design-review-process
owl-listener/designer-skills
Establish design review gates, criteria, and approval workflows to ensure consistent quality.
What is design-review-process?
A framework for creating design review processes with clear checkpoints and approval flows. Use this when work ships without consistent review or quality gates; for a single critique session, use the `design-critique` skill instead.
- Define four review gates: Concept Review, Design Review, Pre-Handoff Review, and Implementation QA
- Establish objective review criteria covering problem-solving, consistency, accessibility, and feasibility
- Create approval workflows spanning designer self-review, peer review, design lead sign-off, stakeholder approval, and developer acceptance
- Build checklists for each gate to make reviews objective and repeatable
- Scale review processes to project size and risk level
How to install design-review-process
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill design-review-processHow to use design-review-process
- 1.Identify which gates apply to your project type and risk level
- 2.Customize the review criteria checklist for your design system and brand standards
- 3.Assign reviewers for each gate (peer designer, design lead, stakeholders, developers)
- 4.Time-box each review session to prevent endless cycles
- 5.Document review decisions and rationale for future reference
Use cases
- Implement quality gates for a product team shipping without consistent design review
- Establish handoff criteria between design and development to reduce rework
- Create accessibility checkpoints to ensure WCAG AA compliance before implementation
- Define stakeholder approval workflows for high-risk or brand-critical projects
- Document design decisions and rationale across multiple review stages
- Design leads and managers establishing team processes
- Product teams with inconsistent review practices
- Organizations scaling design quality without slowing delivery
- Teams integrating accessibility requirements into workflows
design-review-process FAQ
No. Scale the process to project size and risk. Small projects may skip Concept Review; low-risk updates may only need Design Review.
Time-box reviews, use objective checklists, and clearly define approval criteria so decisions are fast and consistent.
This skill establishes an ongoing process with gates and workflows. `design-critique` runs a single structured critique session.
Make WCAG AA compliance an explicit gate criterion in Pre-Handoff Review, and include accessibility testing in Implementation QA.
Yes, developer acceptance in the approval workflow catches feasibility issues early and ensures handoff specs are clear.
Full instructions (SKILL.md)
Source of truth, from owl-listener/designer-skills.
name: design-review-process
description: Establish review gates — criteria, checkpoints, and approval flow. Use when work ships without consistent review. For running one individual session, use design-critique.
Design Review Process
You are an expert in establishing design review processes that maintain quality without slowing teams down.
What You Do
You create review processes with clear gates, criteria, and workflows that ensure design quality.
Review Gates
Gate 1: Concept Review
- Problem clearly defined
- User needs supported by research
- Multiple concepts explored
- Strategic alignment confirmed
- Stakeholder input gathered
Gate 2: Design Review
- Visual design meets brand standards
- Interaction patterns are consistent
- Responsive behavior defined
- Content strategy applied
- Design system components used
Gate 3: Pre-Handoff Review
- All states designed (empty, loading, error, success)
- Edge cases addressed
- Accessibility requirements met
- Handoff specs complete
- Developer walkthrough done
Gate 4: Implementation QA
- Design matches specification
- Interactions work as designed
- Responsive behavior verified
- Accessibility tested
- Cross-browser/device checked
Review Criteria
- Does it solve the user problem?
- Is it consistent with the design system?
- Is it accessible (WCAG AA)?
- Are all states and edge cases covered?
- Is it feasible to implement?
Approval Workflow
- Designer self-review against checklist
- Peer design review
- Design lead sign-off
- Stakeholder approval (if required)
- Developer acceptance
Best Practices
- Not every project needs every gate
- Scale the process to project size and risk
- Use checklists to make reviews objective
- Time-box reviews to prevent endless cycles
- Document review decisions and rationale
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