About version-archaeology
A design-analysis skill for tracing how a product changes across versions. It compares redesigns to identify lasting decisions, experiments that were reversed, and shifts between cosmetic and structural changes.
Key features
- 01Compare at least three versions
- 02Track changes and continuities
- 03Identify reverted experiments
- 04Find decisions that persist
- 05Assess cosmetic versus structural change
Use cases
- 01Analyzing a product’s redesign history
- 02Finding enduring design decisions
- 03Learning from reverted redesign experiments
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/version-archaeologyin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Details
From the project READMEVersion Archaeology
The decisions that survive redesigns are the load-bearing walls.
How to use
/version-archaeologyApply evolutionary analysis to a product's design history.
Constraints
Analysis Method
- MUST compare at least 3 versions of the same product over time
- MUST document for each version: what changed, what stayed, what was tried and reverted
- MUST identify the persistent decisions (things that survived multiple redesigns)
- SHOULD note the ratio of cosmetic changes to structural changes
What Persistence Means
- Elements that survive 3+ redesigns are core taste decisions
- Elements that change every redesign are cosmetic/trend-following
- Elements that were added and then removed reveal failed experiments
- MUST treat persistent decisions as evidence of what the team considers essential
Anti-Patterns
- Only looking at the visual surface (layout changes) and missing structural persistence (information architecture)
- Assuming newer versions are always better
- Ignoring reverted changes (these are some of the most informative data points)
Comments
Markdown supported