git:20260511.e964fd6 to git:20260911.22df896

---

name: ux-interview

description: >-

Plays the role of a real user in an interview-style usability test. Takes

context about the product (URL, description, focus areas), auto-suggests a

persona (overridable), then drives real Chrome via the claude-in-chrome

extension to explore the product think-aloud style — narrating live

reactions while flagging confusion, friction, and delight, and capturing

GIFs/screenshots of the friction moments. Produces a structured UX report

with severity-ranked pain points, what worked, and prioritized

recommendations. Learns over time which findings the user considers signal

vs noise. Use when you want a real-user-perspective audit of a web product

to catch UX/UI/product issues that automated tests can't catch.

argument-hint: "[<url>] [--persona \"...\"] [--focus \"...\"] [--depth quick|standard|deep] [--from-brief <path>] [feedback|resume|history|config|reset|help]"

disable-model-invocation: true

context: fork

allowed-tools:

- AskUserQuestion

- Read

- Write

- Edit

- Glob

- Grep

- Bash(mkdir *)

- Bash(ls *)

- Bash(date *)

- Bash(open *)

- Bash(pwd)

- Bash(echo *)

- Bash(test *)

- WebFetch

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_context_mcp

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_create_mcp

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_close_mcp

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__navigate

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__get_page_text

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__read_page

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__find

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__form_input

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__computer

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__resize_window

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__javascript_tool

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__read_console_messages

- mcp__claude-in-chrome__gif_creator

---

# UX Interview

Play a real user in an interview-style test of a web product. Narrate think-aloud reactions live as you click, scroll, and try to accomplish realistic goals — then deliver a structured report with severity-ranked findings, delight moments, and prioritized recommendations.

This skill is **not** an automated test runner (see `/ui-test` for that). It is a qualitative user-perspective audit. Findings are based on judgement, not assertions.

## Preferences

_On startup, use the `Read` tool to load `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/preferences.md`. If missing, treat as first-run (see First-time detection)._

Defaults when no preferences exist:

- `output-root`: `./ux-interviews/` (cwd-relative when in a project; falls back to `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/runs/` otherwise)

- `default-depth`: `standard` (quick ≈ 5–7 min walkthrough / standard ≈ 12–18 min / deep ≈ 25 min+ with multiple flows)

- `narration-style`: `expressive` (expressive — feels like a real user / neutral — observational / terse — short notes only)

- `persona-mode`: `auto-suggest` (auto-suggest with override / always-ask / fixed-default)

- `severity-floor`: `minor` (nitpick / minor / moderate / major — anything at-or-above is reported)

- `capture-mode`: `friction-only` (friction-only / per-section / never) — when GIFs/screenshots are taken

- `viewport`: `1440x900` — also accepts a list (e.g. `375x812,1440x900`) to test responsive

- `confirm-plan`: `always` (always / never) — confirm the test plan before opening the browser

- `auto-open-report`: `true`

_Also load `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/feedback-journal.md` if present — surface the latest 5 `Signal:` lines to bias defaults (e.g. if the user repeatedly downgraded "minor copy issues", raise the severity floor pre-selection)._

## Context

_On startup, use Bash to detect: today's date+time (`date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M`), the current working directory (`pwd`), and whether the configured `output-root` exists. Do NOT call any browser tool yet — that happens in Step 4._

## Command routing

Check `$ARGUMENTS`:

- **`help`** → display help, stop

- **`config`** → run config flow, stop

- **`reset`** → delete `preferences.md` + `feedback-journal.md` + `sessions/` + `resume-state.md`, confirm, stop

- **`feedback`** → collect ratings on the most recent session (see Feedback section), stop

- **`history`** → list recent session folders with verdict + timestamp, stop

- **`resume`** → reopen `resume-state.md` and continue an interrupted session, stop on completion

- **`--from-brief <path>`** → read the brief from a markdown file, run the session

- **anything else** → treat `$ARGUMENTS` as an inline brief (URL + free-text description), run from Step 1

