Absence Audit
The hardest things to notice are the things that aren't there.
How to use
/absence-auditApply absence analysis to any design in this conversation.
Constraints
What to Look For
- MUST list 5-10 things that are conspicuously absent from the design
- MUST hypothesize for each: intentional removal or never considered?
- MUST evaluate: does the absence strengthen or weaken the experience?
- SHOULD note what the absence reveals about the design philosophy
Categories of Absence
- Missing UI elements (no breadcrumbs, no tooltips, no onboarding tutorial)
- Missing content (no testimonials, no feature comparison, no pricing)
- Missing states (no loading skeleton, no empty state, no error recovery)
- Missing interaction (no animation, no hover effects, no sound)
The Restraint Signal
- Intentional absence is a strong taste signal. It says "we thought about this and decided it wasn't needed."
- Accidental absence (missing error states, broken edge cases) signals the opposite.
- MUST distinguish between the two.
Anti-Patterns
- Treating every absence as a problem to fix
- Assuming absence equals minimalism (it might just be incomplete)
- Missing obvious gaps because you're focused on what IS there