gui-blueprint

Generates versioned ASCII GUI blueprint documents through structured user interviews.

1|Updated Aug 15, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/AlrikOlson/think-and-ship --skill gui-blueprint-alrikolson
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: gui-blueprint
Source: https://github.com/AlrikOlson/think-and-ship/tree/main/crates/think-and-ship/skills/gui-blueprint
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/AlrikOlson/think-and-ship --skill gui-blueprint-alrikolson

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Teams often jump straight into visual design or component implementation without agreeing on an app's structural composition, resulting in GUIs that merely redraw the incumbent layout or promise interactions the domain cannot support. This Skill runs an interview-driven concept session that grounds the design in the real domain model and produces a versioned ASCII blueprint document before any visual work begins. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Domain grounding: Builds a cheap object inventory (objects, verbs, invariants, hero objects) from code, docs, or the interview itself before sketching anything. - Structured interview loop: Batched question rounds covering primary verb, user type, feel appetite, and reference apps, with side-by-side ASCII wireframe previews for paradigm selection. - Three-paradigm divergence: Sketches exactly three structurally distinct concepts from metaphor families (document, spatial, process, instrument, game/bench, conversation), banning the incumbent composition. - Versioned blueprint document: Writes a UX-BLUEPRINT.md with screens, object-to-component contract, structural invariants, honest costs, and rejected directions, refined until explicit acceptance. - Use Case: Before building a new dashboard, run the skill to compare a process-pipeline layout against an instrument-panel layout with real domain objects labeled, then accept a v1 blueprint that constrains all later design work. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to run /gui-blueprint to sketch the structural blueprint for your app's primary GUI through a short interview.

Frequently Asked Questions about gui-blueprint

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I sketch a GUI structure before visual design?▼

Run the /gui-blueprint command to start an interview-driven session. It grounds the design in your domain model, presents three structurally distinct paradigm concepts as ASCII wireframes, and synthesizes your choices into a versioned blueprint document.

What does the GUI blueprint document contain?▼

The document includes an interview record, a design thesis, ASCII wireframes of major screens, an object-to-component contract, structurally enforced invariants, honest cost analysis, and rejected directions. It is versioned and marked accepted only after user approval.

Can I use this for a project with no existing GUI?▼

Yes. For greenfield projects it skips the incumbent diagnosis and bans the genre default instead, grounding the blueprint in the domain model and intended users. If no domain model exists, it builds the object inventory from interview answers.

Does this skill produce visual designs or design tokens?▼

No. It produces structure only: ASCII wireframes showing object placement, composition, and navigation shape. Colors, typography, tokens, and component implementation are explicitly out of scope and deferred to a later design-language phase.

What happens if I reject all three proposed paradigms?▼

The skill treats rejection as a new constraint and re-diverges once with fresh concepts. If refinement rounds fail to converge after three iterations, it asks you to describe the screen you imagine and sketches that directly.