping must be unambiguous
If spacing is doing grouping work:
- there must be more space around groups than within groups.
5) Feedback and forgiveness
Users should:
- see results of actions quickly,
- understand system status,
- and recover via undo/back/cancel where possible.
Prefer preventing errors over scolding users.
6) Accessibility is part of “beautiful”
Good aesthetics survive:
- keyboard-only use,
- low vision,
- colour‑blindness,
- small screens,
- slow networks.
Default outputs format
When responding, produce:
- Design brief (bullets)
- IA + key flows (bullets + simple diagrams if useful)
- Component inventory (table or list)
- Design tokens (CSS variables or JSON)
- Page-level guidance (for each page/section)
- States & edge cases
- Implementation notes (HTML structure, CSS approach, ARIA, etc.)
If the user asked for a critique/audit, output:
- issues (grouped by severity),
- fixes,
- and a “next iteration plan”.
The workflow in practice
Step 0 — Gather inputs (fast)
Ask only what’s needed; otherwise assume and state assumptions.
Minimum questions:
- Primary user : who is this for?
- Primary goal : what must they do?
- Business goal : what does success look like?
- Content : what is real copy/data?
- Brand signals : existing colours/logo/type/voice?
- Constraints : tech stack, deadline, accessibility level.
If inputs are missing, create a working brief with explicit assumptions.
Step 1 — Strategy (align intent)
Produce:
- primary + secondary user goals,
- business objectives,
- success metrics,
- constraints/risk.
Step 2 — Scope (decide what exists)
Define:
- pages/screens,
- features,
- content requirements,
- and what is out of scope.
Pick 1–3 key paths (the journeys that matter most). Optimise these first.
Step 3 — Structure (make it findable)
Create:
- sitemap / nav model (global + local nav),
- page purpose statements,
- user flows for key paths.
Rule: navigation labels should be self‑evident; avoid internal jargon.
Step 4 — Skeleton (arrange the UI)
Create:
- wireframes per page,
- component inventory,
- layout constraints (container widths, grids, spacing rhythm),
- and priority order per breakpoint.
Rule: start with the feature/content , not the “app shell”.
Step 5 — Surface (make it beautiful)
Build a consistent system:
- spacing + sizing scale,
- typography scale,
- colour palette + shades,
- radius + border rules,
- elevation/shadow scale,
- icon + illustration style,
- motion rules (optional).
Apply to page comps.
Step 6 — Validate (fast loops)
Run these checks:
- Glance test (5–10 seconds): can someone tell what this is and what to do?
- Key‑path walkthrough: can a first‑time user complete the main task?
- Consistency pass: are tokens respected? is hierarchy consistent?
- Accessibility pass: contrast, focus states, semantics, error messaging.
Step 7 — Hand-off (make it buildable)
Provide:
- tokens,
- component specs (states + spacing + behaviour),
- responsive rules,
- and edge cases.
Default starter system
Use this system unless the project already has one.
Spacing & sizing scale (px)
Use a non-linear scale so choices are easy: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96, 128
Rules:
- pick from the scale; avoid “one-off” numbers.
- for grouping: inside-group spacing < between-group spacing.
Typography scale (px)
Keep it tight: 6–8 sizes is enough.
Suggested:
12 caption14 small/body-secondary16 body20 subheading24 h330 h240 h1/hero
Rules:
- default body line-height ~
1.5–1.7.
- limit line length for reading (~45–80 characters).
- use weight/colour/spacing before adding new sizes.
Colour system
- define neutrals (backgrounds + text), one primary, and semantic accents.
- define shades up front (e.g., 100–900), don’t generate ad-hoc lightens/darkens.
- “Grey” can be warm or cool; keep a consistent temperature.
Contrast rules:
- normal text target: ≥ 4.5:1
- large text target: ≥ 3:1
Elevation / shadow system
Use 3–5 shadow levels that map to meaning:
- 1: buttons/cards (subtle)
- 2: popovers/menus
- 3: sticky headers
- 4: modals
- 5: high priority overlays
Borders
Prefer:
- spacing,
- subtle shadows,
- or small background changes over heavy borders.
Empty states
Empty states are a first impression. They must:
- explain what’s empty,
- why it matters,
- and what to do next.
Progressive disclosure
Use these reference files when deeper detail is needed:
Quick search
If running locally:
grep -i "empty state\|hierarchy\|spacing" -n references/*.md
THE EXACT PROMPT — UX/UI plan
You are designing a website UI/UX.
1) Write a crisp design brief (users, goals, constraints, success metrics).
2) Define information architecture + navigation model.
3) Identify 1–3 key user paths; write step-by-step flows.
4) Produce a component inventory for the key pages.
5) Propose a design token system (spacing, type, colour, radius, shadow) with rules.
6) Describe page layouts (mobile-first) and key interactions.
7) List empty/loading/error states and edge cases.
8) Run a usability + accessibility + consistency pass; revise.
Output must be specific and implementable.
Avoid vague advice.
THE EXACT PROMPT — Visual polish pass
Review this UI for visual quality.
- Fix hierarchy (what is primary vs secondary vs tertiary?)
- Fix spacing (grouping clarity; rhythm; alignment)
- Fix typography (scale, weights, line height, line length)
- Fix colour (contrast, palette consistency, accent usage)
- Fix depth (shadows/borders; focus on meaning)
- Improve empty states and microcopy
Return:
1) a list of concrete changes
2) updated tokens (if needed)
3) before/after descriptions of the most important screens.
THE EXACT PROMPT — Usability “glance test”
Pretend you have 10 seconds to look at this page.
Answer:
- What is this page?
- Who is it for?
- What are the top 3 things I can do here?
- What is the primary action?
- Where is the navigation?
Then list everything that created a question mark, and propose fixes.
THE EXACT PROMPT — Component spec (single component)
Write a build-ready spec for this component.
Include:
- Purpose + when to use
- Anatomy (parts)
- Variants
- States: default/hover/focus/active/disabled/loading/error/success/empty
- Behaviour rules (keyboard + mouse + touch)
- Spacing + typography + colour tokens used
- Accessibility notes (ARIA if needed)
- Edge cases (long text, missing data, localisation)
Keep it concise but unambiguous.
THE EXACT PROMPT — Accessibility pass
Review this design for accessibility.
Check:
- text contrast (normal and large text)
- keyboard navigation and focus visibility
- semantic element choices (button vs link vs div)
- form labelling and error announcement
- motion and reduced-motion behaviour
Return:
1) issues grouped by severity
2) concrete fixes (design + implementation)
3) any token changes needed (colours, focus styles)
THE EXACT PROMPT — Responsive pass
Define responsive behaviour for this page/component.
For each breakpoint (small phone, large phone, tablet, desktop):
- layout (stack/columns)
- what becomes primary vs secondary
- how text wraps/truncates
- how tables, toolbars, and secondary actions adapt
Then list edge cases (long text, empty, error) and how they render.
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Feb 1, 2026
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