UI Design Patterns

Pre-Flight: Check Design Context

Before generating any UI code, check if the user has an active Figma file or design system context:

1. Use getdesigncontext to retrieve any existing design tokens, color palettes, or component specs.
2. If a Figma URL is provided, pull metadata and screenshots to match the design precisely.
3. If no design context exists, proceed with the opinionated defaults below.

1. Component Design Principles (Atomic Design)

Build UI in layers. Never start with a full page — start with the smallest pieces.

Hierarchy

1. Tokens — colors, spacing, radii, shadows, typography scale
2. Atoms — button, input, badge, avatar, icon
3. Molecules — search bar (input + button), form field (label + input + error), card header (avatar + name + timestamp)
4. Organisms — navigation bar, hero section, comment thread, pricing table
5. Templates — page layouts composed of organisms
6. Pages — templates with real data

Rules

• Every component gets its own set of CSS custom properties scoped to its root.
• Prefer composition over configuration. A Card with children beats a Card with 15 props.
• Components should be stateless by default. Lift state up.

/* Token layer */
:root {
  --color-primary: oklch(65% 0.25 265);
  --color-surface: oklch(98% 0.005 265);
  --radius-md: 0.75rem;
  --shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.05);
  --space-1: 0.25rem;
  --space-2: 0.5rem;
  --space-3: 0.75rem;
  --space-4: 1rem;
  --space-6: 1.5rem;
  --space-8: 2rem;
}

2. Visual Hierarchy Framework

Control where the eye goes. Rank every element by importance and apply these levers:

The Squint Test

Blur your eyes or zoom out to 25%. If you can still identify the primary action and main heading, your hierarchy works.

Tailwind Implementation

<!-- High emphasis -->
<h1 class="text-4xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-gray-950">
  Ship faster with AI
</h1>

<!-- Medium emphasis -->
<p class="mt-4 text-lg text-gray-600 max-w-2xl">
  Build production-ready components in minutes, not hours.
</p>

<!-- Low emphasis -->
<span class="text-xs text-gray-400 uppercase tracking-wide">
  Updated 2 hours ago
</span>

3. Interactive States

Every interactive element needs all five states. No exceptions.

State Definitions

.btn-primary {
  /* Default */
  background: var(--color-primary);
  color: white;
  border-radius: var(--radius-md);
  padding: var(--space-2) var(--space-4);
  font-weight: 600;
  transition: all 150ms ease;

  /* Hover — subtle lift or brightness shift */
  &:hover {
    filter: brightness(1.1);
    box-shadow: 0 4px 12px oklch(0% 0 0 / 0.15);
    transform: translateY(-1px);
  }

  /* Active — pressed feel */
  &:active {
    transform: translateY(0);
    filter: brightness(0.95);
    box-shadow: var(--shadow-sm);
  }

  /* Focus — visible ring for keyboard users */
  &:focus-visible {
    outline: 2px solid var(--color-primary);
    outline-offset: 2px;
  }

  /* Disabled — desaturated, no pointer */
  &:disabled {
    opacity: 0.5;
    cursor: not-allowed;
    pointer-events: none;
  }
}

Tailwind Shorthand

<button class="bg-indigo-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded-lg font-semibold
  hover:bg-indigo-500 hover:-translate-y-0.5 hover:shadow-lg
  active:translate-y-0 active:bg-indigo-700
  focus-visible:outline-2 focus-visible:outline-offset-2 focus-visible:outline-indigo-600
  disabled:opacity-50 disabled:cursor-not-allowed
  transition-all duration-150">
  Click me
</button>

4. Feedback Patterns

Loading States

• Skeleton screens over spinners. Show the shape of content that's coming.
• Use animate-pulse on placeholder blocks.
• Show loading inline near the action that triggered it.

<!-- Skeleton card -->
<div class="animate-pulse space-y-3">
  <div class="h-48 bg-gray-200 rounded-xl"></div>
  <div class="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-3/4"></div>
  <div class="h-4 bg-gray-200 rounded w-1/2"></div>
</div>

Success State

• Green accent, checkmark icon, brief confirmation text.
• Auto-dismiss after 3–5 seconds.

Error State

• Red accent, descriptive message, recovery action.
• Never just say "Error." Say what went wrong and what to do.

Empty State

• Illustration or icon, explanation, primary action to fix it.

<div class="text-center py-16">
  <svg class="mx-auto h-12 w-12 text-gray-400"><!-- inbox icon --></svg>
  <h3 class="mt-4 text-lg font-semibold text-gray-900">No messages yet</h3>
  <p class="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-500">Start a conversation to see messages here.</p>
  <button class="mt-6 bg-indigo-600 text-white px-4 py-2 rounded-lg">
    New message
  </button>
</div>

5. Navigation Patterns

Sidebar Navigation

• Width: 240–280px desktop, collapsible to 64px (icon-only).
• Group items by category with subtle section headers.
• Active item: filled background, bold text, left accent bar.

