@monoes/monomindcli 1.8.0 → 1.9.0

package/.claude/skills/monodesign/reference/brand-workflow.md

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+# Brand Workflow
+
+How to define, document, and operationalize brand identity for a project. Use when the task involves brand identity work, visual identity guidelines, or establishing a brand-consistent design system from scratch.
+
+---
+
+## The Brand Hierarchy
+
+```
+brand-guidelines.md          ← Source of truth (human-readable)
+       ↓
+design-tokens (primitives)   ← Derived color/type values
+       ↓
+semantic tokens              ← Purpose assignments
+       ↓
+component tokens             ← Implementation
+       ↓
+all UI surfaces              ← Consistent brand expression
+```
+
+**The principle:** Every design decision in code should trace back to the brand guidelines. When the guidelines change, only the tokens change — not the components.
+
+---
+
+## Step 1: Define Brand Guidelines
+
+Create `BRAND.md` (or `docs/brand-guidelines.md`) as the project's source of truth. Sections to cover:
+
+### Brand Positioning
+- The one sentence that describes what this product is and who it's for
+- Personality: 3 adjectives that describe the brand's character
+- Register: editorial, functional, playful, authoritative, intimate, aspirational?
+
+### Visual Identity
+
+**Color palette** — use OKLCH for all values per the OKLCH-Only Rule:
+```
+Primary (1 color)
+  └── The one vibrant accent (One Voice Rule — no second accent)
+
+Neutrals (3–4 values)
+  ├── Page background (warm, never pure white)
+  ├── Primary text
+  ├── Secondary text
+  └── Borders / dividers
+
+Feedback (system colors)
+  ├── Error
+  ├── Success
+  └── Warning
+```
+
+**Typography**
+```
+Display / Headline  — the editorial voice (personality font)
+Body                — the readable voice (text font)
+Mono                — code / technical content
+
+Rules:
+- line-height: 1.6 for body (non-negotiable)
+- Headings use clamp() fluid sizing
+- Body uses fixed rem
+```
+
+**Shape language**
+- Default border-radius: 0 (sharp/editorial) or N px (softer/friendly)?
+- Is this a brand-register (sharp) or product-register (rounded) surface?
+- Shadow depth: flat-by-default or consistently elevated?
+
+**Motion**
+- Default easing: `cubic-bezier(0.16, 1, 0.3, 1)` (expo-out) for all transitions
+- Duration: 150ms (micro) / 250ms (standard) / 400ms (complex)
+- Always respect `prefers-reduced-motion`
+
+### Brand Voice
+- Tone: formal / conversational / technical / warm?
+- Copy rules: short/punchy vs detailed/thorough? Active/imperative? First/second/third person?
+- What to avoid: jargon? Hedging? Superlatives?
+
+---
+
+## Step 2: Derive Token Primitives from Brand
+
+Translate brand guidelines → primitive token values. See `token-architecture.md` for the full three-layer system.
+
+For the **color palette**, verify every token value with the OKLCH color space:
+1. Convert brand colors to OKLCH (tool: oklch.com)
+2. Verify the accent-to-background chroma relationship (warm backgrounds harmonize with warm-hue accents)
+3. Check WCAG contrast: text tokens must pass 4.5:1 against surface tokens
+4. Build the tonal ramp (8 steps from darkest to lightest) for the primary accent
+
+For **typography**, document:
+- Font families and their CDN/license source
+- Exact weight and size values for each type style (see design-principles.md Reference Typography System)
+
+---
+
+## Step 3: Sync Brand to Code
+
+Maintain a single-direction sync flow:
+
+```
+BRAND.md  ──(manual review)──→  tokens/primitives.css
+                                 tokens/semantic.css
+                                 tokens/components.css
+```
+
+The sync is intentionally manual for the primitive and semantic layers — these changes are load-bearing and should be reviewed, not automated. Component tokens can be generated.
+
+**Validation checks after any brand update:**
+1. Run WCAG contrast check on all text/surface token pairs
+2. Check all OKLCH values still use OKLCH (not hex/hsl)
+3. Verify there is still exactly one vibrant accent (One Voice Rule)
+4. Verify page background is warm, not pure white (Paper-Not-White Rule)
+
+---
+
+## Step 4: Brand Consistency Audit
+
+When auditing an existing product for brand consistency, check:
+
+### Visual consistency
+- [ ] All colors trace to the brand token system — no orphaned hex values in components
+- [ ] Typography scale and weights match the brand spec
+- [ ] Border-radius is consistent with the brand's shape language
+- [ ] The accent color appears on ≤10% of any given screen
+- [ ] No second accent color has crept in
+
+### Voice consistency
+- [ ] Copy tone matches the brand voice guidelines
+- [ ] No hedging language ("we think", "maybe", "might be useful")
+- [ ] CTAs are imperative and clear
+- [ ] Error messages are direct, not apologetic
+
+### Motion consistency
+- [ ] All transitions use the brand easing token (`--ease-out`)
+- [ ] Duration values are from the brand scale (fast/base/slow)
+- [ ] No bounce or elastic easing anywhere
+
+---
+
+## Visual Identity Quick Reference
+
+### Logo Usage
+- Use the correct variant for context (primary vs. compact vs. icon-only)
+- Maintain minimum clear space around all logo variants
+- Never stretch, distort, recolor, or add effects
+- Never place on a busy background without a scrim
+
+### Color Usage Ratios (rule of thumb)
+- 60% neutral/background surfaces
+- 30% secondary/supporting tones
+- 10% accent (the one vibrant color)
+
+### Icon System
+- One icon family across the entire product
+- Consistent stroke weight and corner radius
+- Filled vs outline: pick one style per hierarchy level — don't mix
+- All icons have `aria-label` or accompanying visible text
+
+### Photography / Illustration
+- Define the lighting and mood palette (warm / cool / neutral)
+- Establish subject guidelines (people-focused? abstract? product?)
+- Consistent editing style (desaturated / vibrant / duotone?)
+
+---
+
+## Brand Register Decision
+
+Before any design session, confirm the **register** of the surface you're designing:
+
+| Register | Characteristics | Shape language | Motion |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| Brand / marketing | Expressive, editorial, emotional | Sharp edges, strong hierarchy | Cinematic, scroll-driven |
+| Product / functional | Efficient, clear, reliable | Slight radius ok, systematic | Micro-interactions, functional |
+| Data / dense | Precise, neutral, information-first | Compact, tabular | Minimal, purposeful |
+
+The register determines which rules are in effect. Italic serif display type is appropriate on a brand surface; embarrassing on a product surface. Glassmorphism on a product surface is decorative noise; on a landing page it can be intentional.
+
+Cross-register failures (product surfaces with brand-surface decoration, or marketing pages with dense product UI) are among the most common and most damaging design mistakes.

