Bezalel · Vitruvius · Rams · CRISP

Design Intelligence for AI Agents

CContextual
RResponsive
IIntelligent
SSeamless
PPowerful

AI has given every developer a design tool. It gave none of them a design standard.

CRISP is the standard.

Design has always needed a language. CRISP is that language — for the age of AI.

CRISP SELF-EVALUATION
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0
R
0
I
0
S
0
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0
Start free audit → Install the skills
SCROLL
✓ CRISP loaded — /crisp-audit ready ·
Design intelligence for every AI harness ·
Grade: B+  — up from C last audit ·
Works with Claude Code · Cursor · Antigravity · VS Code · Gemini CLI ·
5 dimensions · 9 commands · one clear standard ·
✓ .crisp.md written to project root ·
✓ CRISP loaded — /crisp-audit ready ·
Design intelligence for every AI harness ·
Grade: B+  — up from C last audit ·
Works with Claude Code · Cursor · Antigravity · VS Code · Gemini CLI ·
5 dimensions · 9 commands · one clear standard ·
✓ .crisp.md written to project root ·

The Lineage

Every era has had a framework for evaluating
whether a designed thing is actually good.

CRISP didn't appear from nowhere. It is the latest in a 3,000-year tradition of named, structured systems for asking the same question: does this designed thing actually serve the person it was made for?

Craftsman's hands applying gold leaf — representing Bezalel's sacred craft
1446 BC

Bezalel

Chokmah · Tevunah · Da'at

"I have filled him with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge, and with all kinds of skill." — Exodus 31:3

CRISP parallel Intelligent · Contextual · Powerful

Ancient architectural drawings on vellum with bronze compass — Vitruvius's proportioned blueprint
25 BC

Vitruvius

Firmitas · Utilitas · Venustas

"Well building hath three conditions: firmness, commodity, and delight." — De Architectura

CRISP parallel Powerful · Seamless · Responsive

Close-up of a 1970s Braun radio dial — Dieter Rams's functional silence
1976

Dieter Rams

Ten Principles of Good Design

"Good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better." — Dieter Rams

CRISP parallel Powerful · Seamless · Contextual

Mechanical keyboard lit by green phosphor glow — CRISP for the age of AI
2026

CRISP

C · R · I · S · P

"Your AI agent can generate code. It can't evaluate design."

CRISP parallel Contextual · Responsive · Intelligent · Seamless · Powerful

Four objects connected by a gold thread — representing 3,472 years of design thinking

— Bezalel · Vitruvius · Rams · CRISP —

3,472 years of the same question.

01 — Lineage complete. What changes when your agent understands design →

01 — Before & After

What changes when
your agent understands design

AI agents produce technically functional interfaces. CRISP evaluates whether they're actually good — and why they aren't.

WITHOUT CRISP
  • ✗CEmpty state says "No data available" — user doesn't know why or what to do
  • ✗RSpinner appears on every filter change — user waits while nothing seems to happen
  • ✗IRaw metric: "1,247" — no context, no comparison, no suggested action
  • ✗S"Open in portal" — forces a redirect and new login for a simple approval
  • ✗PAll 23 settings visible to every user at all times — cognitive overload
WITH CRISP
  • ✓C"Your Q3 pipeline looks healthy — 12 deals active. Add your first deal to get started."
  • ✓ROptimistic update — result appears instantly, background sync happens silently
  • ✓I"1,247 leads — up 23% this month. 3 deals need your attention before Friday."
  • ✓SInline approval card — one click, no redirect, no re-authentication required
  • ✓P3 most-used actions surfaced. Everything else collapsed behind "Advanced settings"
/crisp-audit dashboard.tsx Grade: B+
C
82Contextual
R
64Responsive ⚠
I
91Intelligent
S
71Seamless
P
88Powerful
BENCHMARKED AGAINST
StripeTrustworthy, progressive disclosure
LinearMinimal, fast, keyboard-native
NotionFlexible, powerful, great onboarding
AsanaTask-focused, clear status
SlackHierarchy, efficient workflows
BENCHMARKED AGAINST
StripeTrustworthy, progressive disclosure
LinearMinimal, fast, keyboard-native
NotionFlexible, powerful, great onboarding
AsanaTask-focused, clear status
SlackHierarchy, efficient workflows

02 — The Framework

Five dimensions.
One clear standard.

CRISP gives your AI agent a shared design language. Each dimension maps to a specific failure pattern and a specific fix.

