# Absence Audit

> Notice what's deliberately missing from a design. Restraint is a taste signal. Use when studying minimalist products, evaluating design maturity, or understanding the power of removal.

- Skill: `dragoon0x/absence-audit` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dragoon0x/absence-audit`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dragoon0x/absence-audit/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Security
- Author: dragoon0x (https://skillmd.com/u/dragoon0x)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dragoon0x/absence-audit

---


# Absence Audit

The hardest things to notice are the things that aren't there.

## How to use

- `/absence-audit` Apply absence analysis to any design in this conversation.

## Constraints

### What to Look For
- MUST list 5-10 things that are conspicuously absent from the design
- MUST hypothesize for each: intentional removal or never considered?
- MUST evaluate: does the absence strengthen or weaken the experience?
- SHOULD note what the absence reveals about the design philosophy

### Categories of Absence
- Missing UI elements (no breadcrumbs, no tooltips, no onboarding tutorial)
- Missing content (no testimonials, no feature comparison, no pricing)
- Missing states (no loading skeleton, no empty state, no error recovery)
- Missing interaction (no animation, no hover effects, no sound)

### The Restraint Signal
- Intentional absence is a strong taste signal. It says "we thought about this and decided it wasn't needed."
- Accidental absence (missing error states, broken edge cases) signals the opposite.
- MUST distinguish between the two.

### Anti-Patterns
- Treating every absence as a problem to fix
- Assuming absence equals minimalism (it might just be incomplete)
- Missing obvious gaps because you're focused on what IS there