written-critique

Written Critique

Write feedback someone can act on without asking you to clarify.

How to use

• /written-critique Apply structured critique format to design reviews in this conversation.

Constraints

Critique Structure

1. Intent (2-3 sentences): What the design is trying to do. Not what it does. What experience it's trying to create.
2. What works (2-3 specific decisions): Each with the principle behind it.
3. What doesn't (1-2 specific decisions): Each with reasoning and the impact on the user.
4. One change (1 recommendation): The single highest-impact change, framed as a direction not a prescription.

Writing Rules

• MUST be specific enough that the designer can act without a follow-up conversation
• MUST separate craft feedback (alignment, consistency) from taste feedback (should this exist at all?)
• MUST reference observable decisions, not feelings
• SHOULD be under 300 words. Concise feedback gets read. Novels don't.
• NEVER rewrite the design in the feedback. Diagnose, don't prescribe.

Anti-Patterns

• Writing a wall of text with no structure
• Mixing praise and criticism in the same sentence (pick a lane per observation)
• Giving feedback on every detail equally (prioritize what matters most)
• Being so diplomatic the feedback has no edge