# **B-06** — Report interface design and validation studies

**Status**: 🟢 mapped  
**Layer**: design evidence

## Scope

design/delightful-output-panel/**; source captures, blind panel records, prototypes, task tests, screenshots, and validation reports used to define and test the human report projection.

## Start here

design/delightful-output-panel/README.md; design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md; design/delightful-output-panel/validation/report.md

## Notes

Tracked design-evidence corpus newly added after the original five-subsystem survey; treat prototypes and screenshots as validation witnesses, not runtime production code.

## File ledger

| Path | Classification | Why in scope | Ref SHA |
|---|---|---|---|
| `design/delightful-output-panel/README.md` | examined | Artifact index, method, custody boundaries, and outcome for the report-interface study. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/actionable-redesign.md` | examined | Implementation handoff linking design judgments to renderer seams and component contracts. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/blind-brief.md` | examined | Frozen first-reading brief that bounds the independent panel's task and source context. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/current-report-stress-test.md` | examined | Recorded probes of the production report used as design evidence and regression targets. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md` | examined | Primary design-system contract for information architecture, component semantics, interaction, and verification. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/blind-editorial-decision-design.md` | examined | Independent editorial panel witness contributing one decision-oriented design reading. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/blind-ia-wayfinding.md` | examined | Independent information-architecture panel witness contributing navigation findings. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/blind-interaction-art-direction.md` | examined | Independent interaction and art-direction panel witness. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/method-and-lineage.md` | examined | Records panel custody, heterogeneity, and interpretation boundaries. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/rerun-2026-08-22/blind-art-direction.md` | examined | Rerun art-direction witness used to test stability of panel conclusions. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/rerun-2026-08-22/blind-editorial.md` | examined | Rerun editorial witness with observations, inferences, and acceptance checks. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/rerun-2026-08-22/blind-wayfinding.md` | examined | Rerun wayfinding witness with alternative IA directions and checks. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/rerun-2026-08-22/method-and-fan-in.md` | examined | Rerun protocol and fan-in record controlling interpretation of independent outputs. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/rerun-2026-08-22/synthesis.md` | examined | Rerun synthesis preserving disagreements and selected renderer sequence. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/panel/synthesis-and-directions.md` | examined | Primary panel synthesis with competing directions, rejected tradeoffs, and unresolved disagreements. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/prototype-current/index.html` | examined | Captured current-production comparison fixture used by task tests and visual validation. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/prototype/index.html` | examined | Authored proposed report-interface prototype. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/revision-2026-08-23.md` | examined | Later product ruling that retains IA decisions and revises UI/register choices. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/source-capture.md` | examined | Provenance and hash record for the representative source report used by the panel. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/task-tests.md` | examined | Reader-task fixtures and direction-comparison acceptance expectations. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/validation/index.html.png` | examined | Rendered production-projection witness for visual comparison. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/validation/prototype-desktop.png` | examined | Rendered prototype witness for visual comparison. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/validation/report.md` | examined | Consolidated automated, visual, task, custody, and limitation results. | `073cee86` |
| `design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs` | examined | Executable validation instrument for structure, content, and regression checks. | `073cee86` |

