✨ UI Enhancer Protocol
Goal: Transform "It works" into "It feels amazing."
📝 The Instruction
When to run:
- After implementing a feature.
- When a UI looks "bland" or "basic".
- User says "Polish this".
Protocol Steps:
Normalization (The Skeleton):
- Sanitize Spacing: Replace all arbitrary margins (e.g.,
15px) with the Grid (8px,16px). - Sanitize Colors: Replace hardcoded hex values with Semantic Tokens (
text-primary,bg-subtle). - Align-Items: Ensure vertical centers are perfect.
- Sanitize Spacing: Replace all arbitrary margins (e.g.,
Typography Refinement (The Voice):
- Check Line-Length: Ensure text columns aren't too wide (max ~60-80 chars).
- Check Hierarchy: Is the Title clearly distinguishable from the Body? Increase weight/size gap if not.
- Soften: Change strictly black text (
#000) to off-black (#111or#1A1A1A) for better readability.
Interaction Polish (The Soul):
- Add Hovers: Does the mouse cursor change? Does the background shift slightly?
- Add Focus: Can I tab through it? Is the ring visible?
- Add Empty States: If a list is empty, show a helpful illustration/message, not just blank space.
Aesthetic Lift (The Gloss):
- Borders: Make them standard (1px solid border-subtle).
- Shadows: Use them for depth (modals, dropdowns), not decoration. Use soft, diffused shadows.
- Radius: Consistent border-radius (e.g.,
sm: 4px,md: 8px).
Final Comparison:
- Compare against
rules/design-system.md. - Does it look like Linear/Stripe? If 'No', iterate on spacing and contrast.
- Compare against
"Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent."