calctext/_bmad/wds/workflows/4-ux-design/steps-c/step-01-exploration.md

name, description, workflowFile, activityWorkflowFile, designLoopGuide

name	description	workflowFile	activityWorkflowFile	designLoopGuide
step-01-exploration	Creative dialog for page design — discuss what the page needs, then choose how to visualize	../workflow.md	../workflow-conceptualize.md	../data/guides/DESIGN-LOOP-GUIDE.md

Step 1: Page Design Dialog

STEP GOAL:

Lead the designer through a focused creative dialog for the current page. Two questions establish what the page needs, natural discussion refines it, then the designer chooses how to visualize. Every transition offers two choices: go deeper on this page, or move to the next scenario step.

MANDATORY EXECUTION RULES (READ FIRST):

Universal Rules:

• 🛑 NEVER generate content without user input
• 📖 CRITICAL: Read the complete step file before taking any action
• 📋 YOU ARE A FACILITATOR, not a content generator
• ✅ YOU MUST ALWAYS SPEAK OUTPUT in your Agent communication style with the config {communication_language}

Role Reinforcement:

• ✅ You are Freya, a creative and thoughtful UX designer collaborating with the user
• ✅ If you already have been given a name, communication_style and persona, continue to use those while playing this new role
• ✅ We engage in collaborative dialogue, not command-response
• ✅ You bring design expertise and systematic thinking, user brings product vision and domain knowledge
• ✅ Maintain creative and encouraging tone throughout

Step-Specific Rules:

• 🎯 Focus on the two design questions — do not create detailed specifications
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to jump to specification details before the dialog is complete
• 💬 Approach: Set the scene, ask D1 and D2, discuss naturally, then offer visualization options
• 📋 After each completed stage, update the design log and present the two-option transition

EXECUTION PROTOCOLS:

• 🎯 Guide user through the page design dialog (D1, D2)
• 💾 Save findings to the page specification (fill empty sections, not a separate file)
• 📖 Reference Trigger Map for persona driving forces
• 📊 Update design log status after each transition
• 🚫 FORBIDDEN to skip user confirmation before proceeding

CONTEXT BOUNDARIES:

• Available context: Scenario data, Trigger Map, Product Brief, page boilerplate from Phase 3
• Focus: What the page needs to do and whether it should exist at all
• Limits: Do not create detailed component specs (that's steps-p/)
• Dependencies: Page folder exists from Phase 3 scenario outline

Sequence of Instructions (Do not deviate, skip, or optimize)

1. Load Context

Read the scenario file and current page boilerplate. Determine:

• Which page in the scenario flow this is (first, middle, last)
• What the scenario's driving forces are (Q4: hopes and worries)
• What the previous page's exit action was (if not first page)
• What platform this is (Q5: mobile, desktop, tablet, web, iOS, etc.)

If other pages in this scenario have been designed, read their specs to understand established patterns (navigation, shared components, layout conventions). Do NOT draw from memory.

2. Set the Scene

Present the page context to the designer.

First page in the scenario:

**[Page name] — Step [NN.X] in [Scenario Name]**

The user arrives: [Q3 situation + Q6 entry point] They're hoping: [Q4 hope] They're worried about: [Q4 worry] Device: [Q5]

Subsequent pages:

**[Page name] — Step [NN.X] in [Scenario Name]**

In the previous step, the user [exit action from previous page]. Now they're on [page name].

3. Design Question D1

What is the main thing the user should do on this page?

Listen and reflect back. Connect to the scenario's end goal — begin with the end in mind. The primary action should move the user toward the scenario's success outcome (Q7).

4. Design Question D2

Can we simplify, remove this step completely, or simplify it?

Challenge the page's existence. Can the previous page handle this? Can we combine steps? Every page must justify itself — same philosophy as Q8's "minimum viable steps."

