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name: enhance-web-redesign description: > Upgrade an existing site/app to premium quality. Use when "redesign this app" or "upgrade UI to premium". One-page polish → enhance-web-ui. Plan-only slop audit → plan-antislop. New UI from scratch → design-frontend. license: MIT

Surface router: /uiux. You are here: enhance-web-redesign. Native iOS/Android (SwiftUI / Compose, no web layer) is out of scope — use Apple HIG / Material directly.

Redesign Skill

Degree of freedom: MIXED. Taste and audit judgment [HIGH freedom]; keep-the-stack, no-break-functionality [LOW freedom — run exactly].

How to reason

1. Scan — framework, styling, current patterns
2. Triage — AI-tells first (3+ = slop; kill those)
3. Fix — existing stack, Fix Priority order; no rewrite
4. Preserve — flows still work; deps exist before import

Worked example

Scan: Vite + Tailwind v4; Inter everywhere; three equal feature cards; no hover. Triage: Inter, purple hero gradient, three cards, "Welcome to…" — four tells. Fix: Geist; one accent; asymmetric feature row; hover/active; keep routes. Preserve: npm run build green; no new framework.

Self-critique before reporting

• Same stack — no framework or styling-library migration
• Tells killed — Phase 0 fingerprints actually gone, not restyled in place
• States exist — hover/focus/loading/empty/error present
• Right owner — one-page polish → enhance-web-ui; plan-only slop → plan-antislop; greenfield → design-frontend

How This Works

When applied to an existing project, follow this sequence:

1. Scan — Read the codebase. Identify the framework, styling method (Tailwind, vanilla CSS, styled-components, etc.), and current design patterns.
2. Diagnose — Run through the audit below. List every generic pattern, weak point, and missing state you find.
3. Fix — Apply targeted upgrades working with the existing stack. Do not rewrite from scratch. Improve what's there.

Phase 0: 60-Second AI-Tell Triage [HIGH freedom]

Before the full audit, scan for the highest-signal "AI-generated look" fingerprints. If you spot 3+, the page reads as slop and these are the fastest wins. (Distilled from anti-slop research — see anti-slop-ui and taste-skill.)

• Inter / Roboto as the only typeface
• Purple→blue gradient on hero, buttons, or icons
• Three equal feature cards in a row
• Pill-shaped everything (uniform rounded-full badges + buttons)
• "Welcome to [Product]" / "improve your…" hero copy
• Em dashes sprinkled through every sentence of body copy
• Lucide/Feather icons with a rocket = "launch", shield = "security"
• Centered-everything symmetrical layout with no asymmetry or overlap
• Generic shadow-lg pure-black shadows on white cards
• No hover / active / focus states on interactive elements
• Cream / off-white page background as the default canvas
• Italic accent word in every headline
• "01 / 02 / 03" numbered or monospace eyebrow labels above every section

Kill these first, then run the full audit.

Design Audit [HIGH freedom]

Run through every category and list each generic pattern, weak point, and missing state you find; every catalogue item names the problem and its fix: Typography · Color and Surfaces · Layout · Interactivity and States · Content · Component Patterns · Iconography · Code Quality · Strategic Omissions (what AI typically forgets). Full audit catalogue: references/design-audit.md §Design Audit.

Upgrade Techniques [HIGH freedom]

When upgrading, pull from the high-impact typography, layout, motion, and surface techniques to replace generic patterns (variable-font animation, outlined-to-fill text, broken grid, parallax card stacks, staggered entry, spring physics, true glassmorphism, spotlight borders, grain overlays, tinted shadows). Full list: references/design-audit.md §Upgrade Techniques.

Fix Priority [HIGH freedom]

Apply changes in this order for maximum visual impact with minimum risk:

1. Font swap — biggest instant improvement, lowest risk
2. Color palette cleanup — remove clashing or oversaturated colors
3. Hover and active states — makes the interface feel alive
4. Layout and spacing — proper grid, max-width, consistent padding
5. Replace generic components — swap cliche patterns for modern alternatives
6. Add loading, empty, and error states — makes it feel finished
7. Polish typography scale and spacing — the premium final touch

Rules [LOW freedom — run exactly]

• Work with the existing tech stack. Do not migrate frameworks or styling libraries.
• Do not break existing functionality: keep routes, handlers, and states; run the repo's build and checks before reporting.
• Before importing any new library, check the project's dependency file first.
• If the project uses Tailwind, check the version (v3 vs v4) before modifying config.
• If the project has no framework, use vanilla CSS.
• Keep changes reviewable and focused. Small, targeted improvements over big rewrites.

Further reading

• Design audit catalogue and upgrade techniques