## Help

```

ux-interview — Real-user-perspective UX testing via real Chrome

Usage:

/ux-interview "<url> <brief>" Inline brief, runs the session

/ux-interview --from-brief <path> Load brief from a markdown file

/ux-interview resume Resume an interrupted session

/ux-interview history List recent sessions (verdict + date)

/ux-interview feedback Rate the last session (teaches the skill)

/ux-interview config Set preferences

/ux-interview reset Clear preferences + journal + sessions

/ux-interview help This help

Per-run flags:

--persona "<who>" Override the auto-suggested persona

--focus "<areas>" Comma-list of areas/flows to prioritize

--depth quick|standard|deep

--viewport <WxH[,WxH]> Single viewport or comma-list for responsive

--no-narration Skip live think-aloud, only output the final report

--no-gif Disable GIF capture

--severity-floor <nitpick|minor|moderate|major>

--verbose

Examples:

/ux-interview "https://stripe.com — checkout flow + nav clarity"

/ux-interview --from-brief ./brief.md --persona "non-technical small-biz owner"

/ux-interview "https://acme.app/signup --focus signup,onboarding --depth deep"

Output: {output-root}/{YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM}-{slug}/ contains

report.md, brief.md, transcript.md, findings.json, captures/.

Current preferences:

(loaded from preferences.md)

```

## Config

Use `AskUserQuestion` to collect (max 4 per call):

**Batch 1 — Output & defaults**

1. Output root path (default `./ux-interviews/`)

2. Default depth (`quick` / `standard` / `deep`)

3. Persona mode (`auto-suggest` / `always-ask` / `fixed-default`)

4. Default narration style (`expressive` / `neutral` / `terse`)

**Batch 2 — Capture & strictness**

5. Severity floor (`nitpick` / `minor` / `moderate` / `major`)

6. Capture mode (`friction-only` / `per-section` / `never`)

7. Default viewport (e.g. `1440x900` or `375x812,1440x900`)

8. Confirm plan before browser (`always` / `never`)

Save to `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/preferences.md` in the **three-tier format** below.

### Preferences file format

```markdown

# /ux-interview preferences

Updated: YYYY-MM-DD

## Defaults

- output-root: ./ux-interviews/

- default-depth: standard

- narration-style: expressive

- persona-mode: auto-suggest

- severity-floor: minor

- capture-mode: friction-only

- viewport: 1440x900

- confirm-plan: always

- auto-open-report: true

## Profile (optional — edit freely)

- I usually test B2B SaaS — bias personas toward time-pressed admins.

- Skip nitpicky copy issues unless they actually block comprehension.

## Learned

- (populated from feedback over time)

```

## Reset

Delete `preferences.md`, `feedback-journal.md`, `sessions/`, and `resume-state.md`. Confirm: `Cleared. Defaults + journal + sessions wiped.`

## First-time detection

If no `preferences.md` exists:

> First time using `/ux-interview`? Run `/ux-interview config` to set defaults — or just continue and I'll use sensible ones.

Then proceed.

---

## Workflow

### Step 0 — Load learning context

Read `preferences.md` and `feedback-journal.md` (graceful: if missing, continue with defaults). Note any `Learned` rules — they pre-bias the choices in Steps 2–6 (persona pick, severity floor, narration style).

### Step 1 — Gather the brief

Inputs may come from: `$ARGUMENTS` inline string, `--from-brief <path>`, or interactive prompt. The brief should answer:

1. **Product URL** (required — must be reachable in Chrome)

2. **What the product does** (1–3 sentences)

3. **Focus areas / flows to test** (e.g. signup, checkout, dashboard, search)

4. **Known constraints** (e.g. "skip auth — use creds X", "ignore the legacy /v1 pages")

If any are missing, ask via `AskUserQuestion` (≤4 questions in one batch). Pre-select based on `Learned` rules.

Save the parsed brief to `{session-dir}/brief.md`.

