Conciseness

Mostly efficient and free of concept-over-explanation, but the same gating injunction is repeated across the HARD-GATE box, the Anti-Pattern section, the terminal-state warning, and the After-the-Design section, and the Process Flow graph restates the Checklist. This redundancy could be tightened. Not a 4 because the repetition is noticeable rather than minor.

Actionability

Provides concrete, specific guidance for a process skill: a numbered checklist, 'one question at a time', 'prefer multiple choice', 'Propose 2-3 approaches', a concrete doc path 'docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md', and section scaling ('up to 200-300 words'). Not a 5 because there is no example design-doc output or sample dialogue showing the expected result.

Workflow Clarity

Clear sequenced checklist (1-6), a process-flow diagram with an explicit 'User approves design?' checkpoint and a 'no, revise' feedback loop, plus incremental per-section approval gates. This is not a destructive/batch operation, so the validation cap does not apply; the multi-step process with feedback loops matches the top anchor.

Progressive Disclosure

Well-organized into clear sections (Overview, Checklist, Process Flow, The Process, After the Design, Key Principles) in a single file with no bundle files needed for this process skill. Not a 5 because the Checklist, Process Flow graph, and The Process section overlap in content, a minor organization gap; no external references are used or signaled.

Specificity

Names the creative-work domain and lists several concrete trigger actions ('creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior') alongside the core action ('Explores user intent, requirements and design'), with only minor gaps in coverage. Not a 5 because the core action 'explores...design' is somewhat abstract compared to concrete deliverable verbs.

Completeness

Explicitly answers both 'what' ('Explores user intent, requirements and design before implementation') and 'when' ('You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, building components, adding functionality, or modifying behavior') with concrete trigger phrases. The 'Use when...' equivalent trigger guidance is explicit, so the completeness cap of 3 does not apply.

Trigger Term Quality

Includes natural phrases users would say ('creating features', 'building components', 'adding functionality', 'modifying behavior') with good coverage. Not a 5 because common synonyms like 'brainstorm', 'design', or 'plan' are missing, and there are no file-extension or artifact triggers relevant to this domain.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

Positioned as a distinct pre-implementation gate ('before any creative work', 'before implementation'), which gives it a clear niche and mostly-distinct trigger framing. Not a 5 because 'creative work', 'adding functionality', and 'modifying behavior' are broad and overlap with many implementation skills, creating minor conflict risk.