cognitive-design

# Cognitive Design Principles

## Table of Contents

- [Read This First](#read-this-first)
- [How to Use This Skill](#how-to-use-this-skill)
- [Workflows](#workflows)
  - [New Design Workflow](#new-design-workflow)
  - [Design Review Workflow](#design-review-workflow)
  - [Quick Validation Workflow](#quick-validation-workflow)
- [Path Selection Menu](#path-selection-menu)
  - [Path 1: Understand Cognitive Foundations](#path-1-understand-cognitive-foundations)
  - [Path 2: Apply Design Frameworks](#path-2-apply-design-frameworks)
  - [Path 3: Evaluate Existing Designs](#path-3-evaluate-existing-designs)
  - [Path 4: Get Domain-Specific Guidance](#path-4-get-domain-specific-guidance)
  - [Path 5: Avoid Common Mistakes](#path-5-avoid-common-mistakes)
  - [Path 6: Access Quick Reference](#path-6-access-quick-reference)
  - [Path 7: Exit](#path-7-exit)

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## Read This First

### What This Skill Does

This skill helps you create **cognitively aligned designs** - visual interfaces, data visualizations, educational content, and presentations that work with (not against) human perception, attention, memory, and decision-making.

**Core principle:** Effective design aligns with how people think, not just how things look.

### Why Cognitive Design Matters

**Common problems this addresses:**
- Users miss critical information in dashboards
- Complex interfaces cause cognitive overload and abandonment
- Data visualizations are misinterpreted or misleading
- Educational materials aren't retained
- Form completion rates are low
- Error messages are confusing

**How this helps:**
- Ground design decisions in cognitive psychology research
- Apply systematic frameworks (Cognitive Design Pyramid, Design Feedback Loop, Three-Layer Model)
- Evaluate designs against objective cognitive criteria
- Choose appropriate visual encodings based on perceptual hierarchy
- Manage attention, memory limits, and cognitive load

### When to Use This Skill

**Use this skill when:**
- ✓ Designing new