Slop is predictable, uncommitted design, not merely ugly design. Audit surface, structure, and voice against the brief; repair with a specific, verifiable choice.
Repair order and evidence contract
- Establish brief, preserved signals, and artifact; separate surface, structural, and verbal findings.
- Cite selector, section, phrase, screenshot, or browser observation; assign P0–P3.
- Choose a brief-bound direction, prescribe repairs, and reinspect the same views.
n/a requires an absent subject. Stop before changing a coherent brief-supported brand
choice; ask for direction when brief or acceptance criteria are absent.
Diagnose cause, then tell
Make two passes: intent (job, audience, hierarchy, retained signals, signature) and behavior (first view, transitions, narrow view; trace code to selector/token or screenshot geometry). Test whether a neutral replacement changes meaning or performance. Preserve a documented functional pill, gradient, table, or system font; repair implementation, not role.
Rank P0 meaning/interaction/accessibility/fact, P1 direction/hierarchy, P2 repeated default, then P3 polish. Every P0–P2 packet names subject, observation+brief, mechanism, preserved signal, concrete replacement+owner, and after-state observation (including narrow view). Make one causal structural repair when the skeleton is generic.
Fast audit and self-check
Render before acting; grep is only a lead. Check these detector/decision pairs:
| Plane | Detector | Required repair decision |
|---|---|---|
| surface | unsupported purple/white gradient, default neutral tokens, equal-weight palette | dominant field, purposeful accent, semantic tokens, contrast |
| type/shape | unexamined default type, timid hierarchy, pill CTA, universal radius/shadow | type stance and role-based scale/radius/elevation |
| structure | centered hero → one CTA → equal cards, uniform section rhythm | replacement topology, lead/supporting evidence, narrow reading order |
| decoration/function | default glass/blobs/emoji/gradient text, static forms, placeholder copy | brief-supported atmosphere or none; route behavior/copy to the owning skill |
Every finding needs subject, P0–P3, observed evidence, preserved signal, replacement, and
after-state proof. Verify surface, structural stack/rhythm, and verbal claims (hand factual
prose to humanize-copy). A named direction states aesthetic, dominant field/accent job, type
stance, and signature move. Re-run original views.
Reference files
references/anti-patterns.md— full detector catalog and fixes.references/structural-tells.md— structural audit and dated attractors.references/design-direction.md— positive direction method.references/decision-records.md— novel-case ADR rules.
How to deliver
Deliver prioritized repairs and named direction; state what changed, why, what survives,
and after-state proof. Respect existing tokens; pair with web-typography, color-system,
and micro-motion as needed.
Contract (generated)
Canonical detail: contract.json.
- Route: A rendered or coded interface feels generic and needs a structural, visual, and verbal anti-slop audit. (+1 in contract.json); avoid: The task is a greenfield aesthetic interview before a page exists. (+1 in contract.json)
- Exclude: Do not replace a coherent brand system merely because it is not your preference. (+2 in contract.json)
- Stop / handoff: Stop before changing a coherent branded choice that is supported by the brief. (+2 in contract.json); receives [design-system-interview, improve-existing-website, art-direction, responsive-layout] -> sends [web-typography, color-system, humanize-copy, tastecheck-pass, a11y-pass, empty-states, form-ux, micro-motion]
- Output: prioritized anti-slop repair specification and committed direction
- Evidence:
table_with_evidencewithstatus,reason,remediation,evidence,provenance.