ReviewField check
Poise
Lab One reviewed with Use Kit One · Design Review.
This packet applies the public Design Review kit to a live experiment — not the whole site. Outcome leads with consequences: what holds, what stays open, and what to do next.
Summary
Outcome · pass with notes
Poise is a considered lab. The live artifact proves restrained contact: opacity-only wordmark breath, short press settle, opt-in sound, and reduced-motion respect — all token-cited. Full anatomy is present. Keyboard-path verification is published. Interaction rules are adopted into design system contract v0.1.1. Remaining work is synchronization and site-wide proof expansion — not re-arguing adoption.
Inputs used
Dimension findings
Each dimension: observation, judgment, action — Kit One format.
Purpose
Observation. Poise states a single job: make contact feel intentional. Live demo, thesis, principle, portable rules, prompt, checklist, provenance, and anti-patterns all serve that job.
Judgment. Purpose is clear and earns the form. The page is not a gallery of effects; it is an inspectable experiment.
Action · Keep. Do not add decorative demos that dilute the thesis.
Clarity
Observation. Primary path is immediate: Lab One eyebrow, title Poise, lede, then live artifact. Wordmark, press, sound, and reduced-motion blocks are labeled with tokens.
Judgment. Primary action is discoverable. Form suggests use. Hierarchy reduces uncertainty without competing chrome.
Action · Keep. Preserve token callouts next to each control.
Context
Observation. Built for the public designesy.org surface — dark foundation, shared topbar, institutional voice. Demo assumes desktop and mobile browsers; long anatomy sections still ask for scroll patience on small screens.
Judgment. Context fits a public lab. Dense doctrine below the fold is acceptable; the live artifact stays above the scroll of judgment.
Action · Document. Keep demo first on narrow widths. No second accent or light theme until contracted.
Inclusion
Observation. prefers-reduced-motion collapses non-essential animation. Sound is opt-in and defaults off under reduced motion. Buttons are standard controls with focus-visible from the system. Keyboard-path verification for Poise is published at /review/poise/keyboard.
Judgment. Structural inclusion is real for motion, sound, and keyboard proof on this lab. Site-wide route packets remain open — this packet covers Poise only.
Action · Keep the Poise keyboard artifact current when controls change. Expand to other routes as separate packets, not silent claims.
System coherence
Observation. Values cite contract tokens: --signal, ease-out, ease-in-out, 160ms press, opacity-only wordmark breath. Kind language matches lab mark (circle). Portable rules are adopted into design system contract v0.1.1.
Judgment. Strong coherence. Poise extends the system without inventing a second accent family or monogram. Adoption is explicit.
Action · Keep lab demo, contract.interaction, and live CSS synchronized after adoption.
Durability
Observation. Full lab anatomy is present. Builder prompt is remixable. Behaviors are named and adopted into contract rules. Preference storage for sound is site-owned; audio engine only applies it.
Judgment. Durable as a lab package and as contract material. Risk is dual-source drift if contract tables and live CSS diverge later.
Action · When any Poise token changes, update live CSS, lab notes, and contract.interaction together.
Delight
Observation. Wordmark breath and short press settle add finish. No glow, bounce, particle trail, or unsolicited sound. Emotional quality supports trust and precision.
Judgment. Delight is earned. It clarifies contact instead of decorating weak function.
Action · Keep restraint. Reject spectacle proposals that fail the thesis.
Responsibility
Observation. No dark pattern in sound or motion. Preference and reduced motion are first-class. Public naming stays human (Poise), not research-demo jargon. Adoption into v0.1.1 is explicit and public.
Judgment. Honest about status: live experiment whose rules are now contract material. That honesty is a responsibility hold.
Action · Keep status language accurate. Future rule changes require a new contract version, not silent edits.