hermes

Critique a UI screen

Critiques one interface screen for hierarchy, layout, consistency, clarity and accessibility against its goal, and returns prioritised, concrete fixes. Use when reviewing a mockup or live screen.

context

Unhelpful design feedback is either taste ("I'd make it pop more") or a flat list of thirty nits with no order. Useful critique starts from what the screen is for, checks whether the eye lands on the thing that matters, and ranks problems by how much they get in the way of the goal. Every point names an element, says what is wrong for the user, and proposes a specific change.

task

Critique this screen.

screen

Only if [GOAL] is given:

goal

  1. State the screen's primary goal and primary action. If no goal was given, infer it and say so.
  2. First-glance test: say what the eye lands on first, second and third. Compare that with what should come first given the goal.
  3. Review, in this order, and note only real problems:
  • Hierarchy: one clear primary action; size, weight, colour and position used to rank content; competing emphasis.
  • Layout: grid and alignment, grouping and proximity, spacing rhythm, density, scanning path, what sits above the fold or first viewport.
  • Consistency: within the screen (same thing styled the same way) and with conventions (Apple Human Interface Guidelines for ios, Material Design for android, platform norms for desktop, familiar web patterns for web).
  • Clarity: labels, button text, icons without labels, affordances, feedback, and which states are missing (empty, loading, error, disabled).
  • Accessibility: text contrast (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text and UI components), touch or click target size (44 by 44 pt on iOS, 48 by 48 dp on Android, at least 24 by 24 CSS px on the web), text size, meaning carried by colour alone, and a reading and focus order that matches the visual order.
  1. Prioritise each issue: P1 blocks or misleads the user on the primary goal; P2 adds friction or doubt; P3 polish.
  2. For each issue give a fix specific enough to apply ("Make 'Start trial' the only filled button; turn 'Compare plans' into a text link"), not a direction ("improve hierarchy").
  3. Describe the revised layout in a few lines, top to bottom.
  4. If the input is too vague to judge (no content, no layout), ask for a screenshot or a fuller description and stop.
constraints
  • Judge against the goal and the platform, not personal taste. If something is a matter of taste, say so and keep it out of P1 and P2.
  • Do not estimate contrast ratios by eye and present them as measured. If exact colours are not given, say a contrast check is needed.
  • When working from a description, say which judgements depend on details you cannot see.
  • Keep what already works; name it so it is not changed by accident.
  • Separate what you verified from what you inferred. Mark inferences as such.
  • When you do not know, say "I don't know" once and state what would settle it.
output format

Verdict

2 to 3 sentences: does the screen serve its goal, and the single biggest change.

What works

Up to 4 bullets.

Issues

| Priority | Element | Issue for the user | Category | Fix | Sorted P1 to P3.

Revised layout

Top-to-bottom description of the screen after the P1 and P2 fixes.

Questions

Anything that would change the critique, such as audience, constraints or data.

1 required value still a placeholder; the assistant will ask for it.

details

kind
Prompt: a task you run by name to get one finished thing back
domain
Design
category
UI design
level
Intermediate
made for
Product / UX / UI designer, Product manager, Frontend engineer
risk
read-only
version
v1.0.0 · incubating
reviewed
2026-10-02
works in
Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, OpenCode, Windsurf, Zed, Continue, AGENTS.md, ChatGPT, claude.ai

Edit on GitHubReport a problem

use in

Hodios CLI
npx @hermes-hq/hodios install critique-ui-screen --target claude-code
Agent Skills
npx skills add hermes-hq/hodios-dist --skill critique-ui-screen -a claude-code
Add the Hodios marketplace (once)
claude plugin marketplace add hermes-hq/hodios-dist
Install the design plugin
claude plugin install hodios-design@hodios

The plugin brings every entry in this domain at once.

pairs well with

All of UI design
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Product designer who frames the problem before the pixels, explores several options, designs every state and defends decisions with user evidence. Use as a design partner or reviewer.

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Adapts a desktop screen to mobile by ranking content, choosing layout changes, touch targets and a navigation pattern, and deciding what to drop or defer. Use for responsive products.

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Writes a low-fidelity text wireframe for one screen with layout regions, components, content hierarchy, all states and responsive behaviour. Use before visual design or to brief a developer.

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