design-auditor v2.1.0A

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---
name: design-auditor
description: >
  Audit UI/UX designs for quality, AI-generated slop, and accessibility. Use when reviewing
  designs, detecting slop patterns, validating WCAG compliance, checking design-token
  adherence, or reviewing responsive design across breakpoints.
license: MIT + Commons Clause
metadata:
  version: 2.1.0
  author: borghei
  category: engineering
  domain: design-engineering
  updated: 2026-04-02
  tags: [design-audit, ai-slop, color-contrast, accessibility]
  python-tools: design_scorer.py, ai_slop_detector.py, color_contrast_checker.py, design_system_validator.py
  tech-stack: python, css, accessibility, wcag, design-systems
---
# Design Auditor

The agent performs systematic 12-category UI/UX audits, detects AI-generated slop patterns, validates WCAG color contrast, and checks design system token compliance. Produces three independent grades: Design (A-F), AI Slop (A-F), and Accessibility (A-F).

---

## Quick Start

```bash
# Score a full design audit (12 categories -> 3 grades)
python scripts/design_scorer.py --input findings.json --output report.json --verbose

# Detect AI-generated slop in HTML/CSS
python scripts/ai_slop_detector.py --input page.html --css styles.css --threshold 0.6

# Check color contrast (single pair or batch)
python scripts/color_contrast_checker.py --fg "#333" --bg "#fff" --level AA
python scripts/color_contrast_checker.py --input color-pairs.json --level AAA --suggest-fixes

# Validate design system token compliance
python scripts/design_system_validator.py --tokens tokens.json --input src/styles/
```

## Tools Overview

| Tool | Input | Output |
|------|-------|--------|
| `design_scorer.py` | 12-category audit findings JSON | Three grades, category breakdown, prioritized recommendations |
| `ai_slop_detector.py` | HTML + optional CSS file | Findings with confidence scores (0.0-1.0), slop grade |
| `color_contrast_checker.py` | Color pairs (hex/rgb/hsl/named) | WCAG pass/fail, ratios, compliant color suggestions |
| `design_system_validator.py` | Design tokens JSON + CSS files | Compliance percentage, violations with token suggestions |

All tools support `--format json|text` and `--output` for file writing.

---

## Workflow 1: Full Design Audit

The agent evaluates 12 weighted categories in five passes:

1. **Visual Pass** -- Visual Hierarchy (10%), Typography (8%), Color & Contrast (8%), Spacing & Layout (8%)
2. **Interaction Pass** -- Interaction States (10%), Navigation & IA (8%)
3. **Platform Pass** -- Responsive Design (8%), Accessibility/WCAG (12%)
4. **Polish Pass** -- Motion & Animation (5%), Content & Microcopy (5%)
5. **Integrity Pass** -- AI Slop Indicators (8%), Performance as Design (5%), Coherence Bonus (5%)

```bash
python scripts/design_scorer.py --input audit_findings.json --baseline last_sprint.json --format text --verbose
```

**Three independent grades:**

| Grade | Design (weighted aggregate) | AI Slop (inverted) | Accessibility (WCAG) |
|-------|----|----|----|
| A+ | 95-100 | Highly original | AAA compliant |
| A | 90-94 | No detectable patterns | Full AA compliant |
| B | 80-89 | 1-2 minor patterns | Mostly AA, 1-3 minor violations |
| C | 70-79 | Several AI patterns | Partial AA |
| D | 60-69 | Heavily templated | Significant gaps |
| F | 0-59 | Pure AI-generated slop | Fundamental failures |

**Validation checkpoint:** Release gate requires minimum B Design grade and A Accessibility grade.

---

## Workflow 2: AI Slop Detection

```bash
python scripts/ai_slop_detector.py --input index.html --css styles.css --threshold 0.6 --format json
```

The agent detects patterns across three categories:

**Visual slop** (confidence 0.4-0.9):
- Generic hero section (full-width, centered text, gradient)
- Stock gradients (trending purple-blue, pink-orange)
- 3-column feature grid (icon + heading + paragraph x3)
- Shadow/blur overuse on >60% of containers

**Copy slop** (confidence 0.5-1.0):
- Vague CTAs: "Get Started", "Learn More" without context
- Buzzword clustering: "Seamless", "Powerful", "Revolutionary"
- Lorem ipsum residue or uniform paragraph lengths

**Structural slop** (confidence 0.4-0.8):
- Template ordering: Hero > Features > Social Proof > Pricing > CTA > Footer
- Cookie-cutter pricing (3 tiers, middle highlighted)

Each finding includes a remediation suggestion for making the element more intentional.

