design-debt-audit

Define the audit scope, screenshot every screen in scope, then classify each finding by severity, category, frequency, and effort to fix. Prioritize items using Severity × Frequency / Effort and produce a remediation plan split into quick wins, structural projects, and accessibility fixes.

Design debt includes visual inconsistencies with the design system, structural patterns that no longer scale, known WCAG accessibility violations, undocumented components and decisions, and implementations using hardcoded values instead of design tokens.

A design debt audit covers all inconsistency categories including visual, structural, and documentation debt, with accessibility as one category. For dedicated WCAG gap analysis, use a focused accessibility audit instead; for token coverage specifically, use a design token audit.

Score each item with Severity × Frequency / Effort to find the highest-harm, lowest-cost fixes. Prioritize Critical accessibility violations, schedule structural projects into the roadmap, and defer low-traffic debt that a planned redesign will resolve.

Run one before starting a major redesign to define the actual scope of work, and maintain the debt register as a living document reviewed quarterly. Include engineering in effort estimation, since designers often underestimate implementation complexity.