UI and visual skill for antislop. Use when building or editing any interface: color, layout, components, motion. Load with the core.
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antislop-ui
Anti Slop: Rules for AI Coding Agents. UI & Visual skill
Part of the antislop system. Read together with antislop.md (the core). This skill deep-dives the UI/visual concern: color, layout, components, decoration, structural flow, and motion. It references core rules by number and never duplicates or renumbers them. Load it when the task builds or edits a website, web app, or any interface.
How to use this skill
Load together with antislop.md whenever the task is UI or visual work. The core holds the mechanism (the purpose test, the three tiers, the Delivery Gate); this skill holds UI-specific depth.
Every entry has the same shape: Tell (the pattern), Why (why it reads as slop), Fix (what to do instead), with the governing core rule cited as R-XX.
The Delivery Gate in the core remains the gate. The "UI Skill Checklist" at the end of this file is the UI-specific supplement to run alongside it.
Visual & Color
Generic Blue-Purple Gradient
Tell: blue-to-purple, blue-to-cyan, or purple-to-pink gradients used as the primary color treatment, or a full-page colored glow.
Why: the most over-represented color treatment in training data. It signals "no brand identity", not "our palette", and marks the design as AI-generated at a glance.
Fix: pull the palette from DESIGN.md or the product's own identity. Keep a gradient only as a hierarchy function with the reason written down (R-01). A gradient separating one level from another is craft; the same gradient on every section is a default.
Excessive Glassmorphism
Tell: blur/backdrop-filter on the navbar, cards, modals, and sidebar at the same time.
Why: blur removes texture and sits every surface in the same frosted layer, flattening hierarchy. When every surface is glass, nothing is foreground.
Fix: treat glass as an accent, not a character trait. Dose cap: at most 1-2 elements (R-10). The surface that needs the attention gets the glass; everything else stays solid.
Excessive Border Radius
Tell: every element is pill-shaped: buttons, inputs, cards, badges, modals.
Why: uniform pill shapes erase the visual language of "this is an input, this is a card". Radius becomes decoration instead of a hierarchy tool.
Fix: set a small set of radii in the design system and apply them deliberately (R-11). One generous radius on the primary CTA reads as intentional; the same radius on every element reads as a default.
Overly Soft Shadows
Tell: every component carries a large shadow, so the whole page feels like it is floating.
Why: when everything is elevated, elevation communicates nothing. The page loses its ground plane and becomes generic softness.
Fix: use shadow as an elevation marker only, and write the elevation reason down (R-12). Most elements should sit flat; the one or two that need to lift above the page carry the shadow.
Glow Everywhere
Tell: glow on cards, buttons, icons, badges, backgrounds, and borders simultaneously.
Why: glow is an attention amplifier. Applied everywhere it amplifies nothing, and it is one of the fastest ways to look "made by AI".
Fix: reserve glow for a maximum of 1-2 important elements as a focus accent (R-13). Everything else stays matte.
Why: it is a default way to make a flat page feel "technical" without doing any real work. It reads as texture without intent.
Fix: use texture or pattern only when it genuinely supports the product's identity, with the reason written down (R-07). A real identity motif (core Part 3) beats a stock grid every time.
Dark Mode Default for No Reason
Tell: the whole page is dark simply because it looks "tech", with no branding consideration.
Why: dark is a decision, not a default. Forcing it reads as following a trend, not serving the product.
Fix: choose the theme from brand identity, product type, and audience (R-21). Developer and creative tools have legitimate reasons for dark; a content-first product usually does not. If there is no strong reason for a fixed theme, build a working light/dark toggle.
Too Many Colors in the Palette
Tell: 5-7 different colors on one page with no clear design system.
Why: a scattered palette has no hierarchy. When every element can be any color, nothing is distinguished.
Fix: cap the active palette at 2-3 core colors + 1 accent (R-29), and let one of the cores be the neutral base. Restraint is what makes the accent land.
Excessive Accent Color
Tell: one accent color on buttons, icons, badges, links, lines, backgrounds, and glows at once.
Why: the accent stops being an accent the moment it is everywhere. It becomes just another color, and the design loses its focal point.
Fix: the accent belongs at the key moment only (one deliberate accent, core Part 3). Zero accents is sterile; an accent everywhere is slop. Choose the one or two places it matters.