## Concern review

| Concern | Classification | Evidence quality | Linchpin? | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **[AT-1](../concerns.md#at-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** contains tracked design witnesses and prototypes, not multi-table state transitions or diagnosticity mutations; atomic database updates belong to [B-02](b02-mcp-core-persistence-and-lifecycle.md)/[B-03](b03-knowledge-tools-and-workflow-api.md). |
| **[AT-2](../concerns.md#at-2)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** does not checkpoint SQLite WAL state or storage-git commits; that lifecycle is owned by [B-02](b02-mcp-core-persistence-and-lifecycle.md)/[B-03](b03-knowledge-tools-and-workflow-api.md). |
| **[CC-1](../concerns.md#cc-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** specifies presentation and validation expectations but does not plan incremental materialized-page dependencies; [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md) owns that mechanism. |
| **[CR-1](../concerns.md#cr-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | The panel's independence protocol is methodological, while concurrent agents, advisory locks, SQLite writers, and storage commits are outside this isolated design workspace. |
| **[EP-1](../concerns.md#ep-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06**'s validator checks fixed prototype files but does not publish the production documentation set; production render failure semantics belong to [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md). |
| **[EP-2](../concerns.md#ep-2)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | No MCP mutation or dependent database-row update is implemented in **B-06**. |
| **[IF-1](../concerns.md#if-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | Incremental/full/clean-export correspondence is a [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md) implementation concern; **B-06** records desired read-back behavior only. |
| **[RL-1](../concerns.md#rl-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** has no database handles, child-process orchestration, temporary-directory lifecycle, or materializer lock ownership. |
| **[RL-2](../concerns.md#rl-2)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | Survey sessions, dispatches, open questions, and authoritative write locks are not managed by **B-06**; optional browser trail state is explicitly non-authoritative. |
| **[SC-1](../concerns.md#sc-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | Schema/view/TypeScript/Python evolution is implemented across [B-02](b02-mcp-core-persistence-and-lifecycle.md), [B-03](b03-knowledge-tools-and-workflow-api.md), and [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md), not in this design-evidence corpus. |
| **[SC-2](../concerns.md#sc-2)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | Packaged agent and materializer mirror derivation is owned by [B-05](b05-packaging-installer-validation-and-product-docs.md); **B-06** is neither a package source mirror nor its CI gate. |
| **[SC-3](../concerns.md#sc-3)** | confirmed-acceptable | code-verified |  | The refined **B-06** sparse-coverage, contextual-identifier, and reading-measure contract is implemented explicitly by [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md); both the 42-check design validator and full materializer integration/red-path suite pass at e33bb5f. |
| **[SC-4](../concerns.md#sc-4)** | confirmed-acceptable | contract-stated |  | **B-06** and [B-01](b01-survey-methodology-and-agent-contracts.md) now state the same sparse-coverage, contextual-identifier, intact-status-label, and 120ch/190ch prose-flow rules; executable projection/design checks pass. |
| **[SC-5](../concerns.md#sc-5)** | confirmed-acceptable | contract-stated |  | **B-06** separates immutable publication delta, optional clearable device-local trail, and active survey state; it forbids last-visit language without a reader baseline and retains reader/AT/browser limits. This preserves [B-07](b07-embedded-research-surveys-and-platform-trials.md)'s evidence scope instead of promoting it to a production efficacy claim. |
| **[SI-1](../concerns.md#si-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** neither derives project keys nor selects workspace/storage roots. |
| **[SI-2](../concerns.md#si-2)** | confirmed-acceptable | contract-stated |  | The current contract separates source and publication identity from survey reach and active work, and the frozen/current fixtures name their distinct revisions and roles. |
| **[TB-1](../concerns.md#tb-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** contains no git or Python subprocess invocation requiring timeout and cancellation policy. |
| **[TR-1](../concerns.md#tr-1)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | **B-06** has no MCP input surface, SQL execution, git-argument construction, or conspectus authority transition. |
| **[TR-2](../concerns.md#tr-2)** | out-of-scope | contract-stated |  | Installer parsing, backup, path validation, and user-config merge behavior are [B-05](b05-packaging-installer-validation-and-product-docs.md) responsibilities. |

## Seams

| Seam | Shared object | Other party |
|---|---|---|
| **[SM-06](../seams.md#sm-06)** | report projection design/component contract | **[B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md)** |
| **[SM-07](../seams.md#sm-07)** | reporting terminology and information-architecture contract | **[B-01](b01-survey-methodology-and-agent-contracts.md)** |
| **[SM-08](../seams.md#sm-08)** | research-backed report design constraints | **[B-07](b07-embedded-research-surveys-and-platform-trials.md)** |

## Vocabulary

- **production custody** — The provenance chain that connects a design study's captured reading object to an actual generated report revision.
- **reader-task fixture** — A frozen user goal and success criterion used to assess whether a report projection supports a concrete reading task.

