Skills design-an-interface
📦

design-an-interface

Content revision r1 Safe ⚙️ External commands

Design Better Software Interfaces

A first interface idea can hide weak assumptions and unnecessary complexity. This skill generates distinct options, compares trade-offs, and helps select or synthesize a stronger design.

Supports: Claude Codex Code(CC)
🥉 78 Bronze

Install with my Agent

Copy this request to your Agent. It includes the canonical Skill page and manifest.

Agent request
Review the Skillstore skill "design-an-interface" from https://skillstore.io/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface.md and its manifest at https://skillstore.io/api/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/manifest. Verify the artifact. You may proceed after verification, subject to the environment's own policy.

Your Agent should still show its plan and request any confirmation required by the security policy.

Agent-readable resources

Use these links when an AI agent, crawler, or script needs clean context instead of reading the full page.

Markdown detail GET /skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface.md Signed manifest GET /api/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/manifest Signed lockfile GET /api/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/lockfile

Test it

Using "design-an-interface". Design an interface for a notification module used by web handlers and background jobs.

Expected outcome:

  • The minimal option exposes one send operation and keeps routing, retries, and provider selection internal.
  • The flexible option accepts delivery policies and supports advanced callers, but creates more opportunities for inconsistent configuration.
  • The common-case option provides named notification operations and favors discoverability over broad extensibility.

Using "design-an-interface". Compare interface options for a cache that must support local and remote storage.

Expected outcome:

  • A storage-neutral interface is easiest for callers and hides backend selection.
  • A capability-based interface supports backend differences but exposes more concepts.
  • The recommended direction keeps basic operations uniform and offers advanced capabilities through a separate extension.

Security Audit

Safe
v5 • 7/23/2026 Open versioned report

The only static finding is a false positive caused by a fenced Markdown prompt example in SKILL.md. The skill contains guidance only and shows no command execution or malicious intent.

1
Files scanned
95
Lines analyzed
0
Review items
0
False positives ignored

Risk Factors

⚙️ External commands (1)
SKILL.md:28-46
No confirmed security findings were detected by the latest completed static and semantic audit. This does not prove the skill has no side effects.
Audited by: codex View Audit History →
Share & cite this report

Share the versioned assessment report, neutral badge, embed card, and citations. Skillstore reports evidence without deciding whether this Skill is safe.

Open versioned report
Security Assessment

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https://skillstore.io/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/audits/5?utm_source=security_passport&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=versioned_report

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Academic citations (APA · BibTeX · CFF)

APA citation

mattpocock. (2026). design-an-interface security audit report (audit version 5) [Author version unspecified]. Skillstore. https://skillstore.io/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/audits/5

BibTeX citation

@techreport{mattpocock-mattpocock-design-an-interface-2026, author = {mattpocock}, title = {design-an-interface security audit report (audit version 5)}, institution = {Skillstore}, year = {2026}, number = {5}, url = {https://skillstore.io/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/audits/5}, note = {Author version unspecified} }

CITATION.cff

cff-version: 1.2.0 message: "If you use this Skill, cite its author and this versioned security audit report." title: "design-an-interface security audit report (audit version 5)" version: "unspecified" type: report authors: - name: "mattpocock" date-released: "2026-07-23" url: "https://skillstore.io/skills/mattpocock-design-an-interface/audits/5" identifiers: - type: other value: "skillstore:mattpocock-design-an-interface:audit:5" description: "Skillstore immutable audit report identifier"

Skillstore Score

Why this score Evidence Confidence: Medium
55
Architecture
85
Maintainability
87
Content
67
Community
91
Spec Compliance

What You Can Build

Shape a Public Library API

Explore focused, flexible, and common-case interfaces before committing to a public contract.

Define a Service Boundary

Compare module boundaries that expose essential operations while hiding storage, caching, or orchestration details.

Review a Proposed Interface

Generate alternatives that reveal assumptions and support a concrete design discussion.

Try These Prompts

Explore a Simple Module 
Design three different interfaces for [module]. It must support [key operations] for [callers]. Show usage and explain what each option hides.
Design Under Constraints 
Design interfaces for [module] under these constraints: [constraints]. Include one minimal option, one flexible option, and one optimized for the common case.
Compare an Existing Proposal 
Review this proposed interface: [description]. Generate three substantially different alternatives. Compare simplicity, depth, efficiency, flexibility, and resistance to misuse in prose.
Synthesize a Final Direction 
Design four interfaces for [module] using distinct paradigms: [paradigms]. Evaluate them against [priorities], then synthesize a final design with explicit trade-offs.

Best Practices

  • Provide the module purpose, caller types, key operations, and hard constraints before generating designs.
  • Require each option to differ in structure or priorities, not only in naming.
  • Evaluate usage examples and misuse risks before selecting or combining proposals.

Avoid

  • Do not accept several proposals that share the same underlying interface shape.
  • Do not choose an option before comparing its trade-offs with the alternatives.
  • Do not turn the exercise into implementation planning or effort estimation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this skill implement the selected interface?
No. It explores and evaluates interface shapes without writing the implementation.
How many designs does it generate?
It requests at least three substantially different designs. Advanced prompts can request more.
What information should I provide?
Provide the module purpose, callers, key operations, constraints, and details that should remain internal.
Can it review an existing API?
Yes. Supply the current proposal and priorities, then request alternatives and a prose comparison.
Does it design visual interfaces?
No. It focuses on software module and API interfaces rather than screen layouts or interaction design.
Why does it use multiple sub-agents?
Independent prompts encourage meaningful structural differences and reduce attachment to the first design idea.

Developer Details

Author

mattpocock

License

MIT

Skillstore revision

r1

Version notice

The author did not declare a version.

Repository

https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/tree/main/skills/deprecated/design-an-interface/

Ref

ebdfe608f5de2b66ff37ab4af12af8ac4f5e8006

Maintenance freshness

7/25/2026

Usage

8 downloads · 0 views

File structure

📄 SKILL.md