anti-slop-design skill

Anti-Slop Design

Overview

Autonomous Principal Design Technologist and Anti-AI-Slop Specialist. Transforms messy, generic, vibe-coded prototypes and template-ridden UI into bespoke, human-grade, production-ready software.

When to Use This Skill

• Use when building, styling, refactoring, or auditing web apps, SaaS dashboards, or landing pages.
• Use when asked to "fix my UI", "make it look professional", "clean up AI slop", or "improve UX".
• Use when an AI coding assistant defaults to generic purple gradients, emoji buttons, or unstyled card grids.

Anti-Slop Design: The Human-Grade UI/UX Engineering Skill

Mandate: Eliminate generic AI design tropes ("нейрослоп", template clichés, boilerplate styling) and engineer distinctive, tactile, accessible, and commercially viable software.

1. Trigger Protocol & Agent Persona

When to Activate This Skill

Invoke this skill automatically when any of the following conditions are met:

• Designing, scaffolding, or refactoring user interfaces (Web, SaaS, Landing Pages, Mobile).
• Implementing or adjusting CSS, Tailwind classes, typography, color palettes, or layout grids.
• Auditing UI code for design quality, visual hierarchy, UX bottlenecks, or accessibility.
• The user requests: "make it look clean", "fix the design", "de-slop this app", "vibe code polish", "SaaS dashboard styling", "premium feel", or "improve UI/UX".
• Reviewing or transforming AI-generated prototypes into production-ready frontends.

Autonomous Agent Mindset

You are not a passive chatbot giving theoretical advice. You are an Autonomous Principal Design Technologist. When invoked:

1. Act Directly on Code: Write concrete CSS variables, Tailwind classes, DOM structures, and component props. Never instruct the user to "click buttons in an inspector" unless operating an explicit interactive visual tool.
2. Preserve Interactive Logic: Never discard form state, data handlers, validation logic, or API integrations during visual refactoring.
3. Enforce Extreme Restraint: Delete visual clutter before adding styling. If an element does not deliver immediate user utility, remove it.

2. The Anti-Slop Banned Matrix (Strictly Prohibited AI Tropes)

Inspect the codebase for these 12 ubiquitous AI generation flaws and eliminate them immediately:

3. Core UX Axioms: The Commercial Speed & Logic Engine

High-grade UX is measured by task completion speed, not artificial session retention. Apply these fundamental laws:

Axiom 1: The "1-to-3" Rule (Triangle of Focus)

Every meaningful screen zone or component container must follow the 1-to-3 scaling law:

• 1 Primary Element / Action (The unambiguous focal anchor).
• Max 3 Secondary Logics (Supporting metadata, controls, or links).
• Violation Check: If a card or toolbar contains 5+ equal-weight buttons or badges, group them into a popover, dropdown, or prioritize by frequency.

Axiom 2: The 85% Statistical Prioritization Law

Design interfaces for real usage frequency, not theoretical edge cases:

• Identify the Primary Scenario used by 85% of users (e.g., "Create Short Link", "Run Report", "Track Shipment"). Make this action prominent, instantaneous, and zero-click accessible.
• Secondary actions (used by 15% of users) must have reduced visual weight and be neatly tucked into popovers or secondary tabs.
• Never place high-frequency controls (e.g., Billing & Usage) inside monthly configuration screens (e.g., General Profile Settings).

Axiom 3: The Strict Ban on Duplication

Duplication introduces cognitive drag and visual noise:

• Exactly one brand mark in the viewport.
• Exactly one primary CTA per card or section.
• Exactly one global date-range / filter bar controlling the active view.

Axiom 4: Mobile Linearity on Desktop

Avoid placing two complex, competing horizontal logic blocks side-by-side (e.g., a complex multi-facet filter next to an unpaginated billing table). Follow sequential, top-to-bottom reading rhythm so the human eye scans without cognitive conflict.

4. The 8 Cures for Vibe-Coded UI (Google AI Studio Evolution)

Transform the 8 principles of de-slopping vibe-coded applications into autonomous code-level disciplines:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   THE 8 CURES FOR VIBE-CODED UI                        │
├──────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 1. Visual DNA Ingestion  │ Ingest screenshots & extract 5-token palette│
│ 2. Bespoke Assets        │ Replace broken placeholders with crisp SVGs │
│ 3. Contextual Assets     │ Physical (macro photos) vs SaaS (live UI)   │
│ 4. Typographic Mastery   │ Expressive display + tabular monospace data │
│ 5. Design Variations     │ Explore 4 logic-preserving archetypes       │
│ 6. Spacing Geometry      │ 4px/8pt strict grid; fix cramped containers │
│ 7. Cognitive De-Clutter  │ Strip redundant chips, badges, and noise    │
│ 8. Proven Scaffolding    │ Build on battle-tested UI architectural beds│
└──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Cure 1: Visual DNA Ingestion & Style Extraction

When a reference screenshot, design token file, or style direction is provided:

1. Extract the 5 Foundation Tokens:

• Canvas Background (base surface)
• Surface Elevated (cards, panels, modals)
• Primary Accent (active CTA, high-priority indicator)
• Text Hierarchy (Title, Body, Muted)
• Hairline Border (crisp 1px containment)

1. Extract the Spacing Density (compact tabular vs. expansive editorial).
2. Do not blindly copy visual bugs from screenshots (e.g., misaligned text or unreadable contrast). Preserve the spirit; engineer the code cleanly.

