# Step 9: Design Direction Mockups

<purpose>Generate comprehensive design direction mockups showing different visual approaches for the product through collaborative exploration and selection of visual directions.</purpose>

<instructions>Generate 6-8 design direction variations exploring layout, interactions, colors, density, and navigation. Create HTML design direction showcase at {planning_artifacts}/ux-design-directions.html with interactive elements. Present design exploration framework with evaluation criteria. Facilitate selection (pick favorite, combine elements, request modifications). Document design direction decision with rationale. Generate design direction content with directions explored, chosen direction, design rationale, and implementation approach sections. Present A/P/C menu. Save when C selected.</instructions>

<output>Design direction content appended to specification including chosen visual direction with clear rationale and implementation approach. HTML mockup showcase created with interactive design direction visualizer, with user confirmation and frontmatter updated.</output>

## MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

- 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input

- 📖 CRITICAL: ALWAYS read the complete step file before taking any action - partial understanding leads to incomplete decisions
- 🔄 CRITICAL: When loading next step with 'C', ensure the entire file is read and understood before proceeding
- ✅ ALWAYS treat this as collaborative discovery between UX facilitator and stakeholder
- 📋 YOU ARE A UX FACILITATOR, not a content generator
- 💬 FOCUS on generating and evaluating design direction variations
- 🎯 COLLABORATIVE exploration, not assumption-based design
- ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT In your Agent communication style with the config `{communication_language}`

## EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

- 🎯 Show your analysis before taking any action
- ⚠️ Present A/P/C menu after generating design direction content
- 💾 Generate HTML visualizer for design directions
- 📖 Update output file frontmatter, adding this step to the end of the list of stepsCompleted.
- 🚫 FORBIDDEN to load next step until C is selected

## COLLABORATION MENUS (A/P/C):

This step will generate content and present choices:

- **A (Advanced Elicitation)**: Use discovery protocols to develop deeper design insights
- **P (Party Mode)**: Bring multiple perspectives to evaluate design directions
- **C (Continue)**: Save the content to the document and proceed to next step

## PROTOCOL INTEGRATION:

- When 'A' selected: Execute {project_root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml
- When 'P' selected: Execute {project_root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md
- PROTOCOLS always return to this step's A/P/C menu
- User accepts/rejects protocol changes before proceeding

## CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

- Current document and frontmatter from previous steps are available
- Visual foundation from step 8 provides design tokens
- Core experience from step 7 informs layout and interaction design
- Focus on exploring different visual design directions

## YOUR TASK:

Generate comprehensive design direction mockups showing different visual approaches for the product.

## DESIGN DIRECTIONS SEQUENCE:

### 1. Generate Design Direction Variations

Create diverse visual explorations:
"I'll generate 6-8 different design direction variations exploring:

- Different layout approaches and information hierarchy
- Various interaction patterns and visual weights
- Alternative color applications from our foundation
- Different density and spacing approaches
- Various navigation and component arrangements

Each mockup will show a complete vision for {{project_name}} with all our design decisions applied."

### 2. Create HTML Design Direction Showcase

Generate interactive visual exploration:
"🎨 Design Direction Mockups Generated!

I'm creating a comprehensive HTML design direction showcase at `{planning_artifacts}/ux-design-directions.html`

**What you'll see:**

- 6-8 full-screen mockup variations
- Interactive states and hover effects
- Side-by-side comparison tools
- Complete UI examples with real content
- Responsive behavior demonstrations

Each mockup represents a complete visual direction for your app's look and feel."

### 3. Present Design Exploration Framework

Guide evaluation criteria:
"As you explore the design directions, look for:

✅ **Layout Intuitiveness** - Which information hierarchy matches your priorities?
✅ **Interaction Style** - Which interaction style fits your core experience?
✅ **Visual Weight** - Which visual density feels right for your brand?
✅ **Navigation Approach** - Which navigation pattern matches user expectations?
✅ **Component Usage** - How well do the components support your user journeys?
✅ **Brand Alignment** - Which direction best supports your emotional goals?

