Claude Design System 🎨

Building an app without a design system is like trying to cook a five-star meal by throwing random ingredients together and hoping something pops out the other side.

The brutal truth: Professional designs are make-or-break for user retention. Amateur UIs kill even great products.

This toolkit transforms your random design attempts into systematic professional UIs using proven patterns from apps that actually work.

The Problem Most Developers Face

❌ Your UIs look amateur despite solid code ❌ Users don't stick because the design feels unprofessional ❌ You copy random designs without understanding why they work ❌ No design system leads to inconsistent, confusing interfaces

Complete 4-Step Workflow

Step 1: Setup Your Project

npm install claude-design-system
npx claude-design-system

This creates:

• /inspiration folder for your reference images
• /generated folder for AI-created files
• /.claude/commands with all design commands
• DESIGN-SYSTEM.md with instructions

Step 2: Mine Inspiration (Like Pros Do)

Add 5-10 screenshots from successful apps to /inspiration folder:

• Focus on feeling over features (Airbnb's warmth, Stripe's trust)
• Mix different verticals for unique combinations (social + productivity + finance)
• Group similar apps: airbnb-1.png, airbnb-2.png, notion-1.png

Step 3: Extract Design Psychology

/extract-it "I'm building a fitness app for busy professionals. I want users to feel motivated and organized. I like Airbnb's warm welcoming feeling and Notion's clean organized interface."

What it does: AI analyzes your images and creates /generated/competitor-analysis.md with:

• 🎨 Color palettes from each app group
• 📝 Typography systems and why they work
• 🔲 Component patterns and user psychology
• 🧠 Design principles wrapped in <pondering> tags

Step 4A: Expand the Analysis (Optional)

/expand-it

When to use: You want deeper understanding of design philosophy What it does: Reads competitor analysis and adds:

• Philosophy sections - Core design beliefs and emotional targets
• How To Leverage - Actionable implementation guidance
• Appends to /generated/competitor-analysis.md (doesn't create new file)

Step 4B: Merge with Your App (Recommended)

/merge-it "We're building a social fitness app for Gen Z users who want to stay motivated through community challenges"

When to use: You want a unified design system adapted for your specific app What it does:

• Combines insights from competitor analysis
• Adapts colors, typography, components for YOUR app concept
• Creates /generated/styles.md - your custom style guide

Step 5: Generate UI Components

/design-it "onboarding welcome screen"
/design-it "empty state when user has no workouts"
/design-it "upgrade paywall with social proof"

What you get: 3 professional variations of each screen:

• ✅ Production-ready React + Tailwind components
• ✅ Following your established design system
• ✅ Multiple states (loading, error, success)
• ✅ Accessibility and mobile-first design

Why This System Works

Instead of randomly copying designs, you're:

1. Borrowing patterns from apps users already love
2. Understanding psychology of why certain designs work
3. Adapting systematically for your specific users and app
4. Generating consistently across all your screens

Command Reference

| Command | When To Use | What It Creates | |---------|-------------|----------------| | /extract-it "app description" | After adding inspiration images | /generated/competitor-analysis.md | | /expand-it | Want deeper design philosophy | Appends to /generated/competitor-analysis.md | | /merge-it "specific app concept" | Ready to create unified system | /generated/styles.md | | /design-it "screen description" | Need actual UI components | React components in /generated/screens/ |

Typical Workflows

Quick Start (Minimum):

1. Add images → /extract-it → /design-it

Professional (Recommended):

1. Add images → /extract-it → /merge-it → /design-it

Deep Understanding:

1. Add images → /extract-it → /expand-it → /merge-it → /design-it

Example: Real Results

Before: Generic login screen that users bounce from After: 3 professional variations using patterns from Airbnb (trust) + Stripe (simplicity)

Before: Confusing empty states that leave users stuck After: Inspiring empty states that guide users to their next action

Before: Inconsistent components across your app After: Cohesive design system that feels professionally crafted

Perfect For

✅ Developers who code well but design poorly ✅ Solo founders building MVPs without design resources ✅ Teams who need consistent UI patterns fast ✅ Anyone who wants users to actually stick around

The Bottom Line

Your product deserves professional design. Users judge quality in seconds, not minutes.

Stop hoping random design attempts work. Start using proven patterns systematically.

Ready to build UIs that make users stick?

npm install claude-design-system 🚀