Top Navigation

• Fixed/sticky at top. Height: 56–64px.
• Logo left, nav links center or left, actions right.
• Mobile: collapse to hamburger at md breakpoint.

Tabs

• Use for switching views within the same context.
• Active tab: bottom border (2–3px) in primary color + bold text.
• Never more than 7 tabs. Use dropdown overflow for more.

Breadcrumbs

• Use / or > separator.
• Current page is not a link, just text.
• Truncate middle items on long paths.

6. Form Design

Rules

1. Labels above inputs — not floating, not inline. Always visible.
2. One column — multi-column forms reduce completion rate.
3. Group related fields with subtle section dividers.
4. Inline validation — validate on blur, not on every keystroke.
5. Error messages below the field, in red, with specific guidance.
6. Primary action left-aligned at form bottom. Secondary action as text link.

<div class="space-y-1.5">
  <label for="email" class="block text-sm font-medium text-gray-700">
    Email address
  </label>
  <input
    type="email"
    id="email"
    class="block w-full rounded-lg border border-gray-300 px-3 py-2
      text-gray-900 placeholder:text-gray-400
      focus:border-indigo-500 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-indigo-500/20
      transition-colors"
    placeholder="[email protected]"
  />
  <p class="text-sm text-red-600 hidden">Please enter a valid email address.</p>
</div>

7. Accessibility as Design

Accessibility is not an afterthought. It is a design constraint applied from the start.

Contrast

• Normal text: 4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio (WCAG AA).
• Large text (18px+ or 14px+ bold): 3:1 minimum.
• Interactive elements: 3:1 against adjacent colors.
• Use oklch color space for perceptually uniform contrast adjustments.

Focus Indicators

• Never remove outline without replacing it.
• Use focus-visible (not focus) to avoid showing rings on mouse click.
• Ring: 2px solid, offset 2px, primary color.

Semantic Structure

• One <h1> per page.
• Headings in order (h1 > h2 > h3). Never skip levels.
• Use <nav>, <main>, <aside>, <footer> landmarks.
• Buttons for actions, links for navigation. Never <div onclick>.
• aria-label on icon-only buttons.

Motion

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *, *::before, *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

8. Responsive Breakpoint Strategy

Breakpoints (Tailwind defaults)

Mobile-First Rules

• Start with the mobile layout. Add complexity at larger breakpoints.
• Stack columns on mobile, side-by-side on md+.
• Navigation becomes hamburger below md.
• Font sizes scale up: text-2xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl.
• Generous touch padding on mobile: p-4, tighten on desktop: lg:p-2.

Container Queries (Modern CSS)

.card-container {
  container-type: inline-size;
}

@container (min-width: 400px) {
  .card {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
  }
}

9. Modern UI Trends

Glassmorphism

.glass {
  background: oklch(100% 0 0 / 0.1);
  backdrop-filter: blur(16px) saturate(180%);
  border: 1px solid oklch(100% 0 0 / 0.15);
  border-radius: 1rem;
}

Bento Grid

.bento {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(4, 1fr);
  grid-auto-rows: 200px;
  gap: 1rem;
}
.bento .featured {
  grid-column: span 2;
  grid-row: span 2;
}

Aurora / Mesh Gradient Background

.aurora {
  background: linear-gradient(135deg, oklch(85% 0.15 280), oklch(80% 0.2 320), oklch(75% 0.18 200));
  background-size: 400% 400%;
  animation: aurora-shift 8s ease infinite;
}
@keyframes aurora-shift {
  0%, 100% { background-position: 0% 50%; }
  50% { background-position: 100% 50%; }
}

10. Advanced CSS Techniques

:has() — Parent Selector

/* Highlight form group when input is focused */
.form-group:has(input:focus) {
  background: oklch(97% 0.01 265);
  border-color: var(--color-primary);
}

/* Card changes layout when it contains an image */
.card:has(img) {
  grid-template-rows: 200px 1fr;
}

Subgrid

.card-grid {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
  gap: 1.5rem;
}
.card {
  display: grid;
  grid-template-rows: subgrid;
  grid-row: span 3; /* header, body, footer align across cards */
}

Scroll-Driven Animations

.fade-in {
  animation: fade-in linear both;
  animation-timeline: view();
  animation-range: entry 0% entry 100%;
}
@keyframes fade-in {
  from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(2rem); }
  to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
}

Quick Reference: Design Checklist

Before shipping any UI component, verify:

• Visual hierarchy is clear (squint test passes)
• All interactive elements have hover, active, focus-visible, and disabled states
• Color contrast meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 for text)
• Focus order is logical (tab through the page)
• Responsive at all breakpoints (320px to 1920px)
• Loading, empty, and error states are designed
• Spacing is consistent (using a 4px/8px grid)
• Typography scale is limited to 4–6 sizes
• Motion respects prefers-reduced-motion
• Semantic HTML is used (landmarks, headings, button vs. link)