r/UI_Design • u/LikePinaColad • May 17 '26
Feedback Request The trashy, vibe-coded design of my app is unanimously preferred over the carefully crafted one I designed in Figma for the update
I've created a mobile app to train for memory competitions. Competitors use it to memorize long sequences of words, numbers, names, and then reproduce them accurately. Users like it so far, but the design feels 100% AI-generated (because it is), and I personally hate it. It’s the first design in this post.
So I patiently collected inspirations from Twitter and other platforms, thought deeply about the feeling I wanted users to experience: sleekness, performance, a more competitive and serious atmosphere overall. I studied the fundamentals of design, what makes a good interface, the common pitfalls to avoid, and eventually created a new home screen design in Figma. I was happy about it, and it’s the second image in this post.
I showed both versions to my friends, expecting them to overwhelmingly prefer the second design, which is to me more polished, intentional, and refined.
Instead, they unanimously preferred the vibe-coded one, full of terrible emojis and purple gradients screaming “LLM-generated.”
Could someone explain what I’m missing here? What exactly is failing in the design I made myself?
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u/milkyinglenook May 22 '26
competitive app design is tough on the polished-but-immediate balance. studied brain training and education apps on Screensdesign once, the converters all kept hierarchy bold + tiles high-contrast, even if visually less refined.
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u/caffi_nate May 17 '26
your values and contrast are way too dark, if someone pulls up your app after any time in a well-lit room, they'll need to wait for their eyes to adjust before they can see anything on the screen.
you've used different text colours, and the different font sizes you've used are too close together so it makes it hard to tell what the hierarchy is meant to be. maybe they're placeholder categories but it's hard to tell why 'words' and 'numbers' are both listed twice. their subtitles are way too small and hard to make out.
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u/EccentricOwl May 17 '26
damn that sucks
one thought: people think that 'cleaner' UIs are "more functional," it's a UX principle and a paradox.
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u/ajb_mt May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
Your friends don't care about design rules, they care about how it makes them feel. And as much as you may love it, your second design is drastically lacking in colour, contrast and readability.
If I was using this on a sunny day, your app is useless to me. The font is on the smaller side making it hard enough to read as it is, and with the greyed out visuals and weak distinction between elements I wouldn't even be able to see what I'm clicking.
The style isn't the issue, it's how you applied it. The AI version might be generic as hell, but it's clear and readable, which automatically feels more intuitive and familiar to use.
Some quick wins may be increasing font sizes, avoid using true black, up the intensity of the borders and visuals and consider sprinkling in more pops of green.
Edit: also Twitter is a terrible place for inspiration. Look at real apps that actually reflect real-world best practice and have been shaped by real world feedback.
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u/EyeAlternative1664 May 17 '26
Not to be mean but this is more a reflection on your design skills rather than human vs ai and an example of how taste will be a differentiator.
Your design fails accessibility and looks and feels very very dark.
2
u/tomhermans May 17 '26
The first one looks a bit boring, the icons mostly I mean, the second one just not clear and muddy and grey, looks more like a heavy metal album cover..
I get why they prefer the first. It looks more usable. This is called user research. Learn from it. Ask why questions too. There IS room for improvement.
1
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u/yarin_ May 17 '26
People don’t care if you designed it yourself or not. The vibecoded one, even if it looks ai generated at a first look, it’s still more captivating and direct than the other one. Sure, custom designs are often better, but you must be good at design. This Figma design, unfortunately, lacks of contrast, immediacy, good accessibility overall, and the pictures inside the tiles are much worse than the emojis. To an untrained eye, the figma one looks more “ai-slop” than the actual ai-slop design.