skeleton-first
adjectiveSkeleton-first means you build the main frame of something before you add the details.
The team took a skeleton-first approach, sketching the whole app before designing any screens.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In writing, starting with a bare outline of main points before filling in sentences.
Her essay was skeleton-first: headings and bullet points first, prose later.
3. In software, building the core structure and interfaces before implementing full features.
We coded a skeleton-first version so the whole system could run end to end.
4. In design, laying out the basic layout and flow before choosing colors or images.
The designer shared a skeleton-first mockup with only boxes and labels.
5. In learning, memorizing the main framework of a topic before adding small facts.
He studied skeleton-first, learning the big chapters before the tiny details.