# Critique Design Beginner

> Gives structured, honest feedback on a UI/UX design using a simple checklist covering hierarchy, spacing, contrast, and consistency. Use when you've made a screen or mockup and want feedback, or when you're not sure if a design is ready to show others.

- Skill: `raxxid-ux/critique-design-beginner` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add raxxid-ux/critique-design-beginner`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/raxxid-ux/critique-design-beginner/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Raxxid-ux (https://skillmd.com/u/raxxid-ux)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/raxxid-ux/critique-design-beginner

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# Critique a Design (Beginner)

Good feedback isn't just "I like it" or "something feels off." This skill gives you a repeatable way to look at any design and find real, fixable problems — the same way an experienced designer would look at it.

## Why structure matters here
Random feedback ("this looks weird") isn't useful because it doesn't tell you what to fix. This method forces every piece of feedback to end in a specific, actionable change.

## How to give (or ask for) feedback, in order

**1. What's working**
Name one or two things that are genuinely working well. Be specific — not "looks nice" but "the button stands out clearly as the main action."

**2. The main problem**
Pick the single biggest issue hurting the design's usability or clarity — not everything wrong, just the biggest one first. Fixing five things at once is overwhelming and hard to evaluate; fixing the top issue first, then reviewing again, works better.

**3. Why it's a problem**
Explain the real impact in one sentence — connect it to how a user would actually experience it, not just "it looks off." Example: "The confirm and cancel buttons look almost identical, so users might tap the wrong one by mistake."

**4. The fix**
Give one specific, concrete fix — not vague advice like "make it clearer." Say exactly what to change: which spacing value, which color, which element should be bigger or smaller.

## Review checklist (go through this every time, in this order)
```
[ ] Hierarchy — is it obvious what to look at first, second, third?
[ ] Spacing — is it consistent, or does it feel cramped/random in places?
[ ] Contrast — is text/buttons easy to read against the background?
[ ] Consistency — do similar elements (buttons, cards, etc.) look and behave the same way throughout?
[ ] Purpose — can a user understand and use this screen at a glance, without extra explanation?
```

## Common mistakes
- Giving vague feedback like "something feels off" without saying what or why.
- Listing every single issue at once instead of starting with the biggest one — this overwhelms whoever's receiving the feedback.
- Being overly harsh without offering a fix, or being too soft and not naming a real problem clearly.

## Checklist for the whole process
```
[ ] Named what's working (specific, not generic)
[ ] Identified the ONE biggest problem
[ ] Explained the real user impact
[ ] Gave one concrete, specific fix
```