.github/CHIEF_GUI_DESIGNER_PHASE1B.md

Chief GUI Designer - Phase 1.B Design Kickoff

From: Release Manager (Claude Code Agent) To: Chief GUI Designer Agent Phase: 1.B (Dashboard Shell Professionalization) Timeline: Dec 1-31, 2025 Status: ⏳ READY TO START

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🎯 Your Phase 1.B Mission

Design and guide implementation of a professional Dashboard Shell that:

1. ✅ Looks polished and enterprise-grade
2. ✅ Supports multi-monitor displays with intuitive controls
3. ✅ Enables seamless real-time collaboration
4. ✅ Provides advanced UX (drag/drop, keyboard nav, templates)
5. ✅ Meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards
6. ✅ Feels fast (<100ms UI response)

Success Criteria:

• Design mockups approved by Chief Architect (by Dec 10)
• Component specifications complete (by Dec 15)
• Design tokens defined (by Dec 15)
• Accessibility compliance verified (by Dec 20)

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🎨 Design System Requirements

Visual Foundation

You must define by Dec 5:

Color Palette

• Primary color (main actions)
• Secondary color (alternative actions)
• Status colors (success, warning, error, info)
• Neutral grays (background, text, borders)
• Dark mode variants (all above for dark theme)

Accessibility: WCAG AA contrast ratio (4.5:1 minimum)

Typography

• Font family (system fonts preferred for performance)
• Sizes: h1, h2, h3, body, small, caption
• Weights: regular (400), medium (500), bold (700)
• Line heights per size
• Letter spacing adjustments

Accessibility: Minimum 14px body text, 1.5x line height

Spacing Scale

• xs: 4px
• sm: 8px
• md: 16px
• lg: 24px
• xl: 32px
• xxl: 48px

Usage: Consistent spacing throughout (no random px values)

Component Specifications

• Buttons (primary, secondary, disabled)
• Input fields (text, number, select)
• Cards (hover states, shadows)
• Modals (overlay, backdrop, animations)
• Status indicators (colors, animations)

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🖼️ Design Deliverables (Due Dec 10)

1. Dashboard Shell Wireframes

High-level layout:

┌─ Multi-Monitor Controls ─┐
│ ├─ Monitor selector      │
│ ├─ Docking options       │
│ └─ Layout templates      │
├─ Main Canvas            │
│ ├─ Widget grid           │
│ ├─ Drag handles          │
│ └─ Collaboration cursors │
└─ Status Bar             │
  ├─ User presence        │
  ├─ Sync status          │
  └─ Performance metrics  │

Deliver:

• Desktop layout (1920x1080)
• Multi-monitor setup (sketch 3+ monitor layouts)
• Mobile responsive (1024x768)
• Keyboard-only navigation flow

2. Collaboration Features Mockups

Show:

• Real-time cursor tracking (other users' cursors visible)
• Presence indicators (who's online, working where)
• Shared layout templates (save/restore interaction)
• Change notifications (widget updates in real-time)

3. UX Enhancements

Design interactions for:

• Drag/drop between monitors (visual feedback)
• Keyboard shortcuts (full navigation without mouse)
• Workspace templates (easy switching)
• Undo/redo functionality

4. Accessibility Audit Checklist

Plan for WCAG 2.1 AA:

• Color contrast verification (tools: aXe, WebAIM)
• Keyboard navigation testing (tab through entire UI)
• Screen reader testing (NVDA, JAWS)
• Focus management (visible focus indicators)
• Motion/animation review (no auto-playing animations)

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📋 Component Library Planning

Button Component

Primary Button: Blue (#007AFF)
- States: Normal, Hover, Active, Disabled
- Sizes: sm (32px), md (40px), lg (48px)
- Icons: Optional left/right icon
- WCAG AA: 4.5:1 contrast ratio

Secondary Button: Gray (#6C757D)
- Same variants as primary
- Lower visual weight

Deliverable: Figma component with all states

Input Component

Text Input:
- States: Normal, Focus, Error, Disabled
- Placeholder text (light gray)
- Error message display
- Help text support
- WCAG AA: Visible focus ring

Other inputs: Number, Select, Checkbox, Radio
- All with same treatment

Deliverable: Figma component library

Card Component

Widget Card:
- Border radius: 8px
- Padding: 16px
- Shadow: 0 2px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.1)
- Hover: Shadow increased, subtle scale
- Responsive: Full width on mobile

Deliverable: Multiple card examples with use cases

Modal Component

Modal:
- Backdrop: Semi-transparent (rgba(0,0,0,0.5))
- Dialog: Centered, max-width 600px
- Header: Title + close button
- Body: Content
- Footer: Action buttons
- Animation: Fade in smoothly
- WCAG AA: Focus trap, keyboard esc to close

Deliverable: Modal variations (small, large, with form)

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🌙 Dark Mode Strategy

Design system must support:

• Light mode (default)
• Dark mode (user preference)
• Auto mode (system preference)

Implementation:

• Define light variant: each token
• Define dark variant: each token
• Use CSS variables for runtime switching
• Test contrast in both modes

Deliverable: Color palette with light/dark variants

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♿ Accessibility Strategy

WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance

You must:

