strict old-skill vs new-skill comparison
ui-polish · same task A, real old vs new outputs
This comparison uses one concrete task A and two real outputs produced at different times in the update wave: the old side was created before the skill update, and the new side was created after the skill update.
Method: Task A is a floating appearance/settings panel for a persistent Ubuntu desktop utility. The old output already had direction phrase, aesthetic signature, concrete moves, and finish cues. This update added a new beauty-first layer: aesthetic-critique-rubric.md. The new side therefore begins from explicit cheap/noisy diagnosis—silhouette, visual-weight balance, chrome pressure, typography dignity, spacing rhythm, and one premium moment—before choosing the final treatments.
Old skill on task A
pre-rubric
Old shaping: calm and already decent, but the panel still relies on card-within-shell styling. The shell is not yet clearly more important than the inner sections, so the result feels like a polished utility popup rather than a strongly composed object.
New skill on task A
+ beauty diagnosis
New shaping: the same brief now starts from explicit aesthetic diagnosis. That pushes the panel toward one stronger shell, quieter inner chrome, cleaner type-led hierarchy, and a calmer distribution of visual weight. The beauty gain comes more from editing and restraint than from extra effects.