## Survey notes

# **B-06** · Report interface design and validation studies

Survey revision: `073cee86946b7693b6ba7a93cec67c8977b353ff`

## Observed scope

This subsystem is an isolated design-evidence workspace, not a production materializer input. It contains a frozen representative report capture, independent panel readings, product rulings, two self-contained prototypes, an executable structural validator, screenshots, and a validation report. The directory itself states the custody boundary and the method sequence (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:1-39@073cee8`).

## Key types and contracts

| Symbol or record | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
| `ConditionBand` | Keeps source identity, survey reach, consequence, and publication integrity visibly separate. | `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:63-69@073cee8` |
| `FindingRecord` | Consequence-led finding presentation with essential qualification visible and secondary receipts disclosable. | `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:79-93@073cee8` |
| `ReentryPanel` | Separates publication comparison, device-local trail state, and active survey work. | `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:113-121@073cee8` |
| `IntegrityNotice` | Defines `verified`, `warning`, and `not checked` strictly as projection read-back states. | `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:123-127@073cee8` |
| `IdentifierDefinition` | Requires known opaque codes to carry semantic definitions in dense and expanded views. | `design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:133-139@073cee8` |
| `check(condition, label, detail)` | Accumulates one structural assertion into per-process pass or failure registers. | `design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs:9-15@073cee8` |

## State containers

| State | Location | Stores | Lifetime | Population and invalidation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative publication capture | `source-capture.md` and prototype literals | Branch, checked SHA, survey reach, finding counts, hashes, and active work label | Persistent tracked witness | Captured once from AxiomDB; intentionally not updated as the live source advances (`design/delightful-output-panel/source-capture.md:1-35@073cee8`). |
| Current product ruling | `revision-2026-08-23.md` and `design-language.md` | Retained IA rules, rejected interface tropes, record grammar, component and interaction contracts | Persistent tracked authority within this study | Updated by a later product review; the README names it as the current ruling (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:41-50@073cee8`). |
| Validation registers | `passes[]`, `failures[]` | Assertion labels and failure detail | One Node.js process | `check` appends; any failure prints and exits non-zero (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs:9-15@073cee8`, `:100-107@073cee8`). |
| Prototype interaction state | DOM `hidden`, `nav-open`, `aria-expanded` | Current search filtering and mobile navigation visibility | One page instance | Event handlers recompute it from input and navigation events (`design/delightful-output-panel/prototype/index.html:615-669@073cee8`). |
| Device-local preferences | localStorage keys `field-docket-theme` and `field-docket-trail` | Theme choice and optional pinned trail | Browser origin/device until cleared | Explicit button handlers write and remove values; storage exceptions are tolerated (`design/delightful-output-panel/prototype/index.html:603-613@073cee8`, `:671-684@073cee8`). |

## Primary data flows

1. The panel freezes a representative AxiomDB report and its hashes in `source-capture.md` (`design/delightful-output-panel/source-capture.md:1-35@073cee8`).
2. Three readers receive the sealed brief independently; the lead freezes their readings before consulting existing research (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:8-25@073cee8`).
3. Synthesis, later product review, and the record-presentation survey produce the current ruling and design grammar (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:41-50@073cee8`).
4. The grammar is embodied in the historical and current prototype fixtures and translated into explicit renderer seams (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:54-67@073cee8`; `design/delightful-output-panel/actionable-redesign.md:7-56@073cee8`).
5. `validate-prototype.mjs` reads both HTML files, evaluates structural/content assertions, and exits non-zero on any failed assertion (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs:1-15@073cee8`, `:100-107@073cee8`). At this survey revision it produced 42 passing checks and no failures (test-observed in session `mt5e271s-uwd7er9m`).
6. The validation report preserves the distinction between markup/read-back checks, visual inspection, reader-task walkthroughs, and unperformed accessibility or representative-reader validation (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/report.md:30-40@073cee8`, `:74-96@073cee8`, `:112-123@073cee8`).

