Use when designing visual interfaces, data visualizations, educational content, or presentations and need to ensure they align with how humans naturally perceive, process, and remember information. Invoke when user mentions cognitive load, visual hierarchy, dashboard design, form design, e-learning, infographics, or wants to improve clarity and reduce user confusion. Also applies when evaluating existing designs for cognitive alignment or choosing between design alternatives.
Apply cognitive psychology principles to design visual interfaces, data visualizations, and educational content that align with how humans perceive, process, and remember information. Use when designing dashboards, forms, e-learning, or presentations, or when evaluating existing designs for clarity and reduced cognitive load.
/plugin marketplace add lyndonkl/claude/plugin install lyndonkl-thinking-frameworks-skills@lyndonkl/claudeThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
resources/cognitive-fallacies.mdresources/cognitive-foundations.mdresources/data-visualization.mdresources/educational-design.mdresources/evaluation-rubric.jsonresources/evaluation-tools.mdresources/frameworks.mdresources/quick-reference.mdresources/storytelling-journalism.mdresources/ux-product-design.mdThis 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.
Common problems this addresses:
How this helps:
Use this skill when:
Do NOT use for:
This is an interactive hub - you choose your path based on current need:
After completing any path, return to the menu to select another or exit.
I'll guide you through cognitive design principles by:
You bring domain expertise and context; I provide cognitive science grounding.
Immediate:
Short-term (weeks):
Long-term (months):
Choose a workflow based on your current situation:
Use when: Creating a new interface, dashboard, visualization, or educational content from scratch
Time: 2-4 hours
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
New Design Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Orient to cognitive principles
- [ ] Step 2: Structure design thinking with frameworks
- [ ] Step 3: Apply domain-specific guidance
- [ ] Step 4: Evaluate design for cognitive alignment
- [ ] Step 5: Check for common mistakes
- [ ] Step 6: Iterate based on findings
Step 1: Orient to cognitive principles
Start with Cognitive Foundations for deep understanding of WHY designs work (perception, memory, Gestalt principles) OR use Quick Reference for rapid orientation (20 core principles, decision rules). Foundations give you theoretical grounding; Quick Reference gets you started faster.
Step 2: Structure design thinking with frameworks
Use Design Frameworks to apply systematic approaches: Cognitive Design Pyramid (4-tier quality assessment), Design Feedback Loop (interaction cycles), and Three-Layer Visualization Model (data communication fidelity). These provide repeatable structure for design decisions.
Step 3: Apply domain-specific guidance
Choose your domain: Data Visualization for charts/dashboards, UX Product Design for interfaces/apps, Educational Design for e-learning/training, or Storytelling & Journalism for data journalism/presentations. Apply tailored cognitive principles for your specific context.
Step 4: Evaluate design for cognitive alignment
Use Evaluation Tools to assess systematically: Cognitive Design Checklist (8 dimensions including visibility, hierarchy, chunking) and Visualization Audit Framework (4 criteria: Clarity, Efficiency, Integrity, Aesthetics). Identify weaknesses and prioritize fixes.
Step 5: Check for common mistakes
Review Cognitive Fallacies to prevent failures: chartjunk, truncated axes, 3D distortion, cognitive biases, data integrity violations. Ensure your design avoids misleading patterns.
Step 6: Iterate based on findings
Return to domain guidance or frameworks as needed. Fix issues identified in evaluation. Re-evaluate until design passes cognitive alignment criteria (avg score ≥3.5 on rubric).
Use when: Evaluating existing designs for cognitive alignment, conducting design critiques, or diagnosing usability issues
Time: 30-60 minutes
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Design Review Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Systematic assessment with evaluation tools
- [ ] Step 2: Quick checks for common mistakes
- [ ] Step 3: Rapid validation against core principles
- [ ] Step 4: Note issues and prioritize fixes
Step 1: Systematic assessment with evaluation tools
Start with Evaluation Tools for comprehensive review: Apply Cognitive Design Checklist (visibility, hierarchy, chunking, simplicity, memory support, feedback, consistency, scanning) and Visualization Audit Framework (score Clarity, Efficiency, Integrity, Aesthetics 1-5). Identify failing dimensions.
