We built https://github.com/trabian/fluxwing-skills to handle some of this use case. For the most part it's now on the shelf but we use the react-ink toolkit for similar things. It's faster and aligns better.

I went down this path with fluxwing, it works really well but it was slow.

I'm about to deliver a proposal to a prospect with ascii mocks, we'll see how it goes. I am the product leader.

and tbf I've used low fidelity to engage stakeholders imagination long before ai was making ascii for me.

Author here. We built Fluxwing to solve a frustrating problem: *design iteration is too slow*.

*The problem:* Figma forces you to start at high fidelity. You're making pixel-perfect decisions before you know if the structure is even right. Want to try 5 different layouts? Hours of dragging and resizing. AI can't help because binary files.

*The workflow we wanted:* 1. Start LOW-fidelity (ASCII) → iterate instantly with AI 2. Add fidelity PROGRESSIVELY as design solidifies 3. Generate HIGH-fidelity outputs (Figma, React) FROM the spec

*The format:* Built on *uxscii* (open standard). Two files: `.uxm` (JSON metadata) + `.md` (ASCII template).

*The magic:* Both humans AND AI understand ASCII natively. No vision models. Instant feedback loop through conversation.

*Progressive fidelity:* - Level 1: ASCII layout (structure) ← start here, iterate fast - Level 2: Component metadata (states, behavior) - Level 3: Design tokens (colors, spacing) - Level 4: Generate outputs (Figma, React)

*The implementation:* Six Claude Code skills. Natural language activation. "Create a login screen" → ASCII in seconds → iterate through conversation → add metadata → done.

*Roadmap:* Building generators that create Figma components and React code FROM .uxm specs. One spec → multiple outputs. Change once, regenerate everything.

*Stack:* Plain text + JSON Schema. No dependencies. Version control friendly. Open source (MIT).

This isn't replacing Figma. It's a *different starting point*. Fluxwing for rapid iteration at low fidelity. Figma for final polish. Or generate Figma FROM Fluxwing when we ship the plugin.

Built by Trabian. Came from internal needs (fintech UIs, lots of iteration with clients).

Happy to answer questions