## Concurrency model

The design corpus is build-time and review-time evidence. Its executable validator is a single Node.js process performing synchronous file reads and sequential assertions (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs:1-15@073cee8`). The prototype's browser handlers mutate only one document and same-origin device-local storage; no network fetch or shared server state participates (`design/delightful-output-panel/design-language.md:254-274@073cee8`). Independent panel work is a methodological concurrency boundary: readings are produced independently and aggregated only after exact fan-in, rather than sharing mutable execution state (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:8-25@073cee8`).

## Seam contracts

### [SM-06](../seams.md#sm-06) · Report projection design and component contract

**B-06** writes the design language, product ruling, prototypes, reader-task fixtures, and validation expectations. [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md) reads these as implementation and verification inputs; **B-06** does not write the production projection. The schema owner for report data remains [B-04](b04-diff-aware-materializer.md), while **B-06** owns presentation requirements. Ordering is causal: frozen evidence and a ruling precede renderer application and read-back. Staleness tolerance is revision-bound rather than eventual; claims must name the captured or current fixture.

### [SM-07](../seams.md#sm-07) · Reporting terminology and information-architecture contract

**B-06** supplies panel evidence and the current product ruling. [B-01](b01-survey-methodology-and-agent-contracts.md) publishes the practitioner-facing reporting-style contract consumed by survey coordinators and projections. The documents explicitly distinguish information architecture from interface direction and preserve only two specialized labels (`design/delightful-output-panel/README.md:41-50@073cee8`).

## Inferences

- The subsystem's primary correctness risk is witness conflation: a model-panel opinion, a structural assertion, a visual screenshot, a task walkthrough, and a production read-back authorize different claims. The directory records these boundaries, but downstream consumers must preserve them.
- The historical prototype intentionally retains superseded vocabulary and visual tropes. Validation of the current fixture therefore must remain fixture-specific; scanning both files without distinguishing their roles would create false positives.

## Open questions

- The design language leaves browser-specific forced-colors, zoom, screen-reader order, print pagination, and representative-reader performance as pre-production gates (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/report.md:112-123@073cee8`).
- The production privacy and persistence policy for optional device-local trail pinning remains unresolved (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/report.md:120@073cee8`).

## Concern review

Sixteen calibrated concerns reached terminal survey dispositions. `SI-2` (revision identity) is `confirmed-acceptable`: the design contract keeps source identity, publication identity, survey reach, and active work separate, and the frozen and current fixtures identify distinct roles and revisions (disposition `B-06/SI-2`; evidence rows 29 and 28). The other fifteen concerns are `out-of-scope` because their mutation, concurrency, packaging, installer, or production-materialization mechanisms are owned by [B-02](b02-mcp-core-persistence-and-lifecycle.md) through [B-05](b05-packaging-installer-validation-and-product-docs.md); the declared isolation boundary is evidence row 30. No confirmed bug or competing-concern matrix was produced.

## Adversarial review

- **Claim A:** **B-06** preserves exact revision identity and keeps its historical prototype distinct from the current product fixture (`B-06/SI-2`).
- **Claim B sought:** a mismatched recorded hash, a current-state claim applied to the historical capture, or a validator assertion that scans both fixtures without role-specific expectations.
- **Evidence for the challenge:** a fresh SHA-256 comparison matched `prototype/index.html` to `e8eddfe2…` and `prototype-current/index.html` to `22da3388…`, the values recorded in the validation report (evidence row 28). The validator addresses `html` and `currentHtml` in separate assertion groups (`design/delightful-output-panel/validation/validate-prototype.mjs:17-75@073cee8`, `:77-98@073cee8`).
- **Verdict:** `upheld`. No confirmed bugs or linchpin-dependent dispositions existed to challenge. Two explicitly open product-validation obligations remain open questions rather than disguised confirmations.