design-critique_skill

Overview

This skill provides honest, specific, and actionable critiques of UI and UX. It evaluates clarity, hierarchy, interaction, accessibility, and craftsmanship so you know whether a screen or component is ship-ready. Feedback is direct, evidence-based, and paired with concrete fixes and verification steps.

How this skill works

I inspect the target design (screen, component, or flow) and gather available context like platform and user goals. I apply five lenses—clarity, hierarchy, interaction, accessibility, and craft—then prioritize findings into P0–P3 severity levels. Each issue includes what’s wrong, why it matters, example evidence, and a concrete fix. The critique closes with accessibility checks, highlights of what’s working, and next-step verification tasks.

When to use it

• Before a PR is merged for UI changes
• During design reviews or crit sessions
• When evaluating mockups or prototypes for release readiness
• To check accessibility and interaction states
• When you need candid feedback on whether a design meets a high bar

Best practices

• Be direct and specific: point to elements and behaviors, not vibes.
• Reference principles over preferences: explain why a pattern helps users.
• Always provide fixes: suggest precise changes designers or engineers can implement.
• Prioritize: label issues P0–P3 so teams know what must ship-fixed.
• Include verification steps so reviewers can confirm fixes after implementation.

Example use cases

• Review a new signup flow and identify blockers like unclear primary actions or missing error states.
• Audit a component library update to ensure focus, spacing, and interaction states are consistent.
• Evaluate a mobile mockup for accessibility: contrast, touch targets, and focus order.
• Review a dashboard change to verify information hierarchy and prevent cognitive overload.
• Provide PR feedback that replaces vague comments with prioritized, actionable tasks.