Strip designs to their essence by removing unnecessary complexity. Great design is simple, powerful, and clean.
44
31%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./.claude/skills/distill/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
0%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This description reads more like a design philosophy or tagline than a functional skill description. It lacks concrete actions, natural trigger terms, explicit usage guidance, and distinctive characteristics that would help Claude select it appropriately from a pool of skills.
Suggestions
Add specific concrete actions the skill performs (e.g., 'Simplifies UI layouts, reduces visual clutter, consolidates redundant elements, streamlines user flows').
Include a 'Use when...' clause with natural trigger terms (e.g., 'Use when the user asks to simplify a design, reduce complexity, make something cleaner, or requests minimalist aesthetics').
Specify what types of designs or artifacts this applies to (e.g., 'UI mockups', 'wireframes', 'component libraries') to distinguish it from other design skills.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | The description uses abstract language like 'strip designs to their essence' and 'removing unnecessary complexity' without listing any concrete actions. No specific operations, file types, or deliverables are mentioned. | 1 / 3 |
Completeness | The description vaguely addresses 'what' (simplifying designs) but provides no 'when' clause or explicit trigger guidance. There is no 'Use when...' statement or equivalent to help Claude know when to select this skill. | 1 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | The terms used ('essence', 'complexity', 'simple', 'powerful', 'clean') are philosophical rather than natural keywords users would say. Missing practical triggers like 'simplify UI', 'reduce clutter', 'minimalist design', or specific design tool references. | 1 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | The description is extremely generic and could conflict with any design-related skill. 'Great design is simple, powerful, and clean' is a philosophy statement, not a distinctive capability description. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 4 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
62%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill provides a comprehensive framework for design simplification with clear workflow structure and good categorical organization. However, it's more of a conceptual checklist than actionable guidance—it tells Claude what to simplify but not how to implement those simplifications in code. The content would benefit from concrete before/after examples and could be more concise by removing philosophical asides.
Suggestions
Add concrete code examples showing before/after simplification (e.g., a complex component tree flattened, or CSS consolidation)
Move the detailed simplification dimensions (Information Architecture, Visual, Layout, etc.) to a separate SIMPLIFICATION_PATTERNS.md file, keeping SKILL.md as a lean workflow overview
Remove the closing quote and trim philosophical commentary to improve token efficiency
Add specific tool commands or scripts for identifying unused code, measuring component nesting depth, or auditing color usage
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is reasonably efficient but includes some unnecessary elaboration. Phrases like 'paradox of choice is real' and the closing Saint-Exupéry quote add little value. Some sections could be tightened (e.g., the NEVER list repeats obvious points). | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides good conceptual guidance with specific categories of simplification, but lacks concrete code examples or executable commands. The advice is descriptive ('reduce color palette to 1-2 colors') rather than showing actual implementation patterns or before/after code. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Clear sequential workflow: Assess → Plan → Simplify → Verify → Document. Includes explicit checkpoints ('If any of these are unclear, STOP and call AskUserQuestion') and verification steps. The process is well-structured for a design-focused skill. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | References the frontend-design skill and teach-impeccable appropriately, but the main content is a long monolithic document. The six simplification dimensions could be split into separate reference files, with SKILL.md providing just the overview and workflow. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
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Table of Contents
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