Skill Router

Use this file to select the right skill for any UX, product design, or AI feature request. Read the trigger signals and route accordingly. Multiple skills can apply — when they do, note which to lead with.

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Quick-pick by trigger phrase

| If the user says… | Use this skill | |---|---| | "what research method should I use", "how do I study users", "qualitative vs quantitative" | ux-research-methods | | "create a persona", "define our users", "turn interviews into profiles" | ux-personas | | "create a journey map", "map the customer experience", "visualize a user flow" | journey-mapping | | "create an empathy map", "synthesize these interviews", "says/thinks/does/feels" | empathy-mapping | | "storyboard", "visualize a user scenario", "show how a user would use X" | ux-storyboard | | "prioritize features", "what should we build first", "rank the backlog", "impact vs effort" | feature-prioritization | | "review this UI", "heuristic audit", "is this good UX", "critique this design" | ux-heuristics-review | | "reduce friction", "why aren't users converting", "improve this flow", "simplify this" | cognitive-load-conversion | | "make this more engaging", "improve this CTA", "nudge users", "reduce drop-off" | persuasive-ux | | "design process", "where do I start", "discovery phase", "ideation", "validate solution" | double-diamond | | "users don't trust the AI", "keep users in control", "how do I show AI reasoning" | ai-governors | | "what should we call our AI", "AI avatar", "AI color", "AI personality", "brand identity for AI" | ai-identifiers | | "how should users prompt this", "add AI input", "what input pattern should I use" | ai-inputs | | "add a disclaimer", "watermark AI outputs", "user consent for recording", "label AI content" | ai-trust-builders | | "let users control the AI", "model switching", "prompt settings", "AI filters", "voice & tone" | ai-tuners | | "users don't know what to type", "blank slate", "example prompts", "AI onboarding" | ai-wayfinders |

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Decision tree by domain

Is the request about AI product design?

Does it involve…
├── How users first discover or get started with an AI feature?
│   └── → ai-wayfinders
│
├── How users direct, configure, or control AI output?
│   ├── Input mechanisms (text, templates, autofill, voice)? → ai-inputs
│   └── Configuration (models, filters, style, tone)?        → ai-tuners
│
├── Making AI feel safe, transparent, or trustworthy?
│   ├── Oversight, confirmation, undo, cost visibility?       → ai-governors
│   └── Caveats, consent, data ownership, disclosure, watermarks? → ai-trust-builders
│
└── Defining the visual/verbal identity of the AI?
    └── → ai-identifiers

Is the request about UX research or strategy?

Does it involve…
├── Choosing a research method or planning research?          → ux-research-methods
├── Creating user personas from research data?               → ux-personas
├── Mapping how users move through a product or service?
│   ├── Linear journey with emotions + pain points?          → journey-mapping
│   ├── Collaborative team artifact from interviews?         → empathy-mapping
│   └── Visual narrative / scenario illustration?            → ux-storyboard
└── Structuring a design project or sprint?                  → double-diamond

Is the request about improving an existing UI or flow?

Does it involve…
├── General heuristic audit or design critique?              → ux-heuristics-review
├── Reducing drop-off, simplifying forms, cutting friction?  → cognitive-load-conversion
└── Making users more likely to take an action or convert?   → persuasive-ux

Is the request about deciding what to build?

→ feature-prioritization

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Skill combinations that often go together

| Situation | Lead skill | Supporting skill | |---|---|---| | Designing a new AI product from scratch | double-diamond | ai-identifiers, ai-wayfinders | | Auditing an existing AI feature for trust | ai-governors | ai-trust-builders | | Improving onboarding to an AI feature | ai-wayfinders | cognitive-load-conversion | | Designing AI input/output interaction | ai-inputs | ai-tuners | | Turning interviews into design artifacts | ux-personas | empathy-mapping, journey-mapping | | Critiquing a live product flow | ux-heuristics-review | cognitive-load-conversion, persuasive-ux | | Deciding what to research or build next | ux-research-methods | feature-prioritization |

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Full skill index

| File | Skill name | One-line summary | |---|---|---| | ai-governors.md | ai-governors | Human-in-the-loop patterns: oversight, confirmation, cost, undo | | ai-identifiers.md | ai-identifiers | AI brand identity: name, avatar, color, iconography, personality | | ai-inputs.md | ai-inputs | 13 input patterns for directing AI (open, madlibs, autofill, voice…) | | ai-trust-builders.md | ai-trust-builders | 7 trust patterns: caveat, consent, disclosure, watermark, footprints… | | ai-tuners.md | ai-tuners | 9 tuner patterns: attachments, connectors, filters, modes, parameters… | | ai-wayfinders.md | ai-wayfinders | 8 onboarding patterns to reduce blank-slate anxiety | | cognitive-load-conversion.md | cognitive-load-conversion | Audit UI to cut extraneous load and improve conversion | | double-diamond.md | double-diamond | Guide teams through Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver | | empathy-mapping.md | empathy-mapping | Create Says/Thinks/Does/Feels maps from user research | | feature-prioritization.md | feature-prioritization | Rank features using a 2D weighted prioritization matrix | | journey-mapping.md | journey-mapping | Map user actions, thoughts, and emotions across a timeline | | persuasive-ux.md | persuasive-ux | Apply Fogg's 7 persuasive tools to increase engagement | | ux-heuristics-review.md | ux-heuristics-review | Critique UI against Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics | | ux-personas.md | ux-personas | Create research-grounded personas for product design | | ux-research-methods.md | ux-research-methods | Select the right research method for the question and stage | | ux-storyboard.md | ux-storyboard | Visualize user scenarios as panel-by-panel storyboards |