Design OS
by Builder Methods (Brian Casel)
Product planning and design workflow that produces production-ready frontend components (not mockups)
See https://buildermethods.com/design-os
Short summary
Design OS is a free, open‑source design and product‑planning tool that guides builders from product vision to production‑ready UI components. Unlike Figma-style mockups, Design OS outputs actual screens and React/Tailwind component specs that can be handed directly to AI coding agents or developers for implementation.
Features
- Structured three‑phase workflow: Product Planning → Section Design → Export
- Produces production‑ready components (React + Tailwind by default) rather than static mockups
- Exports data model, design tokens, application shell, sample data, and component screenshots/asset package
- Slash‑command driven guided design flow (AI asks clarifying questions during steps)
- Runs locally and is open source; optional cloud collaboration features planned
- Built using modern frontend primitives (shadcn, Lucide icons, Google Fonts) but adaptable to other stacks
Superpowers
- Eliminates the common mockup-to-code recreation gap by producing components that port directly into codebases
- Provides a middle ground between ad-hoc “vibe coding” and exhaustive hand‑holding of AI agents — you keep high‑level control while the tool produces implementation-ready UI specs
- Works for both technical builders (who want full architectural control) and non-technical product builders (who want to express product vision without coding)
- Integrates naturally with spec-driven agent workflows (e.g., Agent OS) so agents receive full context: product plan, UI components, and implementation specs
Practical usage examples
- Run a short Design OS workflow to produce a real UI component spec (component code, sample data, and screenshots) and then give that package to an AI coding agent (or developer) to implement the feature directly in your repo.
- Use Product Planning mode to export your data model + design tokens so backend changes and frontend styles stay aligned when agents scaffold screens.
- Generate a handoff package per section (screens + sample data) to ensure consistent UI patterns across an app when multiple agents or contributors add features.
Pricing
- Core tool: Free, open source, local-first
- Planned: optional paid cloud service for sharing, change‑tracking, and team collaboration
Notes / Integrations
- Default frontend assumptions: React + Tailwind; backend can be any stack (Rails, Next.js, Laravel, etc.)
- Designed to complement Agent OS / other spec-driven agent systems so that AI implementation has precise UI and data context
- Useful for teams using AI coding agents (Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor, etc.) to reduce iteration and rework