Product Design
What design decision are you making right now?
These checklists give you pass/fail thresholds for every decision. No subjective advice. Every check has a number and a method to measure it.
The Audit Sequence
Run these four on everything, in order:
1. RENDERING → Does it exist in the browser?
2. VISUAL → Can humans read and navigate it?
3. RESPONSIVE → Does it work at every viewport?
4. INTERACTION → Can everyone use it?
Then pick the situation-specific checklist.
Situation Router
| You're doing this | Use this |
|---|---|
| Deployed but something looks wrong | Rendering Verification |
| Making it look professional | Visual Design |
| Testing on phones or checking speed | Responsive + Performance |
| Ensuring everyone can use it | Interaction + Accessibility |
| Building a page that needs to convert | Landing Page |
| Building reusable UI components | Component Design |
| Building admin/data management UI | Data Interfaces |
| Reviewing someone's work | Design Review |
| Setting up Tailwind v4 theme tokens | Tailwind Theme |
| Looking for the style guide | Design System |
Five Universal Checks
Run these on every page, every time:
| # | Check | Threshold | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text readable | 4.5:1 contrast ratio | Chrome DevTools color picker |
| 2 | Touch targets | 44x44px minimum | DevTools element inspector |
| 3 | Primary action visible | Above fold, unique color | Squint test at arm's length |
| 4 | Load speed | LCP under 2.5s | Lighthouse audit |
| 5 | Keyboard navigable | All actions reachable via Tab | Unplug mouse, navigate |
Context
- Dreamineering Design System
- Process Optimisation -- Checklists as expert tools
- Value Speed -- Speed as a design principle
- Standards -- Why measurable thresholds matter