C
Contextual
Can the user tell where they are and what this page does within 5 seconds?
FAILS WHEN
Dead-end empty states · missing breadcrumbs · unclear orientation · generic headings
R
Responsive
Does the UI update immediately on every interaction?
FAILS WHEN
Spinners on every action · click-wait-update patterns · no hover feedback · delayed confirms
I
Intelligent
Are we showing insights, not just raw data?
FAILS WHEN
Numbers without meaning · blank forms · no next-best-action · we know the user but pretend we don't
S
Seamless
Are we fitting into their day — not forcing them into ours?
FAILS WHEN
Unnecessary logins · portal redirects · custom components that break habits · friction on routine tasks
P
Powerful
Is complexity hidden appropriately for each user type?
FAILS WHEN
Expert settings shown to novices · no keyboard shortcuts · no undo · all options always visible

03 — Commands

Nine commands.
The full design loop.

Five core commands cover the full design loop. Four specialist extensions go deeper — into accessibility, AI surfaces, microcopy, and brief writing.

SPECIALIST EXTENSIONS
/crisp-teach
One-time project onboarding. Learns your product, users, and design system. Writes .crisp.md — your context file that every other command reads automatically.
Claude Code — /crisp-teach
CRISP: Who are the primary users of this product?
Enterprise SaaS product managers, 50-500 person companies...
CRISP: What design system or UI library do you use?
Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui, custom tokens...
CRISP: What does "great design" look like for this product?
Fast, no-surprise interactions. Think Linear or Stripe...
PRODUCES
.crisp.md context file
User personas + jobs-to-be-done
Design system reference
Benchmark + anti-reference set
/crisp-audit
Full CRISP evaluation. Scores all five dimensions with P0–P3 severity ratings, benchmarks against Stripe and Linear, and produces a prioritised action plan.
Claude Code — /crisp-audit
/crisp-audit settings.tsxGrade: B+
C
82Contextual
R
64Responsive ⚠
I
91Intelligent
S
71Seamless
P
88Powerful
PRODUCES
Grade A–F with justification
5-dimension CRISP scorecard
P0–P3 severity violations
Prioritised fix list
/crisp-review
30-second scan for rapid design iteration. Returns a letter grade and the top 3 issues by user impact — with specific fix suggestions, not vague feedback.
Claude Code — /crisp-review
B+
"Solid foundations. Three quick wins available before this ships."
P1Empty state needs a clear action CTA — users are strandedFix →
P1Filter spinner blocks UI — switch to skeleton or optimistic updateFix →
P218 settings visible — only 4 are P0. Collapse with "Advanced settings"Fix →
PRODUCES
Grade A–F + one-line verdict
Top 3 issues ranked by impact
Specific fix per issue
Quick wins list
/feature-design
Design a new feature from scratch using CRISP principles. Takes a problem statement and produces user flows, component decisions, and rationale benchmarked against world-class products.
Claude Code — /feature-design
User triggers approval flow
↓
Can approve inline? Check context
↓
Yes → Inline card
✓ Seamless
No → Contextual redirect
⚠ Avoid if possible
↓
Optimistic confirm → sync silently
PRODUCES
User flow with decision rationale
CRISP compliance check per step
Component recommendations
Research questions to validate
/handoff
Convert any CRISP-approved design into a developer-ready specification. Covers implementation notes, component states, edge cases, token references, and accessibility requirements.
Claude Code — /handoff
EmptyState
spacing: space-8color: text-mutedicon: size-12
ApprovalCard
variant: inlinez-index: overlay
States: default · loading · success · error · disabled
A11y: role="dialog", aria-live="polite"
PRODUCES
Component state inventory
Token + spacing references
Edge cases + error states
Accessibility checklist
/crisp-brief
Turn a vague design request into a structured, unambiguous brief. Writes .brief.md with problem statement, target user, observable success criteria, scope boundaries, and CRISP dimension priority.
Claude Code — /crisp-brief
📄 .brief.md
ProblemEmpty dashboard — new users bounce 34% before creating a first project
UserProduct manager, first week, high intent but low context
SuccessFirst project created within 5 min of landing
Out of scopeOnboarding tour redesign
PriorityContextual Intelligent
PRODUCES
.brief.md written to project root
Scoped problem statement
Observable success criteria
CRISP dimension priority
/crisp-copy
Write and evaluate all UI microcopy — labels, empty states, errors, tooltips, CTAs — against CRISP Contextual and Intelligent dimensions. Audit existing strings or generate new ones from scratch.
Claude Code — /crisp-copy
P0"Submit" → "Save changes" — action-specific
P1"Something went wrong" → "Save failed — check your connection"
P2"No items" → "You haven't added any items yet"
✓"Cancel" — no change needed
PRODUCES
Copy audit with P0–P3 severity
Replacement strings ready to paste
Voice + tone consistency notes
Empty state copy (3-part structure)
/crisp-a11y
Full WCAG 2.2 AA evaluation. Scores every applicable criterion with P0–P3 severity, provides exact code-level fixes — not vague direction — and writes a portable a11y-checklist.md the team can commit.
Claude Code — /crisp-a11y
Grade: B WCAG 2.2 AA
P01.4.3 — text-muted #666 on white fails 4.5:1 contrast
P14.1.2 — role="dialog" missing aria-labelledby
P22.4.7 — focus ring hidden on primary button
→ a11y-checklist.md written to project root
PRODUCES
WCAG 2.2 AA scorecard
Code-level fixes (not vague direction)
a11y-checklist.md
P0–P3 severity violations
/crisp-ai
Evaluate and design AI-native UI surfaces — chat interfaces, streaming responses, generative UI, AI agents — across 6 AI-specific dimensions mapped to the CRISP framework.
Claude Code — /crisp-ai
/crisp-ai ChatInterface.tsx
Uncertainty Expression7 / 10
Streaming Readability5 / 10 ⚠
Error + Recovery4 / 10 ✗
Agent Transparency8 / 10
Latency Handling6 / 10 ⚠
Correction UX7 / 10
PRODUCES
6-dimension AI UI scorecard
Streaming UX recommendations
Agent feedback pattern guidance
Error + uncertainty handling
/crisp-teach
One-time project onboarding. Learns your product, users, and design system. Writes .crisp.md — your context file that every other command reads automatically.
→ .crisp.md context file
→ User personas + jobs-to-be-done
→ Design system reference
→ Benchmark + anti-reference set
/crisp-audit
Full CRISP evaluation. Scores all five dimensions with P0–P3 severity ratings, benchmarks against Stripe and Linear, and produces a prioritised action plan.
→ Grade A–F with justification
→ 5-dimension CRISP scorecard
→ P0–P3 severity violations
→ Prioritised fix list
/crisp-review
30-second scan for rapid design iteration. Returns a letter grade and the top 3 issues by user impact — with specific fix suggestions, not vague feedback.
→ Grade A–F + one-line verdict
→ Top 3 issues ranked by impact
→ Specific fix per issue
/feature-design
Design a new feature from scratch using CRISP principles. Takes a problem statement and produces user flows, component decisions, and rationale.
→ User flow with decision rationale
→ CRISP compliance check per step
→ Component recommendations
/handoff
Convert any CRISP-approved design into a developer-ready specification covering states, tokens, edge cases, and accessibility requirements.
→ Component state inventory
→ Token + spacing references
→ Accessibility checklist
/crisp-brief
Turn a vague design request into a structured, unambiguous brief. Writes .brief.md with problem statement, target user, success criteria, scope, and CRISP dimension priority.
→ .brief.md written to root
→ Scoped problem statement
→ Observable success criteria
→ CRISP dimension priority
/crisp-copy
Write and evaluate all UI microcopy against CRISP principles. Two modes: audit existing strings or generate new copy. Returns P0–P3 severity ratings and ready-to-paste replacements.
→ Copy audit with severity
→ Replacement strings
→ Voice + tone notes
→ Empty state copy
/crisp-a11y
Full WCAG 2.2 AA evaluation with code-level fixes and P0–P3 severity. Goes four times deeper than the accessibility section in /handoff. Writes a11y-checklist.md the team can commit.
→ WCAG 2.2 AA scorecard
→ Code-level fixes
→ a11y-checklist.md
→ P0–P3 violations
/crisp-ai
Evaluate and design AI-native UI surfaces across 6 AI-specific dimensions — uncertainty expression, streaming readability, agent transparency, latency handling, error recovery, and correction UX.
→ 6-dimension AI scorecard
→ Streaming UX guidance
→ Agent feedback patterns
→ Error + uncertainty handling

04 — In Action

Three violations. Three fixes. One better interface.

CRISP doesn't guess. It names the violation, specifies the fix, and confirms the result.

STEP 01Before CRISP
Analytics Dashboard
1,247 Leads [I] Raw number, no context
42% Conv. Rate [I] Good or bad? Unknown
$84k Revenue [I] No trend indicator
No data available [C] Dead-end empty state
STEP 02Running /crisp-audit
$ /crisp-audit analytics.tsx
Evaluating 5 CRISP dimensions...
✗ C: Empty state has no context or action
✗ I: Metrics shown without comparison
✗ R: Filter triggers full spinner
P0 violations: 2   P1 violations: 1
Grade: C+ (3 fixes to reach B+)
STEP 03After applying fixes
Analytics Dashboard
1,247 Leads ↑ 23% this month [I] ✓ Context added
42% Conv. Rate ↑ above 38% avg [I] ✓ Benchmark shown
$84k Revenue 3 deals need action [I] ✓ Next action clear
Your Q3 pipeline looks healthy — 12 deals active.
Add your first deal to get started → [C] ✓ Action + context
STEP 04Score improved
C+ → B+
3 fixes applied in 12 minutes
C
82↑ from 55
R
76↑ from 64
I
91↑ from 48
S
71stable
P
88stable

05 — Example Audits

What CRISP surfaces.
Four example audits.

Four representative audits — real violation patterns, real fixes, real CRISP methodology.

1 / 4
CClaude Code
Sarah Chen
D+→A−

"I ran /crisp-audit on our onboarding flow expecting a decent score. It found 4 P0 violations in 90 seconds. Our empty states had no recovery paths."

Sarah Chen
Head of Design · Meridian
12 min
RCursor
Marcus Webb
C→B+

"The R dimension destroyed us. We had spinners on every single filter change — 11 of them. CRISP flagged every one. Support tickets dropped 40%."

Marcus Webb
Senior Product Designer · Altus
1 sprint
IVS Code Copilot
Priya Nair
B−→A

"The Intelligent dimension changed how our whole team talks about data. We were showing numbers. Just numbers. CRISP showed we never told a user what a number meant."

Priya Nair
Design Lead · Stackform
2 weeks
SClaude Code
Daniel Osei
C+→B+

"We had a portal redirect for approvals that required re-auth every time. /crisp-audit called it a P0 Seamless failure. Our PM said fixing it was the highest-rated improvement ever."

Daniel Osei
Founding Designer · Kova
3 days
5
CRISP dimensions
P0–P3
Severity scale
4
Violation patterns
npx skills add @laith-wallace/crisp →

Try It Free

No CLI.
No install.
Just paste your URL.

Get a full CRISP audit of your product in seconds — free. No account required.

  • ✓5-dimension CRISP scorecard
  • ✓P0–P3 violations named & prioritised
  • ✓Grade A–F with specific fix suggestions
  • ✓No account. No install. Free.
Start free audit →
app.getcrisp.design
$ your-product.com |
✓ Audit complete — Grade: B+
C
88
R
76
I
91
S
79
P
84
✗ P0  Spinner on every filter — 11 instances
✗ P0  Empty state: no recovery path
+4 more violations

06 — Get Started

Up and running
in two steps.

One install command. One onboarding session. Then every design decision in your project is grounded in CRISP.

STEP 01
Install the skills
One command installs all five CRISP skills and auto-detects your AI harness.
zsh — crisp-install
$
# Auto-detects Cursor, Claude Code, Antigravity, VS Code, Gemini CLI
✓ Claude Code detected
✓ Installing 5 CRISP skills...
✓ Done. Run /crisp-teach to get started.
↳ About .crisp.md
Run /crisp-teach once per project. It learns your users, design system, and references — then writes .crisp.md. Every subsequent CRISP command reads from it automatically. Your context is never lost between sessions.
STEP 02
Run /crisp-teach
Teach CRISP about your product once. It does the rest.
Claude Code
YOU
/crisp-teach
CRISP
Let's set up your project context. What's the primary job of this product — what does a user accomplish in a typical session?
CRISP
SUPPORTED TOOLS
Claude Code
Cursor
Antigravity
VS Code Copilot
Gemini CLI
Codex CLI

07 — FAQ

Common questions

Impeccable improves how your AI generates frontend code — typography choices, layout patterns, visual polish. CRISP evaluates whether the design is actually good — whether a user knows where they are, whether the interface feels instant, whether it surfaces insight instead of data. Different layer entirely. They're complementary, not competing.
No. Run it once per project. It writes .crisp.md to your project root — every CRISP command reads from it automatically in subsequent sessions. Your context is preserved across updates too; .crisp.md is never overwritten when you update the skills pack.
Product designers, design leads, and engineers who use AI agents to design and ship software. If you've ever received a "functional but flat" design output from an AI — technically correct, but experientially hollow — CRISP is the missing evaluation layer.
Contextual, Responsive, Intelligent, Seamless, Powerful. Five dimensions of world-class product design, each with a specific test question and a specific set of failure patterns. The framework is benchmarked against Stripe, Linear, Notion, Asana, and Slack.
Yes. /crisp-audit and /crisp-review work on any design screenshot or description, without project context. /crisp-teach just makes them significantly more accurate — the agent knows your users, your design system, and what "good" looks like specifically for your product.
npx skills add @laith-wallace/crisp auto-detects your AI harness and places files in the correct directory: .claude/ for Claude Code, .cursor/ for Cursor, .agents/skills/ for Antigravity, and so on. If you prefer, download the universal ZIP and extract to your project root manually.

Start with an audit.
Stay for the standard.

Run a free audit on your product right now — or install CRISP skills and give your AI agent a design standard.

Start free audit → Install the skills