Sterile Default
Tell: flat white or near-white, thin grey borders, small radius, no texture, generic font, no identity.
Why: this is the "safe" result of over-filtering without direction. It is not slop, but it is not design either: it is a void where a design should be.
Fix: this is a direction problem, not a filter problem. Add DESIGN.md or resolve the Design Read (core Part 3), then raise the liveliness dials. The fix is never more bans; it is state the purpose and add energy.
Layout & Components
Monotonous Template Layout
Tell: hero, subtitle, 2 CTAs, screenshot, feature grid, testimonials, FAQ, CTA, footer, in that order, every time.
Why: the order is the training-data default, not the product's narrative. Sections appear because the template has them, not because the content needs them.
Fix: build the structure around actual content needs (R-05, C-3). If the product has no testimonials, there is no testimonials section. Section order follows the product's story. Match the RHYTHM dial: if it is 3, sections visibly vary.
Copy-Paste Feature Cards
Tell: identical size, height, icon, layout, and padding across all feature cards.
Why: uniform cards flatten the content. When every feature is a card with an icon, the features with real weight and the ones without look the same.
Fix: create variation that reflects content hierarchy, with the reason written down (R-14). Not every feature needs to be a card. The flagship feature may deserve a full-width treatment, the supporting ones a list.
Uniform Spacing
Tell: padding, margin, and gaps are identical across every section.
Why: rhythm is a tool, and a single spacing value removes it. Sections stop relating to each other; the page reads as one flat strip.
Fix: use whitespace as structure (core Part 3) and vary it with the RHYTHM dial. Establish a spacing scale, then use different levels to separate and connect. Uniform rhythm is a deliberate choice only when the dial says so (R-05).
"How It Works" Always 3 Steps
Tell: round icon + number 1, 2, 3 + short text, always three steps, always the same shape.
Why: the product's real process is rarely a tidy three-step list. The template forces the process into its shape, not the other way around.
Fix: present the process as it actually is (R-05). Three steps with round icons is fine if that is genuinely the process; otherwise use whatever shape the real workflow takes, including two steps or five.
"Trusted By" Logo Bar
Tell: a row of generic company logos directly below the hero.
Why: it is a trust claim with no evidence: generic logos, no real customers named, no proof of use.
Fix: only show real, verifiable logos (R-18, R-36, C-5). If the product has no such customers yet, do not fabricate a logo bar. Real social proof beats a generic one every time.
"Most Popular" Pricing Card
Tell: the middle pricing tier always highlighted with a capsule badge.
Why: it is the default pattern, which means it is not a decision. When every pricing section does it, the highlighted tier stops meaning anything.
Fix: highlight the tier that actually serves the product's goals, and write why (R-31). If no tier deserves emphasis, highlight none.
4-Column Template Footer
Tell: Product / Company / Resources / Legal columns with no variation.
Why: the columns exist because templates have them, not because the site has that many link groups.
Fix: structure the footer around what the product actually links to (R-05). A single column of links can be more useful than four half-empty ones.
Uniform Section Rhythm
Tell: every section is centered title + subtitle + identical card grid, with no variation.
Why: identical composition makes sections blur together, and the page feels repetitive and flat.
Fix: vary composition with the RHYTHM dial (R-05). Alternate text-heavy and visual sections, asymmetric and symmetric layouts. A page where every section follows the same template is a page designed by a template.
Decorative Elements
Generic AI Icons
Tell: sparkle, star, magic, lightning, diamond, cube, robot, or AI orb as feature icons.
Why: these glyphs are the generic vocabulary of "AI product". They communicate nothing about the specific feature.
Fix: use icons genuinely relevant to the content, with the relevance written down when the glyph is generic (R-04). If no appropriate icon exists, use none. The feature label does the work.
Emoji as Decoration
Tell: literal emoji scattered through the copy, headings, badges, and buttons: 🚀 in a headline, ✅ beside every feature bullet, 🔥 on a CTA, 📈 above a chart title.
Why: emoji is the loudest shorthand for "this was generated, not written". In a UI it competes with the content for attention and flattens the product's voice into the same cheerful default as every other AI site.
