react-native-design

Overview of react-native-design skill

react-native-design is a focused skill for generating and reviewing React Native UI implementation patterns, especially around StyleSheet, responsive layout, React Navigation, and Reanimated 3. It is best for developers, AI-assisted coders, and product teams building cross-platform mobile interfaces who want output that is closer to production React Native structure than a generic “make this screen pretty” prompt.

What react-native-design is for

The real job-to-be-done is not “design” in the abstract. It is turning a UI requirement into React Native code and patterns that respect mobile constraints: screen layout, platform differences, type-safe navigation, gesture-friendly interactions, and performant animation choices.

Who should install react-native-design

Use the react-native-design skill if you regularly need help with:

• building screens and component layouts in React Native
• choosing between stack, tabs, and nested navigation patterns
• adding Reanimated 3 motion without guessing the API shape
• structuring styles, variants, and theming in a maintainable way
• converting rough product requirements into implementation-ready UI code

What makes this skill different from a generic prompt

The main differentiator is scope. react-native-design is not a broad frontend design assistant. It is opinionated around React Native implementation details and points users toward concrete patterns from the skill’s reference files:

• references/styling-patterns.md
• references/navigation-patterns.md
• references/reanimated-patterns.md

That makes it more useful when you need mobile UI code structure, not just visual suggestions.

What it does well

react-native-design is strongest when the request falls into one of three buckets:

1. screen and component styling with StyleSheet
2. navigation architecture with typed route params
3. animation and interaction patterns using Reanimated 3

If your goal touches those areas, this skill can reduce prompt ambiguity and speed up first-pass implementation.

Important limits before you install

This is not a full design system package, component library, or Expo setup wizard. It also does not replace app-specific UX decisions, accessibility review, or testing. If your main need is Figma generation, web CSS, or branding exploration, react-native-design is likely the wrong fit.

How to Use react-native-design skill

Install react-native-design in your skills environment

Add the skill from the repository:

npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill react-native-design

After install, invoke react-native-design when you want the agent to produce React Native UI implementation guidance rather than generic UI ideas.

Read these files first

For fast evaluation, read in this order:

1. SKILL.md
2. references/styling-patterns.md
3. references/navigation-patterns.md
4. references/reanimated-patterns.md

This reading path mirrors the most common adoption questions: styling first, app flow second, motion third.

What input react-native-design needs

The react-native-design skill performs best when you provide concrete implementation context, not just a screen name. Include:

• React Native setup details: Expo or bare, TypeScript or JavaScript
• target platforms: iOS, Android, or both
• navigation stack already in use, if any
• state management or theming constraints
• the screen goal and user action flow
• any animation intent, gesture behavior, or performance sensitivity

A weak input:

• “Build a profile screen.”

A stronger input:

• “Using React Native with TypeScript and React Navigation native stack, build a profile screen for iOS and Android with a header, avatar, stats row, editable bio, and sticky action bar. Use StyleSheet, support dark mode, and include a subtle Reanimated entrance for the stats cards.”

The stronger version gives react-native-design enough structure to return code that fits your stack.

Turn a rough idea into a good react-native-design prompt

A practical prompt template:

Use react-native-design.

Context:
- Stack: React Native + TypeScript
- Navigation: React Navigation native stack
- Styling: StyleSheet only
- Platforms: iOS and Android

Goal:
Build a [screen/component] for [user task].

Requirements:
- Include [layout sections]
- Handle [states, empty/loading/error]
- Use [navigation behavior]
- Add [animation/gesture needs]
- Keep code modular and production-oriented

Output:
- component code
- styles
- navigation types if needed
- short explanation of key design choices

This format helps the skill choose from the right pattern family instead of inventing a mismatched approach.

Best workflow for screen implementation

A high-signal workflow for react-native-design usage is:

1. ask for the screen structure and state map
2. ask for the base component and StyleSheet
3. add navigation integration
4. add animation only after layout is stable
5. request refactoring into smaller components if the output gets large

This sequence matters because navigation and animation are easier to add cleanly after the hierarchy is settled.

Use the styling references deliberately

references/styling-patterns.md is the most generally useful file. It shows patterns for:

• typed styles
• style composition
• theme context approaches
• external style overrides

When you prompt react-native-design for UI Design work, explicitly state whether you want plain StyleSheet, themed tokens, or style variants. Otherwise, the output may be technically valid but inconsistent with your codebase conventions.

Use the navigation references for app structure questions

references/navigation-patterns.md is especially valuable if your request involves nested navigators, route params, or TypeScript-safe screen props. Ask react-native-design for:

• param list definitions
• screen prop typing
• navigator composition
• hook usage for navigation and route access

This is where the skill adds more value than a generic prompt, because navigation code often breaks down when route types are omitted.

Use the Reanimated reference only when motion matters

references/reanimated-patterns.md is strongest for concrete motion behavior such as:

• entrance or exit transitions
• gesture-driven transforms
• spring or timing animation choices
• animation callbacks and state handoff

Do not lead with animation if the screen layout is still undefined. In practice, react-native-design gives better output when motion is layered onto a stable component tree.