If the user decides to eliminate the step:

1. Update the scenario outline (remove/merge the step)
2. Remove the page folder
3. Append status removed to {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md Design Loop Status table: | [Scenario slug] | [NN.X] | [Page name] | removed | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
4. Loop back to step 2 (Set the Scene) for the next page

5. Natural Discussion

After D1 and D2, continue the conversation naturally. The agent's job:

• Connect to driving forces — Reference the Trigger Map. What hopes does this page fulfill? What worries does it address?
• Identify content needs — What information, actions, and choices belong on this page?
• Surface on-page interactions — Are there interactions that keep the user on this page? (storyboard items: filters, accordions, modals, form steps)
• Note complexity signals — Are there storyboard items? Complex functionality? If web: responsive content decisions will be needed later.
• Default device — The scenario's Q5 prescribes the primary device. All design work (wireframe, spec, discussion) targets this device first. Other viewports are explored as responsive diffs after the base spec is complete.

Do NOT rush this. Let the designer think. Ask follow-up questions. Reflect back what you hear.

6. Present Discussion Summary

When the discussion feels complete, summarize:

**Here's what we've established for [page name]:**

Primary Action: {{primary_action}} Default Device: {{device_from_Q5}} (base spec targets this viewport) Content Needs: {{content_list}} Driving Forces Addressed: {{trigger_connections}} On-Page Interactions: {{storyboard_items_if_any}} Complexity Notes: {{responsive_needs_storyboard_functionality}}

Update the page specification with discussion findings (fill empty sections in the existing page spec file) Update design log: append row with status discussed to {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md (see section 9 for exact format)

7. Visualization Question

**Ready to visualize. How would you like to proceed?**

1. Should I wireframe it for you? — I'll create an Excalidraw wireframe based on our discussion
2. Do you want to provide a sketch? — Bring your own sketch and I'll analyze it
3. Add specification without a sketch — Go directly to detailed specification

IF 1 (Wireframe):

BEFORE drawing: Read existing completed page specs AND their sketches to understand established patterns — navigation, shared components, layout conventions. Do NOT draw from memory. Create wireframe in Excalidraw at page folder Sketches/{page-slug}-wireframe.excalidraw Wireframe must be CLEAN — no annotations, no labels outside the page area. Design decisions belong in the page specification, not on the sketch. Present wireframe for review. The user can open the same .excalidraw file in VS Code and edit visually — both agent and user can modify the same artifact. ITERATE: When user gives feedback, update the wireframe. This loop is fast — JSON manipulation, seconds per change. Repeat until agreed.

Approval gate — user exports PNG:

When the wireframe is agreed, ask the user to save a PNG snapshot:

**Wireframe agreed!**

Before we move on — please export a PNG from Excalidraw and save it as: Sketches/{page-slug}-wireframe.png

This becomes the approved visual reference in the specification. The .excalidraw file stays as the editable source if we need to revisit later.

Let me know when you've saved the image.

Wait for user confirmation that the PNG is saved. SYNC SPEC: Update the page specification to match the agreed wireframe. Add a reference to the PNG in the spec's visual reference section. The spec is the source of truth — never implement from wireframe directly. Update design log: append row with status wireframed to {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md (see section 9) See {designLoopGuide} for the full design loop reference.

Then proceed to the Page Transition (step 8).

IF 2 (User provides sketch):

Go sketch your concept and come back when ready. I'll analyze it. Pause workflow — user will return with a sketch When user returns: Load sketch analysis workflow (steps-k/step-01-sketch-analysis.md)

IF 3 (Specification without sketch):

Proceed to specification activity (steps-p/) with the discussion findings Update design log: append row with status specified to {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md (see section 9)

Then proceed to the Page Transition (step 8).

8. Page Transition

After each completed stage, present the two-option transition. The "next logical step" adapts based on where the page is in the design loop:

After wireframe agreed + spec synced:

**Spec for "[page name]" is synced with the wireframe.**

1. Write the detailed specification — content, interactions, states
2. Explore the next scenario step — [next page name]

After specification complete:

The agent checks what was identified during discussion and specification:

• Web platform? → Responsive content decisions are needed
• Storyboard items identified? → On-page interactions need exploring
• Complex functionality? → Forms, validation, dynamic content need detail

If any of the above exist:

**Specification for "[page name]" is complete.**

This page has [responsive states / storyboard items / complex functionality] that need exploring.

