Audit like a design director: screenshot first, then list findings by severity, then fix only what earns it.
1. THE PROCESS (Audit → Rank → Fix → Verify)
Never fix while reviewing. The pass order:
- Capture: full-page screenshots of every viewport (desktop 1440, tablet 768, mobile 390). Review what is, not what you think is.
- First read (8 seconds): what does this page say it is? Can you name the product, audience, and primary action without scrolling?
- Structured pass: apply the checks below, in order.
- Rank findings: P0 (broken/legal/blocking) / P1 (seriously undermines quality) / P2 (polish) / P3 (preference).
- Fix in ranked order with atomic changes; re-screenshot and verify each fix didn't break the design argument.
- Report: findings table with screenshot references, severity, and the one-sentence fix for each.
2. THE TASTE PASS (Visual Quality)
- The kill question: could this page have been generated by a default agent (slop patterns: purple gradients, centered hero + 3 cards, emoji icons, Inter-only, rounded-2xl, browser-chrome screenshot)? Every "yes" is a P1.
- Hierarchy: one dominant element per viewport; does the eye land where the business wants it?
- Type: any text under 10px, more than 3 weights, no display contrast, body full-width, 6-line paragraphs, widows in headings.
- Color: more than ~3 meaningful colors, gradients doing decoration, accent used >4 times per viewport, white text on pale fills, contrast failures (exact: 4.5:1 body / 3:1 large / 3:1 UI).
- Alignment: elements sharing an edge line up (check visually); hairline grid vs. floating cards scattered; spacing scale integrity (any 7px or 13px paddings?).
- Depth: shadows as the only depth source; glass everywhere; cards inside cards inside cards.
3. THE HEURISTIC PASS (Usability — Nielsen's 10, Applied)
- Visibility of system status (2–3s): every action produces feedback; no dead buttons; loading states exist.
- Match with the real world: language is the user's, not the company's ("deploy instance" on a consumer site = fail).
- User control & freedom: exit routes everywhere; undo exists for destructive acts.
- Consistency: same action looks the same everywhere; one style of button; one way to reach the same destination.
- Error prevention: destructive actions confirmed; submit buttons guarded; autocomplete on forms.
- Recognition over recall: no invented jargon; navigation names are self-explanatory.
- Flexibility: shortcuts for repeat users (search, keyboard) without cluttering the novice path.
- Aesthetic & minimalist: anything that hides the primary action is noise. If an element doesn't serve a job, it's deleted in the report.
- Errors communicated well: every error states what happened, why, and what to do — never just "Error".
- Help & documentation: help exists where users get stuck, not in a help center nobody visits.
4. THE ACCESSIBILITY PASS (Short Version — See taste-accessibility)
- Tab through: focus visible at every stop; no traps; logical order.
- Every input labeled; every button/link has text; alt text is meaningful or empty.
- Contrast spot-check on every distinct surface (heading/body/button/placeholder).
prefers-reduced-motionhandled; anything autoplaying or auto-advancing paused.
5. THE CONVERSION PASS (If Asked to Improve, Not Just Audit)
- One primary CTA above the fold; secondary actions visually quieter or deferred.
- The value proposition lands in ≤ 8 seconds (headline does it, not the sub-sub-line).
- Friction inventory: fields, steps, and clicks between "interested" and "started" — each one justified.
- Trust signals exist where decisions happen (near CTA, in pricing): social proof, guarantees, no-fine-print.
6. REPORT FORMAT (Fixed)
## Audit — <page> (<viewport set>)
### P0 — Blocking
- [screenshot ref] finding + one-sentence fix
### P1 — Quality
...
### P2 — Polish
...
### P3 — Preference
...
### Verdict (one paragraph)
Is the design argument clear? What single change would improve the page most?
Severity discipline: P3 items are listed but never fixed in the same session as P1s. The verdict names ONE change — if you can't name one, the audit didn't find the real issue.
7. CHECKLIST (Fail the Audit If…)
- No screenshots were taken/reviewed (never audit from code alone).
- Findings lack severities or screenshot references.
- Slop patterns dismissed as "style preference" (they're P1).
- Anything on the page was fixed before the full audit pass completed.
- The verdict doesn't name a single most-important change.