Take your time exploring - this is a crucial decision that will guide all our design work!"

### 4. Facilitate Design Direction Selection

Help user choose or combine elements:
"After exploring all the design directions:

**Which approach resonates most with you?**

- Pick a favorite direction as-is
- Combine elements from multiple directions
- Request modifications to any direction
- Use one direction as a base and iterate

**Tell me:**

- Which layout feels most intuitive for your users?
- Which visual weight matches your brand personality?
- Which interaction style supports your core experience?
- Are there elements from different directions you'd like to combine?"

### 5. Document Design Direction Decision

Capture the chosen approach:
"Based on your exploration, I'm understanding your design direction preference:

**Chosen Direction:** [Direction number or combination]
**Key Elements:** [Specific elements you liked]
**Modifications Needed:** [Any changes requested]
**Rationale:** [Why this direction works for your product]

This will become our design foundation moving forward. Are we ready to lock this in, or do you want to explore variations?"

### 6. Generate Design Direction Content

Prepare the content to append to the document:

#### Content Structure:

When saving to document, append these Level 2 and Level 3 sections:

```markdown
## Design Direction Decision

### Design Directions Explored

[Summary of design directions explored based on conversation]

### Chosen Direction

[Chosen design direction based on conversation]

### Design Rationale

[Rationale for design direction choice based on conversation]

### Implementation Approach

[Implementation approach based on chosen direction]
```

### 7. Present Content and Menu

Show the generated design direction content and present choices:
"I've documented our design direction decision for {{project_name}}. This visual approach will guide all our detailed design work.

**Here's what I'll add to the document:**

[Show the complete markdown content from step 6]

**What would you like to do?**
[A] Advanced Elicitation - Let's refine our design direction
[P] Party Mode - Bring different perspectives on visual choices
[C] Continue - Save this to the document and move to user journey flows

### 8. Handle Menu Selection

#### If 'A' (Advanced Elicitation):

- Execute {project_root}/_bmad/core/workflows/advanced-elicitation/workflow.xml with the current design direction content
- Process the enhanced design insights that come back
- Ask user: "Accept these improvements to the design direction? (y/n)"
- If yes: Update content with improvements, then return to A/P/C menu
- If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

#### If 'P' (Party Mode):

- Execute {project_root}/_bmad/core/workflows/party-mode/workflow.md with the current design direction
- Process the collaborative design insights that come back
- Ask user: "Accept these changes to the design direction? (y/n)"
- If yes: Update content with improvements, then return to A/P/C menu
- If no: Keep original content, then return to A/P/C menu

#### If 'C' (Continue):

- Append the final content to `{planning_artifacts}/ux-design-specification.md`
- Update frontmatter: append step to end of stepsCompleted array
- Load `./step-10-user-journeys.md`

## APPEND TO DOCUMENT:

When user selects 'C', append the content directly to the document using the structure from step 6.

## SUCCESS METRICS:

✅ Multiple design direction variations generated
✅ HTML showcase created with interactive elements
✅ Design evaluation criteria clearly established
✅ User able to explore and compare directions effectively
✅ Design direction decision made with clear rationale
✅ A/P/C menu presented and handled correctly
✅ Content properly appended to document when C selected

## FAILURE MODES:

❌ Not creating enough variation in design directions
❌ Design directions not aligned with established foundation
❌ Missing interactive elements in HTML showcase
❌ Not providing clear evaluation criteria
❌ Rushing decision without thorough exploration
❌ Not presenting A/P/C menu after content generation
❌ Appending content without user selecting 'C'

❌ **CRITICAL**: Reading only partial step file - leads to incomplete understanding and poor decisions
❌ **CRITICAL**: Proceeding with 'C' without fully reading and understanding the next step file
❌ **CRITICAL**: Making decisions without complete understanding of step requirements and protocols

## NEXT STEP:

After user selects 'C' and content is saved to document, load `./step-10-user-journeys.md` to design user journey flows.

Remember: Do NOT proceed to step-10 until user explicitly selects 'C' from the A/P/C menu and content is saved!
