Building fast with AI means the first real user is often also the first real tester. That is an expensive way to discover that signup fails on mobile Safari.
A roast gives you the outside view before launch: measured facts about the deployed app plus humans who try to use it without knowing how it was built.
What you get: measured facts separated from human judgement.
Start an auditWhat we check
Deployed reality versus preview
We test the published URL, where environment differences and missing configuration usually surface first.
Auth and onboarding
Testers sign up, confirm email, log out and log back in — the flow most likely to be half-finished.
Mobile behaviour
Viewport bugs, keyboard overlap and unreachable buttons on real phones, not simulated ones.
Copy and positioning
Whether a stranger can say what the product does and who it is for after a short look.
Search and share readiness
Title, description, indexability and how the link previews when shared.
Typical findings
- Email confirmation link pointing at localhost or a stale preview domain.
- Protected route flashing content before redirecting.
- Default metadata left in place, so shared links look unbranded.
- Primary action below the fold on phones.
Questions
Is this useful before launch?
That is the best moment. Fixing a broken signup before the first campaign is far cheaper.
Do I need to prepare anything?
A public URL and, for authenticated flows, a test account.
How is this different from asking friends?
Testers are paid, unbiased, and required to submit evidence rather than encouragement.
See also
A roast is an automated audit plus reports from real testers, with evidence attached.