Generic Feature Developer

Guide feature development across any tech stack.

When to Use This Skill

Use for:

• Adding new features to existing codebase
• Modifying or extending current systems
• Planning architectural changes
• Choosing between implementation approaches
• Designing data flow for new functionality

Don't use when:

• Pure UI/styling work → use generic-design-system
• UX design decisions → use generic-ux-designer
• Code review → use generic-code-reviewer

Development Workflow

1. Understand - Read CLAUDE.md, identify affected files, list constraints
2. Plan - Choose patterns, design data flow, identify edge cases
3. Implement - Small testable changes, commit frequently
4. Test & Document - Write tests, update docs, performance check

Architecture by Project Type

Static Sites

project/
├── index.html
├── css/           # variables.css, style.css
├── js/            # main.js, utils.js
└── assets/

Patterns: CSS variables, ES modules, event delegation

React/Next.js

src/
├── components/    # ui/, features/, layout/
├── hooks/
├── stores/
├── services/
└── types/

Patterns: Container/Presentational, custom hooks, Zustand/React Query

NestJS Backend

src/
├── modules/[feature]/
│   ├── feature.module.ts
│   ├── feature.controller.ts
│   ├── feature.service.ts
│   └── dto/
└── common/        # guards, decorators

Patterns: Module organization, DTOs, Guards, Prisma

Feature Decision Framework

Scope Assessment (First)

Scope	Action
Single component	Implement directly
Cross-cutting concern	Design interface first
New subsystem	Create architecture doc, get approval

Build vs Integrate

Factor	Build Custom	Use Library
Core to product	Yes
Commodity feature		Yes
Tight integration needed	Yes
Time-critical		Yes
Long-term ownership	Yes

State Management Selection

Scope	Solution
Component-local	useState/useReducer
Feature-wide	Context or Zustand slice
App-wide	Zustand/Redux store
Server state	React Query/SWR
Form state	React Hook Form

API Design Checklist

• RESTful or GraphQL decision documented
• Authentication method chosen
• Error response format standardized
• Pagination strategy defined
• Rate limiting considered

Common Features

Adding UI Component

1. Create component → 2. Export → 3. Add tests → 4. Document

Adding API Endpoint

1. Define route → 2. Add validation → 3. Implement service → 4. Test

Adding State Management

1. Define shape → 2. Create store → 3. Add actions → 4. Connect components

Database Changes

1. Design schema → 2. Create migration → 3. Update models → 4. Add service

Data Flow Patterns

Frontend Data Flow

User Action → Event Handler → State Update → Re-render → UI Feedback

• Optimistic updates: Update UI immediately, rollback on error
• Pessimistic updates: Wait for server confirmation
• Decision: Optimistic for low-risk (likes), pessimistic for high-risk (payments)

API Request Flow

Request → Auth Check → Validation → Business Logic → Database → Response

• Early exit on validation failure
• Transaction boundaries around multi-step operations
• Consistent error response format

Event-Driven Patterns

Event Type	Approach
User events	Immediate feedback
Server events	WebSocket/SSE for real-time
Background tasks	Queue for long operations

Error Handling Strategy

Error Type	Frontend	Backend
Validation	Inline field errors	400 + field errors
Auth	Redirect to login	401/403
Not Found	Empty state or redirect	404
Server Error	Generic message + retry	500 + log
Network	Offline indicator + queue	N/A

Frontend Pattern

try {
  await apiCall();
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ValidationError) showFieldErrors(error.fields);
  else showGenericError();
}

Backend Pattern

if (err instanceof ValidationError)
  return res.status(400).json({ errors: err.errors });
if (err instanceof AuthError)
  return res.status(401).json({ message: "Unauthorized" });

Testing Strategy

Layer	Type	Tools
UI	Component	Testing Library
Logic	Unit	Jest, Vitest
API	Integration	Supertest
E2E	End-to-end	Playwright

Performance

Frontend: Code splitting, lazy loading, memoization, debounce Backend: DB indexing, caching, connection pooling, background jobs

Feature Implementation Checklist

Before marking feature complete:

• Works for happy path
• Error states handled
• Loading states implemented
• Edge cases tested
• TypeScript types complete
• Tests written
• Documentation updated

See Also

• Code Review Standards - Quality checks
• Design Patterns - UI patterns
• generic-design-system - For styling and visual consistency
• generic-ux-designer - For UX flow decisions
• Project CLAUDE.md - Workflow rules

READ shared standards when:

• Complex feature design → CODE_REVIEW_STANDARDS.md (architecture section)
• UI component patterns → DESIGN_PATTERNS.md (component section)