Useful design feedback names the specific element it is judging rather than giving a vibe. Judge a screen against a fixed set of things: the visual hierarchy, the typography, whether it looks templated or AI-generated, and whether it reads as credible. Then rank the changes by impact, so you know what to fix first instead of drowning in a list of twenty equal notes.
Why “it looks a bit off” helps nobody
“It looks a bit off” is a feeling, not feedback. The person who made the screen cannot act on it, because it does not say which part is off or why. The fix is always the same: name the specific element (a font, a spacing choice, the hero) and say what is wrong with it. “The headline and the body text are almost the same size, so nothing pulls your eye first” can be acted on in a minute. “It feels off” cannot.
What should you actually look at?
A good critique is not a free-form reaction. It runs down the same short checklist every time, so nothing important gets skipped.
- Visual hierarchy: does your eye land on the most important thing first, or does everything shout at once?
- Typography: is the type pairing doing real work, and is the hierarchy between headline, sub-head, and body actually clear?
- The AI or templated tells: generic gradients, three equal cards, default icon sets, a stocky hero image. These are what make a screen read as automated rather than made.
- Credibility: does it look like a real, maintained product or a weekend project? Small inconsistencies in spacing and alignment are usually what give it away.
- The hero and above the fold: is the value proposition getting the treatment it deserves, or is the one thing that has to land buried under a generic banner?
Rank the changes by impact, not by ease
A critique that lists twenty problems as if they were equal helps nobody, because the reader does not know where to start. Put the one change that most improves perceived quality first, even if it is the hardest. Fixing the hero so the value proposition finally lands matters more than nudging a button colour, so it goes at the top. The point of ranking is to protect the reader’s attention: the first three items should be the three that actually move the needle.
Judge it for the product, not a generic ideal
“Add a gradient” or “make it more modern” is not feedback, it is a default applied without looking. Useful feedback asks what would make this specific product read better to its specific audience. A budgeting app for freelancers who distrust spreadsheets wants to look calm and trustworthy, not flashy. A launch page for a music app can be loud in a way that would sink an accounting tool. Critique the screen against the job it is doing and the people it is for, not against a generic idea of what good looks like.
Common mistakes
- Giving a vibe with no element named (“it feels cheap”), so there is nothing the person can actually change.
- Swapping one default for another, a new stock font or a different gradient, and calling it a fix while the underlying problem is untouched.
- Listing everything you noticed with no priority, so the reader cannot tell the one thing that matters from the nine that do not.
- Critiquing your own taste instead of whether the design works for its audience, marking down a bold choice that is exactly right for the product.