---

## Workflow 3: Accessibility & Design System Compliance

**Color contrast audit:**

```bash
python scripts/color_contrast_checker.py --input brand-colors.json --level AA --suggest-fixes --format text
```

Input format:
```json
[
  {"foreground": "#666666", "background": "#ffffff", "label": "body text"},
  {"foreground": "#999999", "background": "#f5f5f5", "label": "muted text"}
]
```

The agent checks against WCAG thresholds (4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 large text) and suggests the closest compliant alternative for failing pairs.

**Design system validation:**

```bash
python scripts/design_system_validator.py --tokens design-tokens.json --input src/styles/ --glob "*.scss"
```

Token file format:
```json
{
  "colors": {"primary": "#1a73e8", "secondary": "#5f6368", "error": "#d93025"},
  "spacing": [0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64],
  "typography": {"body": "16px", "h1": "32px", "h2": "24px"},
  "radii": [0, 4, 8, 16, 9999]
}
```

Detects hardcoded colors, spacing, fonts, radii, shadows, z-indices, and transitions that deviate from tokens. Reports compliance percentage and suggests nearest token for each violation.

**Validation checkpoint:** Token compliance >= 90%. Zero off-system colors in production CSS.

---

## Design Principles (Audit Operating System)

These 10 principles drive every finding evaluation:

1. **Specificity over vibes** -- "Clean UI" is banned. Name the font, spacing scale, color system.
2. **Empty states are features** -- "No items found" is a bug. Guide users to first action.
3. **Subtraction default** -- every element must earn its place. When in doubt, remove it.
4. **Edge cases are user experiences** -- 47-character names, zero results, slow networks, stale state.
5. **Four shadow paths** -- happy path, nil input, empty input, error upstream. Blank screen = Critical.
6. **Loading states earn trust** -- skeleton screens > spinners > blank pages.
7. **Consistency compounds** -- one off-system color erodes the entire design language. Tokens are contracts.
8. **Motion has meaning** -- decorative animation without purpose is noise.
9. **Accessibility is baseline** -- WCAG AA is the floor. Accessibility findings are never "Low" priority.
10. **Performance is perceived design** -- 3-second load feels broken regardless of visual quality.

---

## Fix Session Rules

- **One issue = one question** -- never batch multiple findings.
- **AUTO-FIX**: Cosmetic -- spacing token mismatches, off-system colors to nearest token.
- **ASK**: Structural -- layout changes, component swaps, navigation restructuring.
- **Max 30 fixes per session.** Hard stop, then generate report.
- **Risk accumulator**: component (+5), global style (+8), layout (+10), revert (+15). Stop at 20% of budget.
- **Revert on regression** -- if fix breaks visual tests or introduces Critical finding, `git revert` immediately.

---

## CI/CD Integration

```yaml
jobs:
  design-checks:
    steps:
      - run: python scripts/color_contrast_checker.py --input color-pairs.json --level AA
      - run: |
          python scripts/design_system_validator.py --tokens tokens.json --input src/styles/ --format json > compliance.json
          python -c "import json; exit(0 if json.load(open('compliance.json')).get('compliance_percentage',0)>=90 else 1)"
      - run: python scripts/ai_slop_detector.py --input dist/index.html --threshold 0.7 --format json
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

1. **Scoring categories too high relative to findings** -- if there are 4 accessibility findings, the score should not be 8/10.
2. **Ignoring interaction states** -- every interactive element needs: default, hover, focus, active, disabled, loading, error, empty, success.
3. **Color as sole information carrier** -- information must not be conveyed by color alone.
4. **Skipping edge cases** -- test with long names, empty data, error states, not just the happy path.

---

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---------|-------|----------|
| `design_scorer.py` exits "Missing category" | Input JSON missing required keys | Ensure all 12 keys present under `categories` |
| Color checker rejects value | Unsupported format | Use hex, `rgb()`, `hsl()`, or named colors |
| AI slop detector finds zero on templated page | Threshold too high | Lower `--threshold` to 0.3 |
| Validator reports "No CSS files found" | SCSS not matched | Pass `--glob "*.scss"` |
| Scores seem inflated | Author-provided scores too generous | Re-evaluate each 0-10 score against finding count and severity |

---

## References

| Guide | Path |
|-------|------|
| Audit Methodology | `references/design_audit_methodology.md` |
| AI Slop Patterns Catalog | `references/ai_slop_patterns.md` |
| WCAG 2.1 Checklist | `references/accessibility_checklist.md` |

---

## Integration Points

| Skill | Integration |
|-------|-------------|
| `senior-frontend` | Design audit on component library after build |
| `senior-qa` | Accessibility and design regression in QA pipelines |
| `code-reviewer` | Attach audit findings to frontend PR reviews |
| `senior-devops` | Gate deployments on minimum compliance scores |
| `product-team/ux-researcher` | Feed findings into usability research prioritization |

---

**Last Updated:** April 2026
**Version:** 2.1.0