### Step 2 — Suggest a persona

Based on the product description + focus areas, propose a persona that's likely to surface real issues. A persona is **3–5 lines**:

- **Who they are** (role / context / level of tech savvy)

- **What they're trying to do** (the goal that brought them here)

- **What they care about** (speed? trust? cost? clarity?)

- **What they'd give up on** (their patience threshold)

Per `persona-mode`:

- `auto-suggest`: present the suggested persona via `AskUserQuestion` with options `Use it / Tweak it / Pick a different one`

- `always-ask`: skip the suggestion, prompt the user for the persona

- `fixed-default`: use the persona stored in `preferences.md` Profile

Save the chosen persona to `{session-dir}/brief.md` under `## Persona`.

### Step 3 — Plan the session

Draft a short test plan (5–10 bullet points) covering:

- **Entry intent** — what the user is trying to do as they land on the page

- **Realistic flows** — 2–4 flows aligned to focus areas, in the order a real user would attempt them

- **Edge probes** — 1–2 deliberate "what if I do this wrong" moments (typos, back button, refresh)

- **Wrap intent** — when the user would close the tab in real life

If `confirm-plan: always`, present the plan and ask one `AskUserQuestion` to approve, tweak, or restart. If `confirm-plan: never`, log the plan to the transcript and proceed.

Save the plan to `{session-dir}/transcript.md` under `## Plan`.

### Step 4 — Run the session (think-aloud)

Open a fresh Chrome tab via `mcp__claude-in-chrome__tabs_create_mcp` (call `tabs_context_mcp` first if you don't have a current tab). Set viewport via `resize_window`. Then walk the plan.

For each step:

1. **State intent before acting** — one short sentence in the voice of the persona ("Okay, I want to find pricing — I'll scroll down").

2. **Act** — `navigate`, `find`, `computer` (click/scroll/type), `form_input` for forms.

3. **Observe** — `read_page` or `get_page_text` for content; `read_console_messages` if something looks broken.

4. **React** — narrate what the persona feels in 1–2 sentences. Tag the moment with one of:

- `[delight]` — something exceeded expectations

- `[friction]` — slow, awkward, or required guessing (severity: nitpick / minor / moderate / major)

- `[confusion]` — couldn't tell what to do, where to go, or what something meant

- `[bug]` — broken or behaved unexpectedly

- `[neutral]` — noted but no judgement

5. **Capture** (per `capture-mode`):

- `friction-only` → call `gif_creator` only on friction/confusion/bug moments

- `per-section` → capture a short GIF for each major flow transition

- `never` → skip capture

Save captures under `{session-dir}/captures/`.

Append every reaction to `{session-dir}/transcript.md` as a timestamped line:

```

[HH:MM:SS] [tag/severity] (location) "narration" — observation

```

**Stop conditions** — end early if:

- The persona would realistically give up (note this as a major friction)

- The product 500s, redirects to login you can't pass, or hits a hard block

- The depth budget is hit (quick: ~5 reactions/section, standard: ~10, deep: ~20+)

If the session is interrupted (user halts, browser disconnect), save `resume-state.md` with the current step + transcript pointer.

### Step 5 — Analyze findings

After exploration:

1. Group transcript items into **findings**. A finding combines related reactions ("Couldn't find the pricing link → had to use search → search returned no results" = one finding, not three).

2. Score each finding:

- **Severity**: nitpick / minor / moderate / major / blocker

- **Confidence**: low / medium / high (low = single observation, high = repeat or systemic)

- **Type**: copy / IA & nav / visual / interaction / performance / trust / accessibility-felt

3. Apply the `severity-floor` — anything below the floor goes to `## Below floor` (kept but not promoted).

4. Identify **delight moments** (anything tagged `[delight]`).

5. Draft **prioritized recommendations** — for each major/moderate finding, propose 1 concrete fix. Order by `(severity × confidence) / effort` (effort guessed: low/med/high).

Save structured data to `{session-dir}/findings.json`.