Step 2: Quick checks for common mistakes
Reference Cognitive Fallacies for rapid diagnosis: Look for chartjunk, truncated axes, 3D effects, misleading colors, data integrity violations. These are common culprits in cognitive failures.
Step 3: Rapid validation against core principles
Use Quick Reference for fast validation: Apply 3-question check (Attention? Memory? Clarity?), verify chart selection matches task, check color usage, confirm chunking fits working memory. Catches major issues quickly.
Step 4: Note issues and prioritize fixes
Document findings with severity: CRITICAL (integrity violations, accessibility failures), HIGH (clarity/efficiency issues preventing use), MEDIUM (suboptimal patterns, aesthetic issues), LOW (minor optimizations). Prioritize fixes foundation-first (perception → coherence → engagement → behavior).
Use when: Need rapid go/no-go decision, spot-checking changes, or validating against cognitive basics during active design work
Time: 5-10 minutes
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Quick Validation Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Three-question rapid check
- [ ] Step 2: Spot checks if issues found
Step 1: Three-question rapid check
Use Quick Reference and apply: (1) Attention - "Is it obvious what to look at first?" (visual hierarchy clear, primary elements salient, predictable scanning), (2) Memory - "Is user required to remember anything that could be shown?" (state visible, options presented, fits 4±1 chunks), (3) Clarity - "Can someone unfamiliar understand in 5 seconds?" (purpose graspable, no unnecessary decoration, familiar terminology). If all YES → likely cognitively sound.
Step 2: Spot checks if issues found
If any question fails, use Evaluation Tools for targeted diagnosis: Failed attention? Check hierarchy and visual salience sections. Failed memory? Check chunking and memory support sections. Failed clarity? Check simplicity and labeling sections. Apply specific fixes from relevant section.
Choose your path based on current need:
Choose this when: You want to learn the core cognitive psychology principles underlying effective design (attention, memory, perception, Gestalt grouping, visual encoding hierarchy).
What you'll get: Deep understanding of WHY certain designs work, grounded in research from Tufte, Norman, Ware, Cleveland & McGill, Mayer, and others.
Time: 20-40 minutes
→ Go to Cognitive Foundations resource
Choose this when: You want systematic frameworks to structure your design thinking and decision-making.
What you'll get: Three complementary frameworks:
Time: 30-45 minutes
Choose this when: You need to assess a design systematically for cognitive alignment, or conducting a design review/critique.
What you'll get:
Time: 30-60 minutes (depending on design complexity)
→ Go to Evaluation Tools resource
Choose this when: You're working on a specific type of design and want tailored cognitive principles for that context.
Choose your domain:
→ Go to Data Visualization resource
Covers: Chart selection via task-encoding alignment, dashboard hierarchy and grouping, progressive disclosure for exploration, narrative data visualization
→ Go to UX Product Design resource
Covers: Learnability via familiar patterns, task flow efficiency, cognitive load management, onboarding design, error handling
→ Go to Educational Design resource
Covers: Multimedia learning principles, dual coding, worked examples, retrieval practice, segmenting, coherence principle
→ Go to Storytelling & Journalism resource
Covers: Visual narrative structure, annotation strategies, scrollytelling, framing and context, visual metaphors
Choose this when: You want to prevent or diagnose cognitive design failures - chartjunk, misleading visualizations, cognitive biases, data integrity violations.
What you'll get:
Time: 15-25 minutes
→ Go to Cognitive Fallacies resource
Choose this when: You need rapid design guidance, core principles summary, or quick validation checks.
What you'll get:
Time: 5-15 minutes
→ Go to Quick Reference resource
Choose this when: You've completed your design work or gathered the information you need.
Before you exit:
Thank you for using the Cognitive Design skill. Your designs are now more cognitively aligned!
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