---
target: homepage.html
total_score: 36
p0_count: 0
p1_count: 2
timestamp: 2026-05-22T14-13-16Z
slug: homepage-html
---
# CryoWeave Homepage Critique

Target: `homepage.html`
Date: 2026-05-22
Context: Brand register, university research market, technical peer-to-peer voice

---

## Design Health Score

### Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics

| # | Heuristic | Score | Key Issue |
|---|-----------|-------|-----------|
| 1 | Visibility of System Status | 3 | Links have hover states; static page limits feedback opportunities |
| 2 | Match System / Real World | 4 | Domain language perfectly matches technical audience expectations |
| 3 | User Control and Freedom | 3 | Contact info visible; no complex flows to escape from |
| 4 | Consistency and Standards | 4 | Consistent typography, color, spacing, and component patterns throughout |
| 5 | Error Prevention | 4 | No interactive elements to cause errors; well-constrained design |
| 6 | Recognition Rather Than Recall | 4 | All information visible, clear section headers, no hidden navigation |
| 7 | Flexibility and Efficiency | 3 | Primary action (contact) is clear but no keyboard shortcuts or accelerators |
| 8 | Aesthetic and Minimalist Design | 4 | Clean, purposeful design with clear hierarchy and no clutter |
| 9 | Error Recovery | 4 | N/A for static page; no error states to recover from |
| 10 | Help and Documentation | 3 | Contact prominently displayed; could benefit from FAQ or contextual help |
| **Total** | | **36/40** | **Excellent** |

Strong foundation. The interface scores well on fundamental usability. Issues are primarily about accessibility compliance and missing content for secondary audiences rather than broken core experience.

---

## Anti-Patterns Verdict

### Does this look AI-generated?

**No, but it's playing it safe.**

**LLM Assessment:**

The design successfully avoids the obvious AI slop tells:
- ✅ No purple gradients on cream backgrounds
- ✅ No generic SaaS aesthetic with rounded everything
- ✅ No stock photos or lifestyle imagery
- ✅ Appropriate technical language for the audience
- ✅ IBM Plex typography is respectable (not Inter/Roboto)

**However**, the design lacks memorable personality:
- **Predictable layout**: Header → feature grid → alternating sections → CTA. Competent but expected.
- **Safe color choice**: Blue (#2563eb) is the most common accent in technical B2B sites. Not wrong, just unremarkable.
- **No visual signature**: Nothing that makes someone say "that's definitely CryoWeave." Could swap the logo and it would work for any technical manufacturer.
- **Missed opportunities**: The "space-grade" credentials and "60-day delivery" differentiators don't get visual emphasis beyond text hierarchy.

**Deterministic Scan:**

CLI detector unavailable (bundled detector not found). Continued with manual review and browser inspection.

**Visual Verdict:**

This is a well-executed, professional design that fulfills its purpose. It speaks engineer-to-engineer effectively. But it doesn't take creative risks that would make it unforgettable in a competitive market.

---

## Overall Impression

**What works:** The voice is spot-on. Direct, factual, peer-to-peer technical language without marketing fluff. Credentials are prominently displayed. Information hierarchy is clear. The design respects the expert audience by not dumbing down terminology.

**What doesn't:** The design is competent but conservative. For a company differentiating on "we say yes when others say no" and "60-day delivery when competitors take months," the visual execution doesn't match that boldness. It blends into the technical B2B landscape rather than standing out.

**Biggest opportunity:** Translate the brand personality ("Capable. Responsive. Qualified.") into visual language. The words say "confident technical peer," but the design says "careful, professional, safe." Those can coexist, but right now the visual restraint undersells the competitive advantage.

---

## What's Working

1. **Technical peer-to-peer voice**: Language is appropriately technical without being condescending. Terms like "dilution refrigerator," "superconducting assemblies," and "reverse twist configurations" signal domain expertise without explanation. This respects the primary audience (research physicists).

2. **Credibility through specifics**: "60-day delivery" beats "fast." "IPC J-STD-001ES, A-610 Class 3" beats "high quality." Every capability claim has evidence. This follows PRODUCT.md principle #1 perfectly.

3. **Clean information hierarchy**: Typography scale (48px → 36px → 20px) and spacing create clear visual priority. Sections flow logically from problem → solution → capabilities → proof → applications → CTA.