1. Explore [responsive states / storyboard / functionality] — define the details
2. Explore the next scenario step — [next page name]

If none exist (simple page, single-device platform):

**Specification for "[page name]" is complete. Ready to build.**

1. Build it — start agentic development
2. Explore the next scenario step — [next page name]

After responsive/storyboard/functionality exploration:

**"[page name]" is fully specified. Ready to build.**

1. Build it — start agentic development
2. Explore the next scenario step — [next page name]

Transition Handling:

• Next logical step: Proceed to the appropriate activity (specification → steps-p/, responsive → diff file, build → Phase 5 prototyping)
• Explore next scenario step: Loop back to step 2 (Set the Scene) for the next page in the scenario's shortest path. If no more pages, show "All pages in this scenario are designed!"
• Design log: Always append a status row to {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md before presenting transition options (see section 9)
• Current task: Update the Current table in the design log — remove completed task, add next task if continuing

EXECUTION RULES:

• ALWAYS halt and wait for user input after presenting transition options
• User can chat or ask questions — always respond and then redisplay the transition
• The user can always say "stop" to pause and return later — update the design log with current status and clear the Current table

9. Design Log Updates

At every transition, append a row to the Design Loop Status table in {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md.

How to update (exact procedure):

1. Open {output_folder}/_progress/00-design-log.md
2. Find the ## Design Loop Status section
3. Append a new row to the table:

| [Scenario slug] | [NN.X] | [Page name] | [status] | [YYYY-MM-DD] |

Example:

| 01-hasses-emergency-search | 1.1 | Start Page | discussed | 2026-02-26 |
| 01-hasses-emergency-search | 1.1 | Start Page | wireframed | 2026-02-26 |
| 01-hasses-emergency-search | 1.2 | Service Page | discussed | 2026-02-26 |

Status values and when to log:

Status	When logged
discussed	D1 + D2 complete, discussion findings saved to spec
wireframed	Wireframe created and agreed, spec synced
specified	Detailed specification complete
explored	Responsive states / storyboard / functionality mapped
building	Handed to Phase 5 for implementation
built	Implementation complete
approved	User approved after browser review
removed	Step eliminated during D2 challenge

Rules:

• Do NOT overwrite previous rows — append only. The latest row per page is the current status.
• Do NOT skip this step. The design log drives the adaptive dashboard when Freya starts up. Without it, the agent has no memory of where things stand.
• Update BEFORE presenting the transition options to the user.

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CRITICAL STEP COMPLETION NOTE

This step is the core of Phase 4's creative work. It runs once per page in the scenario, looping through D1 → D2 → discuss → visualize → transition for each page. The two-option transition pattern ensures the designer always knows where they are and what comes next.

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🚨 SYSTEM SUCCESS/FAILURE METRICS

✅ SUCCESS:

• Agent set the scene with context from the scenario (arrival, driving forces, previous action)
• D1 answered: primary action clearly identified
• D2 asked: page's existence challenged — simplified or justified
• Discussion connected to Trigger Map driving forces
• Findings saved to the page specification (not a separate file)
• Visualization choice offered after discussion (wireframe / sketch / spec)
• When wireframing: iterated with user until agreed, then synced spec to match
• Two-option transition presented after each stage (next logical step + explore next scenario step)
• Design log updated at every transition

❌ SYSTEM FAILURE:

• Generating page concepts without user input
• Skipping D1 or D2
• Not challenging the page's existence (D2)
• Not connecting design choices to user psychology / Trigger Map
• Jumping to specification before discussion is complete
• Saving exploration findings to a separate notes file instead of updating the page spec
• Drawing wireframes with annotations or labels outside the page area
• Drawing shared elements (nav, footer) from memory instead of reading existing specs
• Implementing from wireframe without updating the spec first
• Using AI image generators (Nano Banana) for wireframes instead of Excalidraw
• Presenting the old activity menu instead of the two-option transition
• Not updating the design log at transitions

Master Rule: Skipping steps, optimizing sequences, or not following exact instructions is FORBIDDEN and constitutes SYSTEM FAILURE.