adapt

Adapt existing designs to work effectively across different contexts - different screen sizes, devices, platforms, or use cases.

MANDATORY PREPARATION

Users start this workflow with /adapt. Once this skill is active, load $frontend-design — it contains design principles, anti-patterns, and the Context Gathering Protocol. Follow that protocol before proceeding — if no design context exists yet, you MUST load $setup first. Additionally gather: target platforms/devices and usage contexts.

Consult the responsive reference for narrow-first adaptation, fluid behavior, and container-query strategy. Consult the spacing system when adaptation problems are really grouping, rhythm, or width-discipline issues. Consult the cognitive load when smaller screens or constrained contexts amplify too many visible choices at once.

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Assess Adaptation Challenge

Understand what needs adaptation and why:

1. Identify the source context:

   • What was it designed for originally? (Wide-layout web? Compact responsive web?)
   • What assumptions were made? (Large screen? Mouse input? Fast connection?)
   • What works well in current context?

2. Understand target context:

   • Viewport / context: Narrow, medium, wide, TV, embedded, print?
   • Input method: Touch, mouse, keyboard, voice, gamepad?
   • Screen constraints: Size, resolution, orientation?
   • Connection: Fast wifi, slow 3G, offline?
   • Usage context: On-the-go vs desk, quick glance vs focused reading?
   • User expectations: What do users expect on this platform?

3. Identify adaptation challenges:

   • What won't fit? (Content, navigation, features)
   • What won't work? (Hover states on touch, tiny touch targets)
   • What's inappropriate? (Wide-layout patterns in narrow layouts, hover-only patterns in coarse-pointer contexts)

CRITICAL: Adaptation is not just scaling - it's rethinking the experience for the new context.

Treat smaller screens as real constraints, not as desktop layouts that got squeezed in the wash.

Plan Adaptation Strategy

Create context-appropriate strategy:

First Principles

• Shrink the canvas first: Start with the smaller constraint and solve the core task there
• Design narrow layouts as their own layout: Don't just compress wide-layout relationships proportionally
• Preserve natural widths: Use max-widths and content-appropriate widths instead of percentage worship
• Let large elements shrink faster than small ones: Relationships change across breakpoints

Narrow-Layout Adaptation (Wide → Compact)

Layout Strategy:

• Single column instead of multi-column
• Vertical stacking instead of side-by-side
• Components should use the width they actually need; full-width is fine when helpful, not as a reflex
• Compact navigation instead of assuming a persistent top or side structure

Interaction Strategy:

• Touch targets 44x44px minimum (not hover-dependent)
• Gesture support where appropriate and discoverable
• Edge-attached or anchored overlays instead of cramped dropdowns when space is tight
• Keep repeated actions in reachable zones for compact touch-capable layouts
• Larger hit areas with more spacing

Content Strategy:

• Progressive disclosure (don't show everything at once)
• Prioritize primary content (secondary content in tabs/accordions)
• Shorter text (more concise)
• Larger text (16px minimum)

Navigation Strategy:

• Clear compact navigation entry points such as drawers, accordions, or condensed menus
• Reduce navigation complexity
• Sticky headers for context
• Back button in navigation flow

Mid-Width Adaptation

Layout Strategy:

• Two-column layouts (not single or three-column)
• Side panels for secondary content
• Master-detail views (list + detail)
• Adaptive based on orientation (portrait vs landscape)

Interaction Strategy:

• Support both touch and pointer
• Preserve generous target sizes while allowing denser layouts than the narrowest viewport
• Side navigation drawers
• Multi-column forms where appropriate

Wide-Layout Expansion

Layout Strategy:

• Multi-column layouts (use horizontal space)
• Side navigation always visible
• Multiple information panels simultaneously
• Fixed widths with max-width constraints (don't stretch to 4K)
• Use columns to rebalance narrow content instead of making forms or reading widths too wide

Interaction Strategy:

• Hover states for additional information
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Right-click context menus
• Drag and drop where helpful
• Multi-select with Shift/Cmd

Content Strategy:

• Show more information upfront (less progressive disclosure)
• Data tables with many columns
• Richer visualizations
• More detailed descriptions

Print Adaptation (Screen → Print)

Layout Strategy:

• Page breaks at logical points
• Remove navigation, footer, interactive elements
• Black and white (or limited color)
• Proper margins for binding

Content Strategy:

• Expand shortened content (show full URLs, hidden sections)
• Add page numbers, headers, footers
• Include metadata (print date, page title)
• Convert charts to print-friendly versions

Email Adaptation (Web → Email)

Layout Strategy:

• Narrow width (600px max)
• Single column only
• Inline CSS (no external stylesheets)
• Table-based layouts (for email client compatibility)

Interaction Strategy:

• Large, obvious CTAs (buttons not text links)
• No hover states (not reliable)
• Deep links to web app for complex interactions

Implement Adaptations

Apply changes systematically:

Responsive Breakpoints

Choose appropriate breakpoints:

• Narrow: 320px-767px
• Medium: 768px-1023px
• Wide: 1024px+
• Or content-driven breakpoints (where design breaks)

Layout Adaptation Techniques

• CSS Grid/Flexbox: Reflow layouts automatically
• Container Queries: Adapt based on container, not viewport
• clamp(): Fluid sizing between min and max
• Media queries: Different styles for different contexts
• Display properties: Show/hide elements per context
• Max-widths: Keep forms, text blocks, and sidebars at natural widths until the viewport forces change

Touch Adaptation

• Increase touch target sizes (44x44px minimum)
• Add more spacing between interactive elements
• Remove hover-dependent interactions
• Add touch feedback (ripples, highlights)
• Consider thumb zones (easier to reach bottom than top)

Content Adaptation

• Use display: none sparingly (still downloads)
• Progressive enhancement (core content first, enhancements on larger screens)
• Lazy loading for off-screen content
• Responsive images (srcset, picture element)

Navigation Adaptation

• Transform complex navigation into compact menus, drawers, or accordion structures on narrow layouts
• Persistent side navigation on desktop
• Breadcrumbs or compact context cues on narrower layouts

IMPORTANT: Test on real devices, not just browser DevTools. Device emulation is helpful but not perfect.

NEVER:

• Hide core functionality in narrow layouts (if it matters, make it work)
• Assume desktop = powerful device (consider accessibility, older machines)
• Use different information architecture across contexts (confusing)
• Break user expectations for responsive web behavior in a given input context
• Forget narrow landscape or medium-width window states
• Use generic breakpoints blindly (use content-driven breakpoints)
• Ignore touch on desktop (many desktop devices have touch)
• Scale desktop relationships down proportionally and call it responsive design
• Make components fluid when they don't actually benefit from scaling

Verify Adaptations

Test thoroughly across contexts:

• Real devices: Test on actual touch-capable browsers, laptops/desktops, and constrained hardware where relevant
• Different orientations: Portrait and landscape
• Different browsers: Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge
• Different OS: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and touch-capable browser environments when relevant
• Different input methods: Touch, mouse, keyboard
• Edge cases: Very small screens (320px), very large screens (4K)
• Slow connections: Test on throttled network

Remember: You're a responsive web design expert. Make experiences that feel well-adapted to each web context while maintaining brand and functionality consistency. Adapt intentionally, test thoroughly.