Fix: remove emoji from UI text. If a concept needs a mark, use a real, relevant icon with the reason written down (R-04), or no mark at all. The copy carries the meaning; the emoji adds nothing.
Small Arrows on Every Button
Tell:→ or ↗ placed on almost every button as pure decoration.
Why: the arrow becomes a pattern, not a signal. When every CTA has one, none of them point anywhere specific.
Fix: arrows are not the default identity for buttons (R-08). Keep them for the action that genuinely benefits from a direction cue, sized proportionally, with the purpose written down.
Why: the capsule-plus-glow-plus-dot combination is a self-referential badge that says "made by AI, about being made by AI". It adds noise, not information.
Fix: badges only when functionally needed, with the need written down, and never the full combination (R-09). A real status label is fine; a decorative "AI Powered" pill is not.
Generic AI Typography
Tell: large monospace headings, or uppercase labels with extreme letter-spacing ("HOW IT WORKS", "FEATURES").
Why: monospace-as-aesthetic and wide-tracked uppercase are shorthand for "technical and modern" without doing any real typographic work.
Fix: choose typeface from brand character, not the model's default pick, and write the reason (R-06). Typography must improve readability and reflect the product. A type choice with a reason beats a trend every time.
Illustrations With No Connection
Tell: Undraw, Storyset, or generic 3D blob characters with no real connection to the product.
Why: decorative illustrations say the design is decorated, not designed. They fill space without serving the content.
Fix: illustrations must have a direct connection to the product, with the connection written down (R-22). If none exists, use real screenshots or no illustration.
Structural & Flow
Dead Navigation
Tell: navbar links to pages or sections that do not exist.
Why: dead links are a broken promise. They break trust the moment a user clicks them.
Fix: every navigation item must have a real destination (R-24). If a feature is not built, leave it out, or label it "Coming soon" clearly. The navbar reflects content that actually exists.
Non-Functional Controls
Tell: buttons do nothing, dropdowns won't open, forms cannot submit.
Why: the visual is finished but the behavior is not. This is the difference between a mockup and a product.
Fix: every interactive element has real behavior, or it is removed (R-26). If an element genuinely cannot have a destination, ship a clear // TODO plus a visible "Coming soon" label, or do not ship it.
Sections That Fill a Template
Tell: a section exists because "every AI landing page has one", not because the content needs it.
Why: template sections are content without purpose. They add length and remove focus.
Fix: every section earns its place from the product's content (C-3). Remove sections that only fill a template. A page with fewer, purposeful sections is stronger than a page with all the defaults.
App & Dashboard
The patterns above are landing-page shapes. These are the app-side equivalents: the defaults an agent reaches for when the screen is a dashboard, an admin panel, or any signed-in view. The rules they break are the same ones; only the shape is new.
Default Dashboard Shell
Tell: left sidebar, top bar, four stat cards, a chart, a table. Chosen before anyone asked what the screen is for, and identical whether it manages invoices, patients, or servers.
Why: it is the landing-page template problem in an app: a layout picked from memory instead of from the work the screen supports. Swap the labels and it belongs to any product.
Fix: name the screen's job and the one decision the user makes on it, then build the hierarchy around that (C-3, R-20). If the job is "spot the failing job and retry it", the failing jobs are the page and the stat row is a footnote. Sections that survive only because dashboards usually have them get cut (C-3).
Stat Cards With Invented Numbers
Tell: a row of four cards reading 12,483 / 94.2% / $48.2K / 1,204, each with a green "+12% this week" delta.
Why: the numbers are decoration, and the deltas are worse: a trend claim with no series behind it. Real dashboards have metrics that matter and metrics that do not, so four equal cards is already a hierarchy failure.
Fix: show real numbers or none (R-17, R-38). Wire the cards to real data, or ship the one metric that is real. A delta appears only when the comparison period is real and named. If the screen is a prototype, label the values as placeholder where the user can see it (R-38).
Filler Activity Feed
Tell: "Sarah Chen updated a document, 2 hours ago", repeated with rotating names and avatars.
Why: invented people, invented events. It is the testimonial section wearing a different layout, and it makes an empty product look busy.
Fix: the feed shows real events or does not ship (R-18, R-38). An honest empty state beats a fabricated feed, and it tells the user what to do first (R-27).