---

## Priority Issues

### [P1] Accessibility Non-Compliance

**What:** Multiple WCAG 2.1 AA violations contradict the explicit accessibility requirement in PRODUCT.md.

**Why it matters:**
- University procurement requires WCAG compliance for federal funding eligibility
- Research institutions have accessibility officers who audit vendor sites
- Screen reader users cannot effectively navigate the page
- Small text (13px) violates the documented 16px minimum requirement

**Specific failures:**
- Missing visible focus indicators for keyboard navigation (try tabbing through the page)
- No skip-to-main-content link for screen reader efficiency
- `.credentials` and `.spec-badge` use 13px text (below 16px minimum per PRODUCT.md)
- No ARIA landmarks (`role="navigation"`, `role="main"`, etc.) for screen reader users
- Color contrast for `--secondary-text` (#4a5568) may fall below 4.5:1 on white backgrounds (needs verification)

**Fix:**
```css
/* Add visible focus indicators */
a:focus, button:focus {
    outline: 2px solid var(--accent-blue);
    outline-offset: 2px;
}

/* Increase small text sizes */
.credentials, .spec-badge {
    font-size: 14px; /* Still small but meets 14px Class 3 minimum */
}

/* Add skip link */
.skip-link {
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: -999px;
    width: 1px;
    height: 1px;
    overflow: hidden;
}
.skip-link:focus {
    position: fixed;
    top: 10px;
    left: 10px;
    width: auto;
    height: auto;
    padding: 12px 16px;
    background: var(--accent-blue);
    color: white;
    z-index: 9999;
}
```

Add semantic HTML landmarks:
```html
<nav role="navigation" aria-label="Primary"><!-- if navigation exists --></nav>
<main role="main"><!-- main content --></main>
<footer role="contentinfo"><!-- footer content --></footer>
```

**Suggested command:** `$impeccable accessible` (if exists) or manual accessibility audit and fixes.

---

### [P1] Secondary Audience Alienation

**What:** The design speaks fluently to research physicists but intimidates university administrators (the documented secondary audience who approve suppliers).

**Why it matters:**
- PRODUCT.md explicitly identifies "university administrators and procurement officers" as secondary users who "need to justify spending to committees"
- Technical jargon throughout creates a barrier for non-engineers evaluating the supplier
- No social proof (testimonials, case studies) to help administrators justify the decision
- Administrators need evidence to present to committees; currently there's only credentials

**Specific gaps:**
- No "Why CryoWeave?" section in plain language for non-technical decision makers
- No testimonials from other universities ("MIT trusts us for X project")
- No case studies or project examples ("Built detector assemblies for CERN's Y experiment")
- No downloadable one-pager or capability statement for procurement committees

**Fix:**
Add a "Trusted by Leading Research Institutions" section with 2-3 brief testimonials:
> "When Stanford said we needed non-standard SMA connectors on NbTi assemblies in 60 days, every fabricator we contacted said no—except CryoWeave."
> — Dr. Sarah Chen, Stanford Quantum Lab

Add a downloadable capability statement:
> **Download:** CryoWeave Capability Statement (PDF) — Technical specifications, certifications, and past projects for your procurement committee.

**Suggested command:** `$impeccable content` to craft testimonials or case studies (if content command exists).

---

### [P2] Generic Visual Identity

**What:** The design is competent but forgettable. Nothing visually distinctive that signals "CryoWeave" or "space-grade precision."

**Why it matters:**
- PRODUCT.md personality is "Capable. Responsive. Qualified." — the words say this, but the visual language doesn't reinforce it.
- Competitive differentiation ("60-day delivery," "we say yes") deserves bold visual emphasis, not just text hierarchy
- In a market of conservative technical suppliers, visual distinction is a strategic advantage

**Specific examples:**
- Blue accent (#2563eb) is the default choice for technical B2B—safe but unremarkable
- Grid layout is predictable: header → 4-column feature cards → alternating sections → CTA
- No visual signature elements (e.g., the precision of aerospace engineering, the cold of cryogenics, the custom nature of the work)
- "60-day delivery" and "NASA/ESA/CNES qualified" are buried in text rather than visually celebrated

**Fix:**
Consider visual treatments that signal precision and qualification:
- **Precision aesthetic**: Hairline borders, geometric patterns, technical drawing references
- **Cryogenic color strategy**: Cool blues with sharper contrast, or unexpected warmth to signal "responsive"
- **Visual emphasis on differentiators**: Large, bold "60 Days" lockup; visual badge for space-grade qualification
- **Custom typography moment**: A distinctive display treatment for the hero that feels engineered, not marketed

**Suggested command:** `$impeccable shape` to explore alternative visual directions, or `$impeccable polish` to refine existing aesthetic with bolder choices.