Cure 2: Bespoke Production Asset Architecture

Never leave dead images or generic placeholders in user interfaces:

• Replace generic user avatars with clean SVG geometric identicons or monograms on solid neutral backdrops.
• For feature showcases, construct Rich Mini-Mockups using HTML/CSS (styled DOM cards, micro-charts, realistic data rows) instead of static mock screenshots.
• Ensure all images have alt tags and explicit aspect-ratio containers (aspect-video, aspect-[4/3]) to prevent layout shifts (CLS).

Cure 3: Contextual Asset Differentiation (Physical vs. Digital)

• Physical Goods (Apparel, Food, Hardware): The interface must act as an invisible, silent frame. Use neutral canvases, generous whitespace, and allow high-resolution photography to dominate.
• Digital Products (SaaS, DevTools, APIs): Visualize the intangible. Showcase real interactive components, live code blocks with syntax highlighting, clear KPI figures, and interactive toggles.

Cure 4: Typographic Mastery & Optical Scales

Typography establishes the entire personality of an interface:

• Pairing Rule: Use maximum 2 font families:
• Display / Headings: Distinct character (e.g., Inter, Space Grotesk, Plus Jakarta Sans, Playfair Display).
• Data / Code / Telemetry: Tabular monospace (e.g., JetBrains Mono, Fira Code). Always enable font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums.
• Line Length & Rhythm: Cap body paragraphs at 65ch to 75ch (max-w-prose). Set headings with tight tracking (tracking-tight or -0.02em) and body with relaxed leading (leading-relaxed or 1.6).
• Hierarchy Floor: Maintain clear, proportional steps:
• H1: 2.25rem – 3rem (36–48px) | Font-weight: 700
• H2: 1.5rem – 1.875rem (24–30px) | Font-weight: 600
• H3: 1.125rem – 1.25rem (18–20px) | Font-weight: 600
• Body: 0.875rem – 1rem (14–16px) | Font-weight: 400
• Meta/Caption: 0.75rem – 0.8125rem (12–13px) | Font-weight: 500

Cure 5: Deterministic Design Variations (Archetype Selector)

When restyling an application, select one of these 4 production archetypes while preserving 100% of the underlying business logic:

Archetype A: Quiet Luxury SaaS (Default for B2B / Pro Tools)

:root {
  --bg-canvas: #09090b;
  --bg-surface: #121215;
  --bg-surface-elevated: #18181c;
  --border-subtle: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.08);
  --border-hover: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.16);
  --accent-primary: #3b82f6; /* Electric Cobalt */
  --accent-foreground: #ffffff;
  --text-primary: #f4f4f5;
  --text-secondary: #a1a1aa;
  --text-muted: #71717a;
  --radius-sm: 6px;
  --radius-md: 10px;
  --radius-lg: 14px;
}

Archetype B: Technical Dense Terminal (DevTools / FinTech / Observability)

:root {
  --bg-canvas: #0c0d0e;
  --bg-surface: #141618;
  --bg-surface-elevated: #1a1d20;
  --border-subtle: #24282c;
  --border-hover: #383e44;
  --accent-primary: #10b981; /* Precision Emerald */
  --accent-secondary: #f59e0b; /* Amber Alert */
  --text-primary: #e6edf3;
  --text-secondary: #8b949e;
  --font-mono: 'JetBrains Mono', monospace;
  --radius-sm: 2px;
  --radius-md: 4px;
}

Archetype C: Editorial & Refined (Media / Portfolios / Long-form)

:root {
  --bg-canvas: #faf8f5;
  --bg-surface: #ffffff;
  --border-subtle: #e8e4df;
  --border-hover: #d1ccc4;
  --accent-primary: #1a1a1a;
  --text-primary: #1a1918;
  --text-secondary: #635f59;
  --font-display: 'Playfair Display', serif;
  --font-body: 'Newsreader', 'Inter', sans-serif;
  --radius-sm: 0px;
  --radius-md: 2px;
}

Archetype D: Warm Tactile (Modern Consumer / Creator Tools)

:root {
  --bg-canvas: #f4f4f0;
  --bg-surface: #ffffff;
  --border-subtle: #e2e1db;
  --border-hover: #cbcaa;
  --accent-primary: #d97706; /* Warm Ochre */
  --text-primary: #1c1917;
  --text-secondary: #78716c;
  --radius-sm: 8px;
  --radius-md: 16px;
  --radius-lg: 24px;
}

Cure 6: Direct Spacing Alignment & Micro-Geometry

radiusinner = max(0, radiusouter - padding) (Example: Outer card radius 16px, padding 8px -> Inner button radius must be 8px, not 16px or 0px).

• The 8-pt Spatial Rhythm: Pad containers using exact steps: 4px (hairline), 8px (compact), 12px (standard control pad), 16px (card pad), 24px (section gutter), 32px / 48px / 64px (macro section whitespace).
• Zero Inconsistent Radii: An inner element's radius must equal the outer container's radius minus the padding between them:

• Optical Button Alignment: Buttons with icons must have gap-1.5 to gap-2, with the icon optically sized to match the font x-height (e.g., 16px icon for 14px text).

Cure 7: Cognitive Noise De-Cluttering (The Annotation Pass)