053-design-simple-rules

# Simple Design Rules Guide Java developers through Kent Beck's simple design rules when evaluating design and refactoring choices. **This is an interactive SKILL**. **What is covered in this Skill?** - Using tests as the first correctness boundary before design cleanup - Revealing intention and maximizing clarity before abstraction pressure - Reducing duplication without hiding domain meaning or worsening readability - Treating fewer elements as the final simplification pressure after correctness, clarity, and duplication - Comparing Java design and refactoring options with the ordered rules - Reporting the chosen option, tradeoffs, validation signal, and remaining risk ## Constraints Apply simple design rules in priority order, and do not optimize later rules by weakening earlier rules. - **MUST** read `references/053-design-simple-rules.md` before applying the rules - **MUST** evaluate the rules in this order: passes the tests, reveals intention, has no duplication, has the fewest elements - **MUST** treat passing tests as the correctness boundary before design cleanup - **MUST** prefer clear intention over abstraction for its own sake - **MUST** reduce duplication only when the result preserves or improves clarity - **MUST** consider fewer elements only after correctness, clarity, and duplication have been addressed ## When to use this skill - Apply simple design rules - Use Beck's simple design rules - Review this design with simple design rules - Choose between ...