Charts Without a Question
Tell: a line or donut chart placed because the space looked bare, with a generic title ("Overview", "Performance") and no axis the reader can act on.
Why: a chart is an answer. Without the question, it is texture, and it costs more attention than a sentence would.
Fix: write the question the chart answers before drawing it, and put that question in the title ("Failed jobs per hour, last 24h"). If a sentence answers it better, write the sentence (C-3). Chart segments still need 3:1 contrast against their neighbours (R-25).
Generic Table Columns
Tell: Name, Status, Date, Actions, whatever the rows actually are, with a three-dot menu on every row.
Why: the columns come from the table component, not from the data. The user scans for the field that decides their next move and it is not there.
Fix: pick columns from the decision the user makes in this table, and put the deciding field early. The row menu holds actions that exist; anything that does nothing comes out (R-26).
Filler Data in Fields and Columns
Tell: empty form fields and table columns filled with fake but plausible data: John Doe, johndoe@example.com, "Let's build something", phone numbers and dates that belong to nobody.
Why: fabricated content disguised as real. It reads fine in a mockup and falls apart the moment a real user looks: the name is not a customer, the email is not a lead, and the message is a tagline. It is the strongest tell that the screen was generated, not built.
Fix: leave empty cells empty, or use placeholders that clearly say what goes there: Your Name, email@example.com, Drop your message here..., or [REAL DATA] when a value is expected (R-23, R-38). Real data goes in when it exists. Generic filler copy like "Let's build something" is buzzword slop and does not belong in a data column (R-16).
Placeholder Empty and Loading States
Tell: "No data available" with an illustration, a bare spinner, or a full-page skeleton that mimics a layout the real data never fills.
Why: R-27 requires the states, and these technically have them. They still tell the user nothing: no cause, no next action, no idea whether this is normal.
Fix: an empty state says why it is empty and gives the one action that fills it ("No jobs yet. Run a sync to see results here"). A loading state says what it is loading. An error state says what failed and what to do next (R-27). First run, filtered to nothing, and permission denied are different screens and read differently.
Motion
Endless Pulses and Loops
Tell: elements that pulse, bounce, or float forever with no user trigger.
Why: perpetual motion is noise. It competes with the content for attention and never stops to let the user rest.
Fix: motion must have a clear UX purpose, written down (R-19). Animation guides attention to a moment; it does not run on a loop. If the MOTION dial is 1 (hover states only), an endless loop is a FAIL against the declared dial.
Template Animations Stacked
Tell: every element uses Fade Up + Fade In + Floating + Scale + Bounce simultaneously.
Why: a page where everything animates has no focal point. Motion becomes wallpaper.
Fix: choreograph motion to a purpose and to the MOTION dial (R-19). Not everything moves. The hero speaks, the supporting elements stay calm. Claimed "cinematic" pages must actually move; claimed "static" pages must not.
UI Skill Checklist
Run these alongside the core Delivery Gate when the task is UI work. All answers must be yes:
Is the palette derived from DESIGN.md or a written brand identity, not the default gradient set? (R-01, R-29)
Is the accent used at the key moment only, not spread across every element? (core Part 3, one deliberate accent)
Is the copy free of decorative emoji scattered through headings, bullets, and buttons? (R-04)
Do section compositions vary according to the declared RHYTHM dial instead of repeating one template? (R-05)
Does every navigation item and interactive element have a real destination or behavior, or a visible "Coming soon" label? (R-24, R-26)
Does motion follow the declared MOTION dial and serve a written purpose, with no endless loops? (R-19)
Is glass, glow, shadow, and radius used at their dose caps, not as a page-wide default? (R-10, R-11, R-12, R-13)
On an app screen, is the layout built around the decision the user makes there, rather than the sidebar plus stat row plus chart plus table default? (C-3, R-20)
Is every number, delta, feed entry, and table row real or a labelled placeholder, with no invented metrics? (R-17, R-18, R-38)
Do empty form fields and table cells stay empty or carry honest placeholders (Your Name, email@example.com) instead of fake-looking data (John Doe, johndoe@example.com)? (R-23, R-38)
Do the empty, loading, and error states name the cause and the next action instead of saying "No data"? (R-27)
Does the page hold up at every breakpoint, theme, and state, and pass keyboard-only use? (R-03, R-34, C-4)
