design-debate

Design Debate

Good design decisions come from tension, not consensus. When agents converge too quickly, they optimise for agreement instead of the best answer. This skill creates productive conflict — agents argue for competing directions with real trade-offs, and the user decides.

When to Use

• When the design-strategist identifies multiple viable directions
• When the design-lead proposes a visual direction and alternatives exist
• When the user says "I'm not sure which way to go" or "what are my options?"
• When the design-critic recommends "rethink" — a debate can surface the better path
• When a decision has significant downstream consequences (navigation pattern, layout model, interaction paradigm)
• When the user explicitly asks for a debate: "debate this", "argue both sides", "what are the trade-offs?"

Do Not Use When

• The decision is trivial (icon choice, exact padding value)
• Accessibility requirements dictate the answer — there is nothing to debate
• The user has already made up their mind — respect their direction
• The brief clearly specifies the approach — follow it

Process

Step 1: Frame the Question

Define the design question precisely. A debate without a clear question produces noise.

Format:

DESIGN QUESTION: [Specific, answerable question]
CONTEXT: [Brief context from design-state.md]
CONSTRAINTS: [Non-negotiable requirements from brief, accessibility, taste profile]
STAKES: [Why this decision matters — what it affects downstream]

Example:

DESIGN QUESTION: Should the onboarding flow use a multi-step wizard or a single scrollable page?
CONTEXT: App for first-time pet owners, ages 25-45. Primary persona has mild anxiety about "doing it right."
CONSTRAINTS: Must be completable in under 3 minutes. Must work on mobile. Must not require account creation upfront.
STAKES: Sets the interaction pattern for all future multi-step flows in the app.

Step 2: Assign Advocates

Select 2-3 agents to argue for different directions. Each agent argues FOR their assigned position — they are advocates, not neutral analysts.