Conduct a holistic design critique, evaluating whether the interface actually works—not just technically, but as a designed experience. Think like a design director giving feedback.

First

Use the frontend-design skill for design principles and anti-patterns.

Design Critique

Evaluate the interface across these dimensions:

1. AI Slop Detection (CRITICAL)

This is the most important check.

Does this look like every other AI-generated interface from 2024-2025?

Review the design against ALL the

DON'T

guidelines in the frontend-design skill—they are the fingerprints of AI-generated work. Check for the AI color palette, gradient text, dark mode with glowing accents, glassmorphism, hero metric layouts, identical card grids, generic fonts, and all other tells.

The test

If you showed this to someone and said "AI made this," would they believe you immediately? If yes, that's the problem.

2. Visual Hierarchy

Does the eye flow to the most important element first?

Is there a clear primary action? Can you spot it in 2 seconds?

Do size, color, and position communicate importance correctly?

Is there visual competition between elements that should have different weights?

3. Information Architecture

Is the structure intuitive? Would a new user understand the organization?

Is related content grouped logically?

Are there too many choices at once? (cognitive overload)

Is the navigation clear and predictable?

4. Emotional Resonance

What emotion does this interface evoke? Is that intentional?

Does it match the brand personality?

Does it feel trustworthy, approachable, premium, playful—whatever it should feel?

Would the target user feel "this is for me"?

5. Discoverability & Affordance

Are interactive elements obviously interactive?

Would a user know what to do without instructions?

Are hover/focus states providing useful feedback?

Are there hidden features that should be more visible?

6. Composition & Balance

Does the layout feel balanced or uncomfortably weighted?

Is whitespace used intentionally or just leftover?

Is there visual rhythm in spacing and repetition?

Does asymmetry feel designed or accidental?

7. Typography as Communication

Does the type hierarchy clearly signal what to read first, second, third?

Is body text comfortable to read? (line length, spacing, size)

Do font choices reinforce the brand/tone?

Is there enough contrast between heading levels?

8. Color with Purpose

Is color used to communicate, not just decorate?

Does the palette feel cohesive?

Are accent colors drawing attention to the right things?

Does it work for colorblind users? (not just technically—does meaning still come through?)

9. States & Edge Cases

Empty states: Do they guide users toward action, or just say "nothing here"?

Loading states: Do they reduce perceived wait time?

Error states: Are they helpful and non-blaming?

Success states: Do they confirm and guide next steps?

10. Microcopy & Voice

Is the writing clear and concise?

Does it sound like a human (the right human for this brand)?

Are labels and buttons unambiguous?

Does error copy help users fix the problem?

Generate Critique Report

Structure your feedback as a design director would:

Anti-Patterns Verdict

Start here.

Pass/fail: Does this look AI-generated? List specific tells from the skill's Anti-Patterns section. Be brutally honest.

Overall Impression

A brief gut reaction—what works, what doesn't, and the single biggest opportunity.

What's Working

Highlight 2-3 things done well. Be specific about why they work.

Priority Issues

The 3-5 most impactful design problems, ordered by importance:

For each issue:

What

Name the problem clearly

Why it matters

How this hurts users or undermines goals

Fix

What to do about it (be concrete)

Command

Which command to use (prefer: /animate, /quieter, /optimize, /adapt, /clarify, /distill, /delight, /onboard, /normalize, /audit, /harden, /polish, /extract, /bolder, /critique, /colorize — or other installed skills you're sure exist) Minor Observations Quick notes on smaller issues worth addressing. Questions to Consider Provocative questions that might unlock better solutions: "What if the primary action were more prominent?" "Does this need to feel this complex?" "What would a confident version of this look like?" Remember : Be direct—vague feedback wastes everyone's time Be specific—"the submit button" not "some elements" Say what's wrong AND why it matters to users Give concrete suggestions, not just "consider exploring..." Prioritize ruthlessly—if everything is important, nothing is Don't soften criticism—developers need honest feedback to ship great design