• Ensure 4.5:1 text contrast ratio
• Support keyboard-only navigation
• Provide clear focus indicators
• Include ARIA labels where needed
• Avoid automatic animations (or allow disabling)
• Test with screen readers

Tools:

• aXe DevTools (Chrome/Firefox)
• WAVE (WebAIM)
• Lighthouse (Chrome DevTools)
• Screen reader (NVDA, JAWS)

Testing Protocol:

• Automated scan (aXe) → 100% pass
• Manual keyboard test → Navigate entire UI
• Screen reader test → Make sense when read aloud
• Visual testing → Works at various zoom levels

Deliverable: Accessibility audit report by Dec 20

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🎬 Animation & Motion

Philosophy: Smooth, subtle, purposeful

Animations to design:

• Page transitions (fade in/out)
• Drag feedback (visual preview during drag)
• Button feedback (hover scale, active press)
• Loading states (spinner, progress bar)
• Notifications (slide in from corner)

Constraints:

• Duration: 200-300ms (feel snappy)
• Easing: ease-in-out (natural feeling)
• Must be disableable (prefers-reduced-motion)
• No auto-playing animations on load

Deliverable: Animation specifications with timing

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🎖️ Your Approval Process

Design Review (Dec 10)

Chief Architect will review:

• Does design align with technical architecture?
• Are components feasible to build?
• Will it meet performance targets?
• Are accessibility requirements clear?

You address feedback by Dec 11

Component Handoff (Dec 15)

Frontend team receives:

• Figma file with all components
• Design tokens exported
• Component specifications document
• Accessibility checklist
• Animation timing specs

QA Sign-Off (Dec 20)

Before shipping:

• Visual pixel-perfect comparison (dev vs design)
• Responsive testing (multiple screen sizes)
• Accessibility audit complete
• Dark mode tested
• Animation performance checked

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💬 Design Collaboration

With Chief Architect

Sync Points:

• Dec 5: Present design approach, get early feedback
• Dec 10: Design review, approve architectural fit
• Dec 15: Component handoff, clarify specs
• Dec 20: Final design gate

With Frontend Architect

Sync Points:

• Dec 11: Component library review, answer implementation questions
• Dec 15: Component feedback, iterate on specs
• Dec 18: Responsive design testing
• Dec 22: Final tweaks before release

With QA/Testing

Sync Points:

• Dec 17: Testing begins, provide testing guidance
• Dec 20: Accessibility audit, address findings
• Dec 24: Final sign-off

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📊 Design System Deliverables Timeline

Date	Deliverable	Status
Dec 5	Design approach + color palette	Figma file
Dec 8	Component mockups	Figma components
Dec 10	Complete design package	Approved by Architect
Dec 15	Component library exported	Tokens + CSS
Dec 20	Accessibility audit	Full report
Dec 24	Final design validation	Sign-off

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🎨 Design Patterns to Use

For Multi-Monitor Display

• Visual separation: Different background for each monitor
• Docking indicators: Show which monitor each widget is on
• Drag preview: Ghost widget shown while dragging
• Drop zones: Highlight drop targets during drag

For Collaboration

• Cursor tracking: Show other users' cursors with colors
• Presence list: Who's online, where they're working
• Change indicators: Flash/highlight when others update widgets
• User colors: Assign colors to users for visual tracking

For Professional Feel

• Clean spacing: Generous margins and padding
• Consistent grid: Everything aligns to grid system
• Subtle shadows: Depth without heaviness
• Micro-interactions: Buttons respond to hover/click
• Status clarity: Always clear what's loading/saved/error

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🚀 Phase 1.C Transition (Dec 21-31)

After Phase 1.B is done:

• Design system foundation complete
• Component library established
• Tokens defined and exported
• Accessibility audit passed

Phase 1.C begins: Expand component library for Phase 2

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📋 Design Checklist

Before Dec 10:

• Read governance docs (RELEASE_MANIFEST.md)
• Sync with Chief Architect on design approach
• Create Figma file with project structure
• Design color palette (light + dark)
• Sketch initial layouts and components
• Plan accessibility strategy

Dec 1-10:

• Complete all wireframes
• Create component mockups
• Define typography system
• Design animations
• Prepare accessibility checklist
• Get Chief Architect approval

Dec 11-15:

• Export design tokens (CSS variables)
• Prepare component specifications
• Create developer handoff documentation
• Support frontend team implementation

Dec 16-20:

• Verify implementation matches design
• Conduct accessibility audit
• Make final adjustments
• Sign off on quality

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🎯 Your Authority

You can:

• ✅ Define all visual design decisions
• ✅ Specify component designs
• ✅ Approve/reject designs
• ✅ Require accessibility compliance
• ✅ Request implementation changes (visual only)

You must coordinate with:

• Chief Architect (architectural fit)
• Frontend team (implementation feasibility)
• QA/Testing (accessibility validation)

Release Manager will:

• Support timeline adherence
• Escalate blockers
• Approve final design gate

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Document Version: 1.0.0 Created: November 16, 2025 Release Manager: Claude Code Agent (Autonomous)

Key Phrase: "Your design determines how 100,000+ users experience WidgetBoard. Make it beautiful, make it accessible, make it fast."