Design Brief Workflow
Follow this workflow to create a strategic Design Brief that empowers designers to do their best work. This document moves beyond "requirements gathering" to define the core problems, the emotional goals, and the creative constraints.
1. Context & Setup
- Alignment: Consider all relevant details about the product or project you have access to.
- Visual Baseline: If a Figma link is provided and Figma MCP is set up, analyze it before writing.
- The Core Tension: Before writing, identify the central conflict. Why is this hard? (e.g., "We need to show complex data without overwhelming the user.")
2. Create the Design Brief
Create a file briefs/[name]-brief.md in the project root. Create the briefs/ directory if it doesn't exist.
Writing Guidelines (unless instructed otherwise):
- Use spare, direct, and powerful writing style.
- Keep sentences under 15 words without losing impact.
- Cut adjectives and adverbs unless removing them changes the meaning.
- Tone: Professional, inspiring, precise. Write as a Senior Product Partner.
Brief Structure
The Problem
Articulate the core issue using this formula:
"I am [customer]. I am trying to [outcome/job]. But [problem/barrier] because [root cause] which makes me feel [emotion]."
Fill in all brackets with specifics. The emotion is crucial — it grounds the design in empathy.
Goals & Success Criteria
Define what success looks like. Pair every goal with a measurable success criterion.
| Goal | Success Criteria |
|---|---|
| [What we want to achieve] | [How we'll measure it] |
Example:
| Goal | Success Criteria |
|---|---|
| Reduce time to find order status | < 5 minutes per lookup |
| Increase user confidence | NPS score > 40 |
Anti-Goals
What are we explicitly NOT building? Protect scope by listing features or approaches that are out of bounds.
- Not building [X] — that's Phase 2.
- Not replacing [Y] system.
Job Stories & Personas
Who: Describe the target persona with context (e.g., "The Overworked Workshop Manager who juggles 50+ orders daily").
Job Stories: Use this format:
"When [situation], I want to [motivation], so that [outcome]."
The Narrative Journey
Describe the user flows as short stories. Focus on:
- What the user wants to achieve
- How they feel at each step
- Key decision points and outcomes
Output as a multi-level list. Avoid describing specific UI elements — focus on intent and emotion.
Edge Cases
Consider non-ideal states the design must handle:
- Empty State: First-time use or no data?
- Loading State: Initial load vs. data refresh?
- Error State: Partial failure vs. total crash?
- Partial State: Minimal data available?
- Offline State: What happens without connectivity?
Open Questions
List anything that needs clarification from stakeholders before design can proceed.
- [Question about scope, requirements, or constraints]
- [Ambiguity that could affect the design direction]
- [Technical or business question that needs an answer]
3. Review: The Pre-Mortem
- Ask: "If this design fails, why would it fail?"
- Check: Does this brief solve the "Core Tension"?
- Verify: Are all Open Questions documented?