design-critique

Evaluate the design quality of a feature or component. Report-only — this skill documents issues but does not fix them.

Preparation

Read ~/.claude/skills/minoan-frontend-design/SKILL.md for aesthetic principles and anti-pattern guidance. If no .design-context.md exists in the project root, ask the user about audience and intended feel before proceeding — context determines whether a design choice is right or wrong.

Resolve Target and Load Ignore List

1. Resolve the primary artifact. Map the user's phrasing to a concrete file path: "the homepage" → src/pages/index.tsx, "the settings modal" → src/components/Settings.tsx. File paths are stable across runs; dev-server ports drift.

2. Read the ignore list at .design-critique/ignore.md if it exists. Each non-empty, non-comment line is something the user has marked as "do not re-raise" (deferred tradeoffs, designer-intended deviations, accepted false positives). When a finding matches a line (case-insensitive substring), drop it silently — do not mention it in the report.

Step 1: LLM Design Review

Read the relevant source files (HTML, CSS, JS/TS) and visually inspect if browser automation is available. If using browser automation, create a new tab — never reuse an existing tab, to prevent state interference between assessments.

Evaluate as a design director:

AI Slop Detection: Does this look like every other AI-generated interface? Check against the rejection guidelines in the minoan skill. Look for: AI color palette, gradient text, glassmorphism, hero metric layouts, identical card grids, generic fonts (including second-tier defaults like Fraunces, Instrument Sans, Outfit), side-tab accent borders. The test: if someone said "AI made this," would they believe immediately?