About design-rationale
design-rationale is a conversation skill for explaining design decisions with a structured argument. It ties choices to user behavior or business goals and prepares for objections, tradeoffs, and fallback positions.
Key features
- 01Structure rationale in four parts
- 02Connect choices to user or business goals
- 03Anticipate likely objections
- 04Explain tradeoffs and prepare a fallback
- 05Avoid appeals to authority or aesthetics
Use cases
- 01Explain why a design option was chosen
- 02Address team objections to a design tradeoff
- 03Prepare an alternative position for a design decision
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/design-rationalein Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEDesign Rationale
Convince the room with structure, not feelings.
How to use
/design-rationaleApply rationale constraints to defend design decisions in this conversation.
Constraints
Rationale Structure
- MUST include all four elements in one paragraph:
- What you chose
- What you didn't choose (and why)
- What principle guided the decision
- What outcome you expect
- MUST connect to user behavior or business goals, not aesthetic preference
- NEVER defend a design decision with "it feels right" or "it looks better"
Anticipate Objections
- MUST address the most likely pushback before it's raised
- SHOULD acknowledge what's lost by this choice (the tradeoff)
- MUST have a fallback position if the primary argument doesn't land
Anti-Patterns
- Defending decisions by appealing to authority ("Apple does it this way")
- Using data as a shield without explaining the logic ("our A/B test showed...")
- Getting defensive when challenged instead of engaging with the objection
- Over-explaining simple decisions (not every choice needs a thesis)
Comments
Markdown supported