design-review-workflow

Run one structured pass after the last build task is done and CI is green: a screenshot sweep of every screen across themes, directions, and text scales, plus an on-device pass on real hardware. Grade findings as BLOCKER, FIX, or NOTE, fix in one round, then write a dated sign-off artifact.

The matrix covers every screen and meaningful state multiplied by light and dark themes and LTR and RTL directions, with the largest text scale applied to every still. Motion moments are captured as short videos with reduce-motion on and off, since skippability is only judgeable on video.

Design review happens exactly once per app or feature, at the very end, after the last build task is done and all CI gates and tests are green. Per-task visual critiques during the build are an anti-pattern; mid-build issues are noted and reviewed in the final pass.

Emulators and flagships hide bugs the median user hits: audio and haptics behavior, real fonts, memory pressure on budget silicon, and real system settings like silent mode. The on-device pass also covers screen-reader traversal, migration rehearsal, and crash-log symbol checks that only manifest on physical devices.

Any accessibility-floor violation is a mandatory BLOCKER: insufficient contrast, undersized tap targets, text truncation at the largest scale, state conveyed by color alone, RTL rendering errors, and missing reduce-motion paths. Aesthetics never offset a floor violation, and a surviving BLOCKER means no sign-off.