distill

Overview of distill skill

What distill does

The distill skill helps you simplify a UI by removing noise, redundant options, and weak hierarchy until the core task is obvious. It is best for design decisions where the real job is to make an interface feel clearer, lighter, and easier to scan, not merely “prettier.” If you need a distill guide for decluttering screens, this skill is aimed at that kind of hard-edged simplification.

Best fit for UI Design work

Use distill for UI Design when a screen has too many competing elements, unclear priorities, or visual decoration that does not support the main user goal. It is useful for product designers, frontend teams, and AI agents that need a strict simplification pass before implementation. The main value is judgment: deciding what to remove, merge, hide, or defer.

What makes it different

This distill skill is not a generic “make it cleaner” prompt. Its workflow starts with assessing complexity sources, then identifying the single primary goal, then reducing to essentials. That makes it better for messy feature pages, dashboards, forms, and settings screens than for open-ended branding work. The strongest outputs happen when the input already includes a target screen and a clear reason for simplification.

How to Use distill skill

Install distill and read the entry file

Install with npx skills add pbakaus/impeccable --skill distill. Start with SKILL.md, because it is the only source file in the skill path and defines the full workflow. If you are evaluating distill install fit, the absence of helper files means you should expect to rely on the core instructions rather than a larger reference system.

Give the skill a real design target

The distill usage pattern works best when you name the screen, state the problem, and describe the current clutter. A weak prompt is: “simplify this page.” A stronger one is: “Distill the pricing page for first-time buyers: reduce competing CTAs, keep one primary action, and preserve comparison clarity.” Include constraints such as “must keep checkout,” “must keep legal text,” or “mobile-first” when they affect what can be removed.

Read the workflow in order

The skill’s logic is: assess current state, find the essence, then simplify. That means you should not ask for polish before the core structure is resolved. For better output, provide one of these inputs first: a screenshot, a page description, a component list, or a short map of the current hierarchy. If the design context is missing, the skill expects clarification before it can confidently distill.

Use it as a simplification pass

The best distill guide workflow is to run it after you already know what the product needs to do, but before final visual detailing. Ask for a reduction plan, not just a rewritten prompt. For example: “Distill this dashboard into one primary action, three key metrics, and one supporting panel; explain what should be removed, merged, or deferred.” That gives the skill enough structure to produce actionable simplification.

distill skill FAQ

Is distill only for UI Design?

Mostly yes. The skill is tuned for simplifying interfaces, hierarchy, and interaction density. It can help with content-heavy pages too, but its strongest use case is distill for UI Design, especially when visual clutter is the problem.

Do I need a full spec to use distill?

No, but you do need enough context to identify the main user goal and the parts that create complexity. If you only have a vague idea, the skill will push for clarification. A screenshot plus a sentence about the target audience is often enough to start.

How is distill different from a normal prompt?

A normal prompt may ask for cleanup without defining what should stay. Distill is more decision-oriented: it asks what matters most, what can be removed, and what the essential flow is. That makes it more useful when you need disciplined reduction instead of stylistic refinement.

When should I not use distill?

Do not use it when the problem is missing functionality, not excess complexity. If the interface is already simple but users are failing because the flow is broken, you need usability repair rather than simplification. It is also a poor fit when the product requires dense information by design, such as advanced admin tooling with many necessary controls.

How to Improve distill skill

Start with the actual constraint

The biggest quality gain comes from telling distill what cannot change. List fixed elements such as required fields, legal text, existing navigation, or must-keep actions. This prevents over-simplification and helps the skill focus on the parts that can genuinely be distilled.

Separate clutter from core value

When you ask for distill, explicitly label which elements are essential and which are decorative or redundant. For example: “Keep search, filters, and one primary CTA; remove duplicated stats, secondary buttons, and decorative panels.” That kind of input improves the simplification pass far more than generic “clean it up” language.

Iterate on hierarchy, then visuals

If the first output is still too busy, ask for a second pass that tightens hierarchy before changing color or spacing. Common failure mode: the page looks cleaner but still has too many actions. Common fix: ask distill to merge options, remove noncritical paths, and make one dominant next step. This is the fastest way to get a stronger distill result.

Give the skill the right evidence

If you want better distill usage results, provide the current screen state, target device, and desired user outcome. A compact input like “mobile settings page, keep account and security, simplify for first-time users” is more useful than a broad aesthetic request. The more concrete the evidence, the better the skill can decide what to remove without damaging the product.