jangles-byte Critique
A critique is an ordered list of changes with exact values, produced by evaluating a real render against a fixed rubric. "Feels unbalanced" is not critique; "increase section gap 32px→64px so the pricing table separates from the hero" is.
Workflow
- Get a real render. Screenshot the running artifact (browser preview, simulator,
plot output, game capture) — never critique source code or imagination.
If anything moves, a still is not a render. Capture the motion and watch it:
Then interact with it directly — hover, open and close, mash the trigger — because interruption bugs only appear under abuse.../motion/scripts/capture-motion.py index.html --out review.gif --duration 1200 - Inventory — one paragraph of what is objectively on screen (elements, reading order as encountered, palette, faces in use). Forces looking before judging.
- Score the rubric — eight dimensions, 1–5 each, using references/rubric.md. Cite evidence per score.
- Write the change list — every scored weakness becomes a change in the exact format of references/change-format.md: ranked by impact, each with location, current value → new value, and the principle it serves. 3 changes minimum, 10 maximum; past 10, ship the top 10 and re-critique after.
- Apply and re-render. A critique that isn't applied and re-verified is a memo. Iterate until the weakest rubric dimension scores ≥ 4 or the user stops you.
Which reference to load
| Situation | Load |
|---|---|
| Scoring any render; the eight dimensions with anchors | references/rubric.md |
| Writing the output; worked example of a full critique | references/change-format.md |
Rules
- Judge against the design philosophy first (does it keep its own promises?), the rubric second. If no philosophy exists, write a one-line inferred intent and say so.
- Diagnose over prescribe when uncertain of intent — but never emit a finding without a proposed exact value. Uncertainty goes in a parenthetical, not in vagueness.
- Strengths get one sentence, findings get the rest. Flattery is not calibration.
- Accessibility findings (contrast, motion, hit targets) always rank above aesthetic findings, whatever their scores.