WORKFLOW
Semantic PRs: The Fastest Way to Speed Up UI Reviews
A systematic way of grouping and naming code changes so designers and developers can review UI updates quickly, confidently, and collaboratively.
As digital products grow, teams often struggle with long UI review cycles, unclear changes, and unexpected visual regressions that appear late in development. One highly effective solution is adopting Semantic Pull Requests (Semantic PRs) — a systematic way of grouping and naming code changes so designers and developers can review UI updates quickly, confidently, and collaboratively.
Semantic PRs transform UI review from a time-consuming back-and-forth process into a clear, predictable workflow that improves quality and accelerates shipping.
What Are Semantic PRs?
A Semantic PR is a pull request that uses a clear, meaningful naming structure to describe its purpose and impact. Instead of vague titles like:
"UI fixes"
"Button update"
"Map screen changes"
Semantic PRs use structured categories that directly reflect the intent of the change:
feat(button): add new primary button token
fix(input): correct padding on text fields
refactor(navbar): simplify component structure
style(card): update border radius for new design spec
This semantic structure mirrors the logic of design systems, making every UI change easier to understand, track, and review.
Why Semantic PRs Speed Up UI Reviews
1Designers instantly understand what changed
Instead of reading long diffs and guessing the purpose, designers can see the intent directly in the PR title.
"feat(color): introduce semantic success colors" → design change
"refactor(grid): move layout logic into tokens" → structural change
"fix(modal): overlap issue on small screens" → bug fix
2Reduces the cognitive load on reviewers
Semantic PRs break large updates into clear, focused chunks. Instead of reviewing one huge PR with 60 files, semantic PRs encourage:
- One PR per component
- One PR per fix
- One PR per token update
Small, semantic PRs are easier to test, easier to approve, and less likely to introduce UI bugs.
3Improves traceability and documentation
Every UI change becomes well-documented through its PR name and category. You can easily answer questions like:
- • When did we update the primary button radius?
- • Which release introduced the new color palette?
- • Who changed the elevation tokens?
Semantic PRs act as a historical record of the design system evolving over time.
4Helps enforce design-system discipline
Because the PR titles follow a structured format, it becomes obvious when changes violate the system.
fix: add custom border color to card
Red flag: This should use a semantic token, not a custom, one-off color.
Semantic PRs naturally encourage developers to follow the design system rules.
5Pairs perfectly with design tokens
Semantic PRs + design tokens = frictionless UI updates.
Tokens update → Semantic PR documents it → UI syncs everywhere.
feat(tokens): update spacing scale for v2 system
- ✓ Designers know exactly what changed
- ✓ Developers know the update is safe
- ✓ QA knows what to test
- ✓ Product knows what's included in the release
How I Structure Semantic PRs in My Workflow
I use a consistent, scalable naming system inspired by conventional commits:
Categories
Naming Pattern
<type>(<scope>): <short summary>Examples:
feat(button): introduce new semantic primary button
fix(card): correct shadow levels in dark mode
style(form): update radio group spacing according to spec
refactor(grid): migrate layout to 8px spatial scale
The Result: Faster Reviews, Cleaner UI, and Happier Teams
Faster review turnaround
Clearer communication between design & development
Reduced UI regressions
Stronger design-system governance
Predictable delivery and release cycles
Scalable, maintainable codebase
By adopting this structured approach, teams spend less time struggling with messy PRs and more time building meaningful product value.
Final Thought
"Semantic PRs may seem like a small process change — but in reality, they transform how teams ship UI. By aligning developer workflows with design language, they reduce friction, improve clarity, and bring design systems closer to production quality."
Interested in design-engineering collaboration?
Let's discuss how to improve your team's workflow.