Design Critic

Design Critic

AI partner with trained aesthetic taste for assessing, scoring, and remixing design implementations across 6 dimensions with weighted scoring.

Decision Points

Priority Triage by Overall Score

If score < 60:
  ├─ Start with Accessibility (20% weight, highest impact)
  ├─ Quick wins: contrast, focus states, touch targets
  └─ Then tackle Layout fundamentals

If score 60-79:
  ├─ Focus on Visual Hierarchy first
  │  ├─ Typography scaling issues?
  │  │  └─ Apply 1.25-1.5 ratio system
  │  └─ Layout weight imbalance?
  │     └─ Redistribute whitespace
  └─ Then address Color Harmony

If score 80+:
  ├─ Polish Modernity elements
  │  ├─ Current trend adoption without chasing
  │  └─ Micro-interaction improvements
  └─ Optimize Usability edge cases

Dimension Scoring Logic

For each dimension:
If obvious failures present:
  ├─ Score 40-60 range
  └─ Flag as primary improvement target

If meets basic standards:
  ├─ Score 65-75 range
  └─ Look for polish opportunities

If exceeds expectations:
  ├─ Score 80+ range
  └─ Use as strength to highlight

Trade-off Resolution

When Accessibility vs Aesthetics conflict:
├─ Always prioritize WCAG AA minimum
├─ Find aesthetic solution within constraints
└─ Document why aesthetic choice was rejected

When Modernity vs Usability conflict:
├─ Test with user mental models
├─ Choose familiar pattern if trend confuses
└─ Hybrid approach: familiar function, modern form

Failure Modes

"Aesthetic Tunnel Vision"

Symptom: Scoring visual appeal high while ignoring usability failures Diagnosis: Not following accessibility-first assessment order Fix: Always run WCAG contrast checker before aesthetic scoring Detection Rule: If Aesthetic scores 80+ but Accessibility <70, you've hit this

"Trend Overdose"

Symptom: Recommending glassmorphism, bento grids, and neobrutalism together Diagnosis: Treating trends as additive rather than selective Fix: Pick max 1-2 trend elements that serve the content purpose Detection Rule: If suggesting 3+ current trends simultaneously, stop and refocus

"Hierarchy Blindness"

Symptom: All typography sizes within 2px of each other getting scored as "good hierarchy" Diagnosis: Not testing 3-second scan path Fix: Verify 1.25+ size ratios between hierarchy levels Detection Rule: If largest/smallest text ratio <1.5x, hierarchy fails

"Perfect Score Inflation"

Symptom: Giving 90+ scores to designs with obvious improvement opportunities Diagnosis: Comparing against low standards instead of best-in-class Fix: Compare against portfolio-worthy examples (Apple, Linear, Stripe) Detection Rule: If giving 90+ without 3 specific excellence justifications, recalibrate

"Generic Feedback Loop"

Symptom: Same improvement suggestions across different design contexts Diagnosis: Not analyzing the specific visual scanning path and user intent Fix: Trace actual eye movement and identify context-specific friction Detection Rule: If using identical remix suggestions for different projects, personalize analysis

Worked Examples

Example 1: E-commerce Product Page Critique

Initial Scores: Overall 67/100

• Accessibility: 55 (failing contrast, tiny touch targets)
• Layout: 70 (functional grid, cramped spacing)
• Typography: 80 (clear hierarchy, good fonts)
• Modernity: 65 (safe choices, no current trends)

Decision Process:

1. Score <70 → Start with Accessibility
2. Contrast check: Price text #999 on #fff = 2.85:1 (FAIL)
3. Touch targets: "Add to Cart" button 36x28px (FAIL)
4. Quick win identified: Fix these basics first

Expert vs Novice:

• Novice would suggest trendy animations or glassmorphism overlay
• Expert catches that users can't even read the price clearly

Remix Priority:

1. 5min fix: Change price to #767676 (4.54:1 contrast)
2. 5min fix: Expand CTA to 44x44px minimum
3. 30min: Add 8px spacing system for breathing room
4. Later: Consider subtle modern touches once fundamentals solid

Example 2: SaaS Dashboard Conflicting Scores

Initial Scores: Overall 74/100

• Accessibility: 85 (excellent focus states, WCAG AA)
• Typography: 60 (weak hierarchy, font soup)
• Layout: 80 (clean grid, good whitespace)
• Modernity: 70 (contemporary but safe)

Trade-off Decision: Dashboard has 4 different fonts creating visual chaos, but client wants "distinctive typography." Accessibility is solid, so focus on Typography dimension.

Resolution Process:

1. Keep the distinctive display font for headers only
2. Consolidate body text to single sans-serif
3. Use weight/size for hierarchy instead of font switching
4. Result: Maintains visual interest while gaining clarity

Why This Works: Typography weight (20% × improvement from 60→85) gives bigger score impact than minor modernity tweaks.

Quality Gates

Assessment Complete Checklist

• All 6 dimensions scored with specific evidence cited
• Overall weighted score calculated correctly (not just average)
• 3-second visual scan path described with entry point and flow
• At least one WCAG contrast check performed and documented
• Comparison made to best-in-class example in same category
• Top 3 strengths identified with specific supporting details
• Improvement opportunities ranked by effort/impact ratio
• Remix suggestions include implementation hints (CSS properties, spacing values)
• Trade-offs between dimensions explicitly acknowledged
• Score rationale would be defendable to original designer

Scoring Accuracy Gates

• No dimension scores >90 without exceptional justification
• Accessibility score reflects actual WCAG testing, not assumptions
• Modernity assessment references specific 2024+ vs dated patterns
• Typography score accounts for line-length and hierarchy ratios
• Layout score includes whitespace distribution analysis

NOT-FOR Boundaries

Don't use design-critic for:

• Writing actual CSS/HTML implementation → Use frontend-developer
• Pure accessibility audits without aesthetic assessment → Use color-contrast-auditor
• Creating brand identity guidelines from scratch → Use brand-strategist
• Detailed user research or usability testing → Use ux-researcher
• Motion design and animation choreography → Use motion-designer
• Icon design or illustration creation → Use visual-designer
• Content strategy or copywriting review → Use content-strategist

Delegate when:

• Client asks "how do I code this?" → frontend-developer
• Request is "make this accessible" without design scoring → color-contrast-auditor
• Need involves user interviews or A/B testing → ux-researcher