Design Understand

Community

dev-ik

design-understand

Use when an existing screen, screenshot, or layout must be understood before UI changes, visual polish, or redesign. Skip backend maintenance and greenfield product direction without an existing surface.

Overview

Publisher	dev-ik
Repository	`ai-design-rules`
Skill name	`design-understand`
Stars	3
Forks	0
Bundled files	Instructions only
License	MIT
Links	Skill source Repository Homepage

Markdown instructions
A SKILL.md file the model loads on demand, so it only costs tokens when a request actually matches.
Works with any LLM
AI skills are plain Markdown, not provider-specific code, so this works with GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model.
Self-contained
Everything the model needs lives in the instructions — no extra files to sync.
Open source
Published by dev-ik on GitHub. Read the source before you install it.

Installation

Install the Design Understand AI skill in TypingMind to use it with any LLM, or drop it into another agent that reads SKILL.md.

Install in TypingMind

TypingMind installs a skill straight from its GitHub folder — it reads SKILL.md, bundles the resource files, and stores the result locally.

Open the app and go to Plugins → Skills.
Choose "Install from GitHub".
Paste the skill folder URL below and confirm.
https://github.com/dev-ik/ai-design-rules/tree/main/skills/design-understand
Enable the skill in any chat where you want it available.

Plugins → Skills → Add skill → From GitHub URL, then paste the folder URL and press Continue.

Install in another agent

Any agent that reads the Agent Skills format can use this skill — copy the folder into that agent's skills directory.

Claude Code — .claude/skills

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/dev-ik/ai-design-rules.git /tmp/ai-design-rules
mkdir -p .claude/skills
cp -r /tmp/ai-design-rules/skills/design-understand .claude/skills/design-understand

Restart Claude Code after copying so it picks up the new skill.

Use it in TypingMind

Enable Design Understand in any TypingMind chat and the model takes it from there. Its name and description sit in the system prompt, and the moment a request matches, the model loads the full instructions itself — you never invoke it by hand, and it costs no tokens until it is actually used.

The model loads Design Understand on its own as soon as a request matches it.

Works with any AI model

AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so Design Understand is not tied to the model it was written for. Install it once in TypingMind and use it with GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama, or a local model you run yourself — all on your own API keys.

Loaded only when it is needed
The system prompt carries just the name and description. The instructions are fetched on the first matching request, so an idle skill costs nothing.
Switch models mid-chat
Because the skill is instructions rather than code, changing model does not break it — the next model reads the same SKILL.md.

Skill instructions

This is the SKILL.md content the model loads. Read it before installing — a skill is instructions your model will follow.

Understand an Existing Screen

Identify what the user is trying to accomplish before choosing visual changes. For a new product without an existing screen, use product-designer instead.

Record the user's goal, primary action, secondary actions, core objects, and current state. Separate observed behavior from assumptions and questions that affect the change.
Retrieve task context with npx --no-install ai-design-context context --task "<matching phrase or known slug>" --intent implement. Read the returned research and rules; use --platform mobile for narrow or touch-first screens. Record unresolved knowledge needs instead of inventing rules.
Inspect the actual screen or supplied image with the available browser/image tools. Use source inspection to identify existing components, semantic tokens, and responsive conventions. A screenshot describes one state, not the entire interaction model.
Diagnose hierarchy, layout, typography, spacing, component consistency, and relevant default, loading, empty, error, success, and disabled states. Explain how competition for attention affects the primary task. Distinguish concrete friction from an unsupported preference about product feel.
Propose the smallest changes that serve the stated goal. Keep business logic and the existing stack. New visual directions require user intent and upstream references, not only taste.

Handoff

Return: screen and user goal | primary/secondary actions | observed strengths and problems | assumptions and missing states | ranked improvements with graph/reference evidence | affected components/tokens | verification plan. Rank up to three consequential problems when present; do not invent three defects to fill a quota.

Use visual-designer or interaction-designer for the selected change, reference-driven-design for requested new visual directions, and visual-qa after implementation. Preserve the evidence limits of all draft and seed graph objects.

Graph anchors: RULE-00001 / PRD-001 for the primary repeated action, RULE-00004 / IA-002 for object structure, RULE-00008 / VIS-001 for existing tokens, and CHECK-00001 for state and review coverage. Their source research remains the basis of design advice.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Design Understand AI skill do?

Why use Design Understand on TypingMind?

Because you install it once and use it with any model. Design Understand is plain Markdown rather than provider-specific code, so the same skill runs on GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Grok, or a local model — and you can switch model mid-chat without it breaking. TypingMind runs on your own API keys, so you pay providers directly instead of a per-seat subscription, and your skills and chats stay in your own storage.

How do I install Design Understand in TypingMind?

Open Plugins → Skills → Install from GitHub in TypingMind and paste https://github.com/dev-ik/ai-design-rules/tree/main/skills/design-understand. TypingMind reads its SKILL.md and installs it as a skill you can enable per chat.

Which AI models can use Design Understand?

Any model you connect in TypingMind. AI skills are plain Markdown instructions rather than provider-specific code, so GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and local models can all load this skill when a request matches it.

How many AI models can I use with Design Understand?

As many as you like. As long as a model supports skills, you can use Design Understand with it — GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Mistral, Llama and more — all on TypingMind with your own API keys.

Is the Design Understand AI skill free?

Yes. It is published on GitHub by dev-ik under the MIT license. You only pay your own AI provider for the tokens you use.

What are AI skills?

An AI skill is a reusable instruction bundle that teaches an AI model how to do one specific task. It follows the open Agent Skills format: a SKILL.md file with a name and description, plus any scripts, templates or reference files the model may need. The model reads the instructions only when your request matches the skill, so an installed skill costs nothing until it is used.

How are AI skills different from plugins or MCP servers?

A plugin or MCP server gives a model new tools to call — code that runs somewhere and returns a result. An AI skill gives the model knowledge and process instead: how to approach a task, which steps to follow, what good output looks like. Skills are plain Markdown, so they need no server, no API key and no runtime, and they work with any model.

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Overview

Installation

Install in TypingMind

Install in another agent

Use it in TypingMind

Works with any AI model

Skill instructions

Understand an Existing Screen

Handoff

Frequently asked questions

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