# Designer on-ramp

> Four stages, from asking questions to orchestrating full runs. Skipping stages is how people get stuck.

| Stage | What it looks like | You're ready for the next when… |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **1 — Ask** | Use skills as a smart reference: "check this screen against the standard", "rewrite this error message" | You trust the answers enough to act on them |
| **2 — Direct** | Let the skill act on one thing at a time: lint one screen, restyle one component, approve each change | You can predict what it will and won't get right |
| **3 — Contract** | Write the intent, approve the plan, step away; review the result, not the steps | Your plans come back built as intended |
| **4 — Orchestrate** | Hand over outcomes: full loop runs, parallel explorations, you judge at the gates | — |

## If you have no tooling in front of you

Three questions extract most of the value of a review system. Ask the agent:

1. **What was the hardest decision you made here?**
2. **What alternatives did you reject, and why?**
3. **What are you least confident about?**