Apple Design Principles — Evaluation & Critique Framework

From Apple's WWDC26 session "Principles of great design" (Linda & Doug, Design Evangelists at Apple).

"Design is making something with intention. It's focusing on what's most important to people, so you can build something they will truly value."

How to use this skill

When asked to review, critique, score, or guide a design decision:

1. Identify what is being designed or reviewed (screen, feature, flow, product, component)
2. Evaluate through each of the 8 principles below — only spend depth on the ones that are relevant; don't force all 8 if the question is narrow
3. Surface tensions — note where principles pull against each other and explain the tradeoff
4. Recommend — end with concrete, actionable next steps, not just observations

For a full design critique, produce a scorecard (see format at the bottom). For a targeted question ("is this too complex?"), just address the relevant principle(s) directly and concisely.