Design KB — agent load map¶
Purpose: Tell Cursor (or any agent) which files to read for a design task. Keeps context windows focused.
Rule: Load general design-knowledge/ docs by default. Load projects/<name>/ only when the user’s active work is that sub-project.
Global load order (any design task)¶
README.md— scope checkcontext-engineering.md— how much to load- Task-specific docs from tables below
SOURCE_INDEX.md— only when you need an external deep link
Also useful: ../ai-engineering/context-engineering.md · ../cursor-knowledge/mobile-web-design.md (dense tables / mobile)
Task → documents¶
| Task | Load (in order) |
|---|---|
| New static / marketing site | website-design/information-architecture.md → design-patterns/static-site-patterns.md → ui-design/principles.md → ui-design/accessibility.md |
| Nonprofit / mission-driven site | website-design/nonprofit-and-mission.md → design-patterns/static-site-patterns.md → e-commerce/donations-nonprofit.md → ui-design/accessibility.md |
| E-commerce storefront | e-commerce/fundamentals.md → e-commerce/checkout-and-payments.md → ui-design/accessibility.md → design-patterns/responsive-and-mobile.md |
| Donation / fundraising flows only | e-commerce/donations-nonprofit.md → website-design/conversion-and-ctas.md |
| UI components / design system | ui-design/design-systems.md → ui-design/principles.md → ui-design/accessibility.md |
| Mobile / responsive layout | design-patterns/responsive-and-mobile.md → ../cursor-knowledge/mobile-web-design.md |
| Heuristic / UX audit | design-thinking/ux-research-methods.md → ui-design/psychology.md |
| REST API for web product | backend-design/api-design-rest.md → full-stack/contract-first.md → backend-design/security-basics.md |
| Backend architecture (deploy) | backend-design/architecture-patterns.md → backend-design/api-design-rest.md |
| Full-stack greenfield | This file → full-stack/README.md → layer docs as needed |
Sub-project: equine therapy nonprofit¶
Only when building that specific site:
../projects/equine-therapy-nonprofit/reference-sites.md../projects/equine-therapy-nonprofit/research-journal.md- General nonprofit row above
Do not load equine project files for unrelated websites.
Anti-patterns for agents¶
| Don't | Do instead |
|---|---|
Load entire design-knowledge/ tree |
Load 3–5 task-matched files |
| Paste Baymard paywalled guideline text | Summarize + link SOURCE_INDEX.md |
Copy competitor nonprofit copy from projects/ |
Extract patterns, write original copy |
| Skip accessibility on “visual” tasks | Always include ui-design/accessibility.md for public web |