### Step 6 — Generate the report

Write `{session-dir}/report.md` with this structure:

```markdown

# UX Interview — {product name} — {date}

## Verdict (one paragraph)

Persona "{persona-summary}" tried to {goal}. Outcome: {succeeded / partially / abandoned}. {1–2 sentences on overall feel}.

## Top friction (severity ≥ {floor})

1. **{Title}** — {severity} · {confidence} · {type}

What happened: {…}

Why it matters: {…}

Where: {URL or location} ({capture link if any})

Suggested fix: {…}

## What worked

- {delight moment 1}

- {delight moment 2}

## Prioritized recommendations

| # | Issue | Severity | Effort | Impact |

|---|-------|----------|--------|--------|

| 1 | … | major | low | high |

## Persona & plan

{persona block}

{plan bullets}

## Full transcript

See `transcript.md`.

## Captures

See `captures/` ({N} files).

```

If `auto-open-report: true`, run `open {session-dir}/report.md`.

### Step 7 — Final summary + invite feedback

Print to chat:

- Verdict line + counts (`{N} major, {M} moderate, {K} minor; {D} delight moments`)

- Path to `report.md`

- One follow-up `AskUserQuestion`: `What's next? — Open report / Run another persona on the same product / Try a different flow / Done`

Then add the line:

> Run `/ux-interview feedback` — even one rating helps me sharpen which findings are signal vs noise for you.

Append a session log to `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM}.md` with the brief, persona, plan summary, finding counts by severity, and a 1-line verdict. This is what `feedback` reads.

---

## Feedback & learning

When invoked as `/ux-interview feedback`:

1. Find the most recent `sessions/YYYY-MM-DD-HHMM.md`. If none, say `No recent session found.` and stop.

2. Print a one-line summary of that session.

3. Ask via `AskUserQuestion` (4 questions in one batch):

- **Persona fit** — was the persona believable for this product? (`spot-on / close / off`)

- **Findings quality** — were the issues real or fabricated/noisy? (`mostly real / mixed / mostly noise`)

- **Severity calibration** — were severities right? (`right / too harsh / too lenient`)

- **Depth** — was the session the right depth? (`right / too shallow / too deep`)

4. Append to `~/.claude/skills/ux-interview/feedback-journal.md`:

```

## {session slug} — {date}

- Persona fit: {answer}

- Findings quality: {answer}

- Severity calibration: {answer}

- Depth: {answer}

- Signal: {one-line generalisation, e.g. "User wants severity floor raised for B2B SaaS — they keep flagging minor copy as noise"}

```

5. **Promotion rule**: when 3+ recent sessions show the same `Signal`, promote it to `## Learned` in `preferences.md`. Mention once: `Noticed you consistently {…}. Saved as standing default.`

6. **Drift correction**: if a `Learned` rule is contradicted in 2 newer sessions, demote it (log the demotion in the journal).

Pre-selection in Step 2's persona question and Step 5's severity-floor application should be biased by `Learned` rules.

---

## Principles

1. **Real user, not assertion engine** — narrate the felt experience. If something is technically working but emotionally annoying, that's still a finding.

2. **Stay in persona** — if the persona is "non-technical small-biz owner", do NOT use the dev tools mindset to spot CSS issues. Note what *they* would notice.

3. **Severity is honest** — a "tiny copy issue" is `nitpick`, not `major`. Inflating severity ruins the signal.

4. **Capture the moment, not the page** — GIFs should show the friction (the wrong click, the back-button, the squinting), not a clean recording.

5. **Graceful degradation** — continue with built-in defaults if `preferences.md` / `feedback-journal.md` can't be read; skip captures if `gif_creator` fails; don't abort the whole session for one tool error.

6. **Learn quietly** — promote a rule only after 3+ consistent signals; mention once when promoting.

7. **Destructive actions need confirmation** — never click anything that obviously deletes/posts/charges without asking the persona-as-user "would I really click this?" and confirming with the human user.

8. **Stop means stop** — when the human user halts mid-session, save `resume-state.md` and exit cleanly. Don't keep poking the browser.

9. **Skill orchestrates, does not re-judge** — preserve the user's brief verbatim; don't rewrite their focus areas to be "more testable".