From thinking-frameworks-skills
Evaluates existing designs against cognitive science principles using checklists, scoring rubrics, and severity-classified fix recommendations. Use for design reviews, usability diagnosis, or pre-launch QA.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/thinking-frameworks-skills:design-evaluation-auditThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
- [Skill Boundaries](#skill-boundaries)
Use instead of this skill for:
cognitive-designcognitive-design Path 1cognitive-fallacies-guardTime: 30-90 minutes depending on scope
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Design Evaluation Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Systematic Assessment
- [ ] Step 2: Visualization Quality Audit (if applicable)
- [ ] Step 3: Severity Classification & Prioritization
- [ ] Step 4: Fix Recommendations
Apply the Cognitive Design Checklist across all 8 dimensions: Visibility, Visual Hierarchy, Chunking, Simplicity, Memory Support, Feedback, Consistency, Scanning Patterns. Check every item. Record pass/fail for each dimension with specific evidence.
Resource: Cognitive Design Checklist
If the design includes data visualizations, apply the 4-Criteria Visualization Audit. Score each criterion 1-5: Clarity, Efficiency, Integrity, Aesthetics. Calculate average and identify weakest dimension.
Resource: Visualization Audit Framework
Classify every finding by severity:
Priority rule: Fix foundation-first — perception before coherence, integrity before aesthetics, critical before high.
For each finding, document:
Verify fixes don't harm other dimensions.
Choose this when: Evaluating any interface, layout, content page, form, or general design.
What you'll get: Pass/fail across 8 cognitive dimensions, test methods, common failures, severity-classified findings.
Time: 20-40 minutes
→ Go to Cognitive Design Checklist
Choose this when: Evaluating data visualizations — charts, graphs, dashboards, infographics.
What you'll get: 1-5 scores on Clarity, Efficiency, Integrity, Aesthetics with pass/fail threshold.
Time: 15-30 minutes per visualization
→ Go to Visualization Audit Framework
Choose this when: Comprehensive review covering both interface elements and data visualizations.
Process: Run Cognitive Checklist first, then Visualization Audit on each data component, merge findings, produce unified fix list.
Time: 45-90 minutes
→ Start with Cognitive Checklist, then Visualization Audit
1. Attention — "Is it obvious what to look at first?"
2. Memory — "Is the user required to remember anything that could be shown?"
3. Clarity — "Can someone unfamiliar understand in 5 seconds?"
All YES = likely cognitively sound. Any NO = run full checklist on the failing area.
Out of scope: Creating designs, teaching theory, providing domain guidance, replacing user testing, or covering full accessibility compliance.
In scope: Systematic evaluation against cognitive principles, severity-classified findings, prioritized fix recommendations, and visualization quality scoring.
npx claudepluginhub lyndonkl/claude --plugin thinking-frameworks-skillsScores visual designs across 8 VisAWI-aligned dimensions (layout, typography, color, etc.) 1-5 each (40 max), provides anti-pattern checklists and audit workflows for quantitative comparisons.
Applies cognitive psychology principles (perception, attention, memory, Gestalt) to ground design decisions for interfaces, data visualizations, and presentations.
Audits visual designs against core principles like dominant element, visual hierarchy, typography, color usage, and accessibility, citing violations, sources, and fixes with severity levels.