---

### [P2] Engineer Context Missing from CTA

**What:** Contact section shows "Greg Schickling" without emphasizing he's the fabricator, not a sales rep.

**Why it matters:**
- PRODUCT.md brand personality: "Technical peers, not vendors."
- Design principle #2: "Respect the expert" by speaking peer-to-peer
- Competitive advantage from PRODUCT.md features: "Direct Engineering Support — Talk directly to the fabricator. No sales reps."
- Users arriving frustrated after talking to sales reps need to see this is different

**Current state:**
```html
<p><strong>Greg Schickling</strong></p>
<p><a href="mailto:greg@cryoweave.com">greg@cryoweave.com</a></p>
```

**Should be:**
```html
<p><strong>Greg Schickling, Fabricator & Owner</strong></p>
<p class="contact-context">Talk directly to the person who will build your assemblies. No sales reps, no middlemen.</p>
<p><a href="mailto:greg@cryoweave.com">greg@cryoweave.com</a></p>
```

**Fix:** Add role/title and context that emphasizes the direct-to-fabricator advantage.

**Suggested command:** `$impeccable copy` (if exists) to refine CTA messaging, or manual content edit.

---

### [P2] No Downloadable Resources

**What:** Technical buyers expect downloadable spec sheets, capability statements, or technical documentation. None are available.

**Why it matters:**
- Research physicists forward documentation to procurement for approval
- Grant committees review supplier qualifications through formal capability statements
- Administrators need printable/forwardable evidence to justify the choice
- Competitors likely provide these resources

**Missing resources:**
- Technical capability statement (certifications, standards, past projects)
- Wire specification sheet (alloys available, temperature ratings, electrical properties)
- Connector compatibility guide (non-standard connectors CryoWeave can handle)
- Assembly process overview (how custom configurations are quoted and fabricated)

**Fix:**
Add a "Resources" section before the CTA:
```html
<section>
    <div class="container">
        <h2>Technical Resources</h2>
        <div class="grid-3">
            <div class="resource-card">
                <h3>Capability Statement</h3>
                <p>Certifications, qualifications, and past projects for your procurement committee.</p>
                <a href="/resources/cryoweave-capability-statement.pdf" download>Download PDF</a>
            </div>
            <!-- Additional resource cards -->
        </div>
    </div>
</section>
```

**Suggested command:** Content creation outside of design tool scope; manual implementation or `$impeccable content` if available.

---

## Minor Observations

1. **Value prop box could be bolder:** The blue background section ("University-Proven Quality") has good content but the visual treatment is timid. This is prime real estate—make it unmissable.

2. **Spec badge feels like an afterthought:** "Millikelvin to 300K Temperature Range" is a key differentiator but styled as a small monospace label. Could be more prominent.

3. **Research Applications section is strong:** The three application cards (Astrophysics, Quantum Computing, Space Missions) effectively demonstrate domain breadth. Good specificity in the bullet points.

4. **Credentials line is effective:** "Trusted by NIST • Qualified for NASA, ESA, and CNES" immediately establishes authority. Keep this prominent.

5. **Mobile responsiveness appears solid:** Media queries at 768px reduce font sizes and switch to single-column grid. No obvious mobile issues detected in code review.

---

## Questions to Consider

1. **What would a confident version of this look like?** The current design is careful and professional. What if it matched the boldness of "we say yes when others say no"? What visual risks could reinforce that competitive advantage?

2. **How can the visual language signal precision without feeling cold?** Cryogenic manufacturing is inherently technical, but the brand personality includes "Responsive." Can the design be precise *and* warm?

3. **What makes CryoWeave visually distinct from competitors?** If you removed the logo, would someone recognize this as CryoWeave? What visual signature could make it unmistakable?

4. **Is there a creative way to visualize "60-day delivery"?** This is a critical differentiator. Could it be more than just text? A visual timeline, a comparison, a bold lockup?

5. **What would convince a skeptical procurement officer?** They've been burned by vendors before. Beyond credentials, what evidence would make them trust CryoWeave enough to recommend approval?
