UI and UX Optimization · Design decisions · Component

The rationale

What problem it solves, which the interface cannot show — the part that prevents the decision being undone.

The deliverable

What it is

A design that looks odd usually solves something. Without the rationale, the oddness is visible and the reason is not, which produces a well-intentioned reversal.

The rationale should distinguish what was observed from what was judged, since only the first constrains a later reconsideration.

One level in

What it is made of

Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.

  1. The problem

    What the design is solving.

    3 attributes: Problem · Source · Still exists

    Learn
  2. The evidence

    What the decision rests on.

    3 attributes: Basis · Evidence · Confidence

    Learn
  3. The location

    Where the rationale lives.

    3 attributes: Recorded in · Reachable from design · Actually read

    Learn

A rationale a designer has to know exists does not reach them. Put it next to the pattern.