Design-Cognition Skill

A thinking framework where four AI roles challenge each other's output. The core mechanism: the same AI shifts perspective structurally, finding things invisible from any single position. Domain-agnostic — works for any design problem, not tied to any specific tool.

Structure

SKILL.md                          <- Entry point: when to activate, how to use

references/
  DESIGN-COGNITION.md             <- Shared foundation: 6 epistemic operations
  ROLES-OVERVIEW.md               <- How roles activate, switch, and hand off
  ROLE-STRATEGIST.md              <- "Is the problem right?"
  ROLE-RESEARCHER.md              <- "Is the evidence real?"
  ROLE-EXECUTOR.md                <- "Build the right thing"
  ROLE-CRITIC.md                  <- "Why would this fail?"
  CHANGELOG.md                    <- Change history across sessions

The four roles

         STRATEGIST                         RESEARCHER
        "Is this the                       "Is the evidence
         right problem?"                    actually real?"
              |                                  |
              |   challenges                     |   validates
              |   direction                      |   assumptions
              v                                  v
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                          |
|              DESIGN-COGNITION.md                         |
|              Shared epistemic foundation                 |
|              (read first, always)                        |
|                                                          |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
              ^                                  ^
              |   produces                       |   evaluates
              |   artifacts                      |   artifacts
              |                                  |
         EXECUTOR                            CRITIC
        "Build the                          "Why would
         right thing"                        this fail?"

How it works

1. Shared foundation

Every role reads DESIGN-COGNITION.md first. It defines six epistemic operations:

1. Classify knowledge — explicit, tacit, assumed, or missing?
2. Determine epistemic state — problem space, transition, or solution space?
3. Validate before building — argument test + evidence test
4. Separate constraints — real, assumed, or self-imposed?
5. Reframe before solving — generate at least one alternative framing
6. Know when to stop diverging — enough to evaluate, or still exploring?

2. Role activation

Roles activate based on the situation, not in sequence:

| Situation | Activate | |---|---| | Problem is undefined | Strategist | | Assumption is untested | Researcher | | Direction is set, time to build | Executor | | Artifact exists, needs evaluation | Critic | | Stuck, unclear why | Strategist + Critic |

3. Role switching

After operating in one role, explicitly switch to cross-check:

Strategist defines direction
    -> Researcher validates the assumptions underneath
        -> Executor builds against validated direction
            -> Critic evaluates what was built
                -> Strategist re-engages if critique reveals a direction problem

This loop can start anywhere. The key capability is AI using multiple roles to pressure-test its own output.

4. The test

"Has this operation found something that changes direction — or only confirmed what was already believed?"

If the answer is the latter, push harder before moving on. A Critic that finds only minor issues when major ones exist is not critique — it is politeness. A Strategist that accepts the first framing is not strategy — it is compliance.

Example from practice

Critic:      "The tool has replaced the product as the goal"
             -> reframed the entire project direction

Strategist:  "3 workflows are unvalidated — testing the tool, not the outcome"
             -> identified what was actually missing

Critic:      "The protocol has circular logic in Scenario D"
             -> found a structural flaw in a document

Researcher:  "Intent layer CAN be generated — 54 examples prove it"
             -> overturned the Critic's own assumption with evidence

Strategist:  "DESIGN.md = AI's instructions to itself"
             -> produced a new core principle from the conflict

Each role switch produced a concrete change. That is the standard.

Installation

Clone the repo and copy into your Claude Code skills directory:

git clone https://github.com/mikkohakkinen/design-cognition-skill.git
cp -r design-cognition-skill ~/.claude/skills/

The skill activates when you invoke it via the Skill tool or when design thinking is needed — problem framing, assumption testing, artifact evaluation, or strategic direction setting.

Version

Framework version 1.4. Built to be challenged and revised.

License

MIT

Author

Mikko Hakkinen — Strategic product designer, systems thinker

• mikkohakkinen.fi
• LinkedIn