/cognitive-doc-design

name: cognitive-doc-design
description: "Design docs that reduce cognitive load. Trigger: writing guides, READMEs, RFCs, onboarding, architecture, or review-facing docs."
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  author: gentleman-programming
  version: "1.0"

When to Use

Load this skill when creating or editing documentation that people need to understand quickly, retain, or use during review.

Use it especially for:

• PR descriptions and review notes.
• Contributor or maintainer guides.
• Architecture, workflow, or onboarding docs.
• Any doc that currently feels long, dense, or hard to scan.

Critical Patterns

| Pattern | Rule | |---------|------| | Lead with the answer | Put the decision, action, or outcome first. Context comes after. | | Progressive disclosure | Start with the happy path, then add details, edge cases, and references. | | Chunking | Group related information into small sections. Keep flat lists short. | | Signposting | Use headings, labels, callouts, and summaries so readers know where they are. | | Recognition over recall | Prefer tables, checklists, examples, and templates over prose that must be remembered. | | Review empathy | Design docs so reviewers can verify intent without reconstructing the whole story. |

Documentation Shape

Use this default structure unless the repo already provides a stronger template:

# <Outcome-oriented title>

<One paragraph: what changed, who it helps, and why it matters.>

## Quick path

1. <First action>
2. <Second action>
3. <Verification or expected result>

## Details

| Topic | Decision |
|-------|----------|
| <area> | <concise explanation> |

## Checklist

- [ ] <Reader can confirm this>
- [ ] <Reader can confirm that>

## Next step

<Link or action that continues the workflow.>

PR and Review Docs

When documenting a PR, reduce reviewer burnout by making the review path explicit:

• State what to review first.
• State what is intentionally out of scope.
• Link the previous and next PR when work is chained.
• Keep each section focused on one decision or unit of work.
• Use checklists for acceptance criteria and verification.

Commands

# Check markdown files changed in the current branch
git diff --name-only -- '*.md'

# Inspect PR changed-line count for cognitive load
gh pr view <PR_NUMBER> --json additions,deletions,changedFiles