Practical prompt examples that fit this skill

Example for styling:

Use react-native-design to create a settings screen with grouped sections, reusable row components, and dark mode support. Use React Native `StyleSheet`, keep spacing tokenized, and show how to override row styles safely.

Example for navigation:

Use react-native-design to set up a root stack with auth flow, main tabs, and a modal details screen. Generate TypeScript param lists and example screen props for each layer.

Example for animation:

Use react-native-design to add Reanimated 3 interactions to a draggable card deck. Explain which values should be shared values, which styles should be animated, and where to keep React state separate.

Common adoption blockers

Most frustration with react-native-design comes from missing context, not missing capability. Common blockers include:

• asking for “design” without naming React Native constraints
• mixing web CSS expectations into a native layout request
• requesting navigation code without saying which navigator types are in use
• asking for animation without saying whether react-native-reanimated is already installed

If you include the environment and desired output shape, the skill becomes much more predictable.

react-native-design skill FAQ

Is react-native-design good for beginners?

Yes, if you already know basic React Native project structure. The skill gives usable implementation patterns, but it assumes you understand where files belong and how to run the app. Beginners will get the most value by starting with styling requests before asking for nested navigation or advanced Reanimated behavior.

Is react-native-design only for visual polish?

No. react-native-design is more implementation-oriented than visual. Its strongest output is often code structure: typed navigation, reusable styled components, and performant animation setup. If you need pixel-perfect branding exploration, pair it with your own design source.

How is react-native-design different from an ordinary prompt?

Ordinary prompts often produce generic React-like code that ignores mobile navigation, platform behavior, or Reanimated conventions. The react-native-design skill is narrower and therefore better at returning React Native-specific patterns grounded in the repository’s reference material.

When should I not use react-native-design?

Skip react-native-design when your task is mainly:

• web UI or CSS architecture
• non-React-Native mobile frameworks
• backend or API design
• pure UX strategy with no implementation target
• visual asset creation

It is also a poor fit if you need a complete dependency installation guide for every package in your app; the skill is more about implementation patterns than end-to-end project bootstrapping.

Does react-native-design cover navigation setup?

Yes, and this is one of the better reasons to use it. The navigation reference includes concrete installation context and typed patterns for @react-navigation/native, native stack, tabs, react-native-screens, and react-native-safe-area-context.

Does react-native-design help with animations?

Yes, especially for Reanimated 3 concepts like shared values, animated styles, spring/timing transitions, and callback flow. It is useful when you know the interaction you want but need help mapping it to correct Reanimated structure.

How to Improve react-native-design skill

Give react-native-design implementation constraints up front

The fastest way to improve output quality is to front-load constraints:

• Expo or bare React Native
• TypeScript or JavaScript
• styling system
• navigator choice
• package versions if relevant
• target platforms
• accessibility or performance requirements

This reduces “looks plausible but does not fit my app” responses.

Ask for states, not just the happy path

Many first-pass UI prompts ignore loading, empty, error, offline, and disabled states. react-native-design becomes more useful when you request those states explicitly, because they influence layout, navigation logic, and animation behavior.

A better ask:

• “Include loading, empty, and error states with reusable layout wrappers.”

Separate architecture from polish

If you ask for styling, navigation, and complex animation all at once, the output can become bloated. Better sequence:

1. architecture
2. base screen code
3. navigation typing
4. motion details
5. cleanup and extraction

This keeps react-native-design focused and makes reviews easier.

Tell it what to optimize for

Different React Native teams care about different tradeoffs. Say whether the priority is:

• readability
• reusability
• animation performance
• strict typing
• fast prototyping
• platform consistency

Without this, react-native-design may choose a valid pattern that is wrong for your team’s standards.

Reference the skill's source files in your request

You can improve react-native-design usage by steering it toward the exact reference set you want:

• “Follow the style composition approach from references/styling-patterns.md.”
• “Use the typed navigator approach from references/navigation-patterns.md.”
• “Apply shared values and animated styles in the spirit of references/reanimated-patterns.md.”

That produces more grounded answers than asking for “best practices” in the abstract.

Watch for common failure modes

Typical weak outputs include:

• styles that are valid but not tokenized or reusable
• navigation examples without complete param typing
• Reanimated code added where simple layout transitions would be enough
• components that mix visual structure and app state too tightly

When you see these, ask react-native-design to refactor around one concern at a time.

Improve prompts with component boundaries

Instead of requesting one large screen, specify boundaries such as:

• ProfileHeader
• StatsRow
• ActionBar
• SettingsSection

This helps react-native-design return modular code that is easier to paste into a real project and easier to test.

Iterate after the first answer

The best pattern is not one giant prompt but one good prompt plus one precise revision request. Useful follow-ups include:

• “Now extract shared styles into reusable tokens.”
• “Now add typed route params and screen prop helpers.”
• “Now replace basic transitions with Reanimated 3 springs.”
• “Now make the layout more robust for small screens.”

That is usually how you get from acceptable output to code that survives actual integration.

Use react-native-design for UI Design, not final QA

react-native-design for UI Design is strongest at proposing implementation structure and code patterns. It should not be your last step. Validate the result in-device for:

• touch target size
• safe area handling
• keyboard overlap
• animation smoothness
• platform-specific visual differences

That final verification is where React Native issues usually surface, and no skill can fully replace it.