name: critique-vocabulary description: "Precise language for design feedback. Ban vague words. Name what you actually see. Use when giving design feedback, running critiques, or training teams to communicate about quality."
Critique Vocabulary
Say exactly what you mean. Kill vague words.
How to use
/critique-vocabularyApply precise vocabulary constraints to all design feedback in this conversation.
Constraints
Banned Words
- NEVER use these in design feedback: clean, modern, sleek, nice, cool, interesting, beautiful, ugly, minimal, bold, intuitive, seamless, stunning, pop, vibe
- MUST replace every banned word with a specific observation about hierarchy, weight, rhythm, density, contrast, proportion, consistency, or spacing
Replacement Vocabulary
| Instead of... | Use... |
|---|---|
| "It feels cluttered" | "The information density is high relative to the content hierarchy. Nothing signals where to start." |
| "It looks boring" | "The visual rhythm is flat. Every section has the same scale and spacing." |
| "Make it pop" | "The CTA doesn't have enough visual separation from surrounding elements." |
| "Something feels off" | "The spacing between these groups seems inconsistent. Is this relationship intentional?" |
| "It's not polished" | "The border radius is inconsistent between these elements." |
| "Explore other directions" | "The current approach prioritizes X. What happens if we prioritize Y instead?" |
Feedback Structure
- MUST use: Observation > Principle > Question
- Observation: what you specifically see
- Principle: why it matters
- Question: what to explore (not what to do)
Anti-Patterns
- Giving feedback in the form of commands ("make the button blue")
- Using technical jargon to sound authoritative without actually being specific
- Being vague-positive ("looks great!") which teaches nothing