The Crit
Honest design feedback in under 60 seconds
A web app that gives designers informed, structured critique on any visual work — paste a URL or upload images, get back strengths, issues, and prioritized fixes. Free for a single page, $5 for a full website review.
The problem
Designers share portfolios for feedback and get "looks great!" Friends are kind; strangers are scarce; senior designers are expensive. The feedback loop that every designer needs to improve is broken for 99% of them.
The approach
Build the thing a senior designer would say if they sat with your work for an hour. Structured review — visual hierarchy, typography, layout, navigation, accessibility, content — returned in under 60 seconds. Free single page to earn trust. $5 full-site for when someone's ready.
What I designed and built
End-to-end product: brand, landing, pricing, the critique experience itself, the tools suite (Resume Review, Case Study Builder, Font Pairing), the dashboard I use to track conversion. Implementation on Next.js with Claude for critique generation, Stripe for payments, Supabase for submissions, GA4 server-side for honest analytics.
Behind the build
The critique structure wasn't invented — it was distilled from more than a decade of teaching design. Before writing code, I mapped what designers actually need from a critique: strengths first so it's received, specific issues so it's useful, and a priority list so nobody walks away wondering what to tackle first. It took multiple rebuilds to get the critique quality right. Earlier versions hit ceilings on prompt control and voice consistency. The submission UX looked like a generic form. Cache issues kept telling users their finished critique was still "processing." The version that's live now is ground-up — multi-step submission flow, real-time status polling, and vision models analyzing the actual design files instead of descriptions of them.
Craft decisions I care about
Preview the critique experience before submitting — the highest-leverage UX bet on the site, because paying $5 without understanding the format is a no. Serif typography and warm palette to feel human, not SaaS. Strict left-alignment discipline. Every CTA earns its place; "learn more" is banned. Trial protection by IP plus email — respect the hustle, price the value.