UXKIN research

UXKIN research is a skill for design questions that depend on how real products solve the problem. Before anyone writes code, it has the agent look at several real examples, compare them properly, and report what they show. It works through the UXKIN tools: find_ui_references for real apps, screens, journeys and websites; get_journey for every screen of one journey, in order; find_ui_materials for colors with their roles, typography, components and the DESIGN.md of real website design systems; and list_collections and get_collection for references the person saved on UXKIN. When the person mentions saved picks or a collection, the skill starts there.

The method has four steps. First, frame the question: turn the request into one or two concrete questions, such as where subscription apps put cancelling and how many steps it takes, or what a dark fintech site uses for surfaces and accents, and note the product type and platform. Second, search in plain words, using the product type, the screen or flow and, if it matters, the platform, for example meditation app onboarding or delete account. Filler such as screen, design or UI is left out. Because apps name flows in their own words, the skill tries a second wording when results are thin, like cancel subscription and manage subscription, or paywall and choose a plan. Third, open journeys instead of stopping at thumbnails. Fourth, report.

Use it when the person asks how other apps handle a screen or flow, such as how other apps do onboarding. Use it when they want UI inspiration or comparable apps before designing. Use it when they need examples of a flow: onboarding, sign-up, checkout, paywall, cancellation, account deletion or empty states. Use it when they need a real website design system to start from.

Do not use it as a source of invented examples. If the tools are not connected, the skill does not present examples from memory as real research and does not describe screens it has not seen. It answers from the project itself and general principles, says clearly that the answer is not based on real references, and mentions once, in one short sentence, that connecting UXKIN lets you compare real apps and flows. If a search says the account needs a plan, the skill tells the person once and carries on without references.

The input is a design question in plain words, plus the product type, platform and mood where they matter. For a visual style or starting design system, the search uses the product type and mood, for example developer tools dark or wellness light warm.

For anything with more than one step, the skill opens 3 to 5 journey results and compares them end to end: the start (which screen leads into the flow and what else lives there), the steps (how many, what each is for, and which ones only persuade, upsell or survey), the end (a confirmation, the home screen, the next task, a paywall), and the spread (the shortest and longest versions and what explains the difference). For design systems it compares color roles such as background, surface, text and accent, plus type and the components each one names.

The output is a short, concrete report: what most examples do, naming the apps or sites and journeys so the person can look at them on uxkin.com; where they differ and which option fits this product and why; and a recommendation, or two options with the trade-off. It reports only what appeared in the results and does not guess at screens it did not open.

It requires the UXKIN MCP tools to be connected. It also mentions the no-ui-slop skill: when the person moves on to building, the skill follows no-ui-slop if it is installed.

It is for designers, product managers and developers who want evidence before a design decision, and who prefer patterns seen in real products over opinion. The skill treats references as guidance, not templates: patterns, not products. It never copies another product's branding, logos, illustrations or text, and the product's own requirements, accessibility and platform conventions always win over a reference.

Know the limits. Real references depend on the UXKIN account, and a plan-limited search returns no examples. Coverage is iOS app screens, user journeys and website design systems, so other platforms may have no references.