fmode-app/.claude/skills/ui-audit/references/00-core-framework.md

Core Framework: Warp-Speed Decisioning

The 3 Pillars

1. Scaffolding

Rules that automate recurring decisions. Pre-made defaults so you don't re-decide the same things.

Components:

• Design psychology reference (laws, principles)
• Economics fundamentals (market forces)
• Accessibility reference (WCAG/POUR)
• Default typefaces and type scale
• Icon library choice
• Design system reference
• Default design rules

2. Decisioning

Process for making new decisions when scaffolds don't apply.

Workflow:

1. Inform simplicity — gather minimum viable context
2. Narrow options — eliminate conflicts, prioritize alignment
3. Weigh information — institutional knowledge → familiarity → research
4. Arrive at decision — commit and document reasoning

3. Crafting

Checklists for executing decisions consistently.

Types:

• Checklists for new interfaces
• Checklists for improving fidelity
• Checklists for visual style
• Checklists for innovation

---

The Decisioning Workflow (Detail)

Step 1: What Does Institutional Knowledge Say?

Institutional knowledge = existing patterns, brand guidelines, tech stack, team capabilities, business constraints.

Questions:

• Does an existing component/pattern solve this?
• What does our design system prescribe?
• What are our technical constraints?
• What has leadership/stakeholders indicated?

Rule: Always check internal resources before external inspiration.

Step 2: What Are Users Familiar With?

User familiarity = conventions from similar products, learned behaviors, competitor patterns.

Questions:

• What do competitors do for this pattern?
• What's the platform convention (iOS/Android/Web)?
• What prior experience do users bring?
• Jakob's Law: Users spend most time on other sites

Rule: Familiarity reduces cognitive load. Novelty requires justification.

Step 3: What Does Research Say?

Research = user testing, analytics, academic studies, heuristic evaluation.

Questions:

• Do we have usability data on this pattern?
• What does instrumentation tell us?
• Are there published studies on this interaction?
• Have we tested this with users?

Rule: Research trumps opinion, but absence of research ≠ decision paralysis.

Arriving at a Decision

After weighing all three sources:

1. If clear winner exists → choose it
2. If conflict exists → prioritize by macro bet alignment
3. If uncertainty remains → choose fastest to validate, plan to learn

Document your reasoning. Future you (and teammates) will thank you.

---

Staging Your Bets

Why Bets Matter

Every design decision is a bet. You're wagering time and resources on an outcome. The question is whether you're betting intentionally or accidentally.

Macro vs. Micro Bets

Macro bets = Company-level strategic bets on how to win the market Micro bets = Individual design decisions within an interface

Critical Rule: Micro bets are only valid when intentionally supporting macro bets.

The 4 Categories of Macro Bets

Category	We win by...	Design implications
Velocity	Getting features to market faster	Reduce time-to-delivery, reuse components, find metaphors in other markets
Efficiency	Managing waste better	Design systems, reuse patterns, reduce WIP
Accuracy	Being right more frequently	Stronger research, measure with instrumentation, discovery sprints
Innovation	Discovering untapped market potential	Uncover "fog of war" with better discovery, find parallels in other markets

How to Stage Your Bets

1. Analyze your industry — Level of competition, market maturity, disruption threats
2. Analyze competitors — Leading vs. lagging, their bets, their gaps
3. Define customer goals — Jobs-to-be-done statements
4. Name your bets — Explicit statements of what you're betting on and why

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Format

When [situation],
I want to [motivation],
So I can [desired outcome].

Good JTBD: "When I get emails, I want to organize them so I don't lose important information."

Bad JTBD: "Let me add tags, labels, and folders to my email so I can sort things according to my system."

The difference: Good JTBD focuses on outcome, bad focuses on feature.

---

Informing Simplicity

Before diving into design:

1. Define 2-3 primary JTBD — What are users trying to accomplish?
2. Identify your macro bets — Which category is the company prioritizing?
3. Understand your constraints — Time, team, tech, budget
4. Know your competition — Where are they winning/losing?

Author's Note: Do this fast or don't do it at all. Don't get stuck whiteboarding JTBD. Trust your intuition. The goal is informed speed, not perfect analysis.