package/.claude/skills/monodesign/reference/brand.md

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+# Brand register
+
+When design IS the product: brand sites, landing pages, marketing surfaces, campaign pages, portfolios, long-form content, about pages. The deliverable is the design itself; a visitor's impression is the thing being made.
+
+The register spans every genre. A tech brand (Stripe, Linear, Vercel). A luxury brand (a hotel, a fashion house). A consumer product (a restaurant, a travel site, a CPG packaging page). A creative studio, an agency portfolio, a band's album page. They all share the stance (*communicate, not transact*) and diverge wildly in aesthetic. Don't collapse them into a single look.
+
+## The brand slop test
+
+If someone could look at this and say "AI made that" without hesitation, it's failed. The bar is distinctiveness; a visitor should ask "how was this made?", not "which AI made this?"
+
+Brand isn't a neutral register. AI-generated landing pages have flooded the internet, and average is no longer findable. Restraint without intent now reads as mediocre, not refined. Brand surfaces need a POV, a specific audience, a willingness to risk strangeness. Go big or go home.
+
+**The second slop test: aesthetic lane.** Before committing to moves, name the reference. A Klim-style specimen page is one lane; Stripe-minimal is another; Liquid-Death-acid-maximalism is another. Don't drift into editorial-magazine aesthetics on a brief that isn't editorial. A hiking brand with Cormorant italic drop caps has the wrong register within the register.
+
+## Typography
+
+### Font selection procedure
+
+Every project. Never skip.
+
+1. Read the brief. Write three concrete brand-voice words. Not "modern" or "elegant," but "warm and mechanical and opinionated" or "calm and clinical and careful." Physical-object words.
+2. List the three fonts you'd reach for by reflex. If any appear in the reflex-reject list below, reject them; they are training-data defaults and they create monoculture.
+3. Browse a real catalog (Google Fonts, Pangram Pangram, Future Fonts, Adobe Fonts, ABC Dinamo, Klim, Velvetyne) with the three words in mind. Find the font for the brand as a *physical object*: a museum caption, a 1970s terminal manual, a fabric label, a cheap-newsprint children's book, a concert poster, a receipt from a mid-century diner. Reject the first thing that "looks designy."
+4. Cross-check. "Elegant" is not necessarily serif. "Technical" is not necessarily sans. "Warm" is not Fraunces. If the final pick lines up with the original reflex, start over.
+
+### Reflex-reject list
+
+Training-data defaults. Ban list. Look further:
+
+Fraunces · Newsreader · Lora · Crimson · Crimson Pro · Crimson Text · Playfair Display · Cormorant · Cormorant Garamond · Syne · IBM Plex Mono · IBM Plex Sans · IBM Plex Serif · Space Mono · Space Grotesk · Inter · DM Sans · DM Serif Display · DM Serif Text · Outfit · Plus Jakarta Sans · Instrument Sans · Instrument Serif
+
+### Reflex-reject aesthetic lanes
+
+Parallel to the font list. Currently saturated aesthetic families that have flooded brand surfaces. If a brief lands in one of these lanes without a register reason that *requires* it (a literal magazine, a literal terminal, a literal industrial signage system), it's the second-order training reflex: the trap one tier deeper than picking a Fraunces font. Look further.
+
+- **Editorial-typographic.** Display serif (often italic) + small mono labels + ruled separators + monochromatic restraint. Klim-influenced, magazine-cover affectation. By 2026, every Stripe-adjacent and Notion-adjacent brand has landed here. The fingerprint: three rule-separated columns, an italic Fraunces / Recoleta / Newsreader headline, lowercase track-spaced metadata, no imagery.
+
+(More entries land here on the same cadence the font list updates. Brutalist-utility and acid-maximalism may join when they saturate. Removing entries when they fall back below saturation is also fine.)
+
+The reflex-reject lists apply to **new design choices**. When the existing brand has already committed to a font or a lane as part of its identity, identity-preservation wins; variants on an existing surface don't second-guess what's already shipping. The reflex-reject lists are for greenfield decisions and for departure-mode variants in [live.md](live.md).
+
+### Pairing and voice
+
+Distinctive + refined is the goal. The specific shape depends on the brand:
+
+- **Editorial / long-form / luxury**: display serif + sans body (a magazine shape).
+- **Tech / dev tools / fintech**: one committed sans, usually; custom-tight tracking, strong weight contrast inside a single family.
+- **Consumer / food / travel**: warmer pairings, often a humanist sans plus a script or display serif.
+- **Creative studios / agencies**: rule-breaking welcome. Mono-only, or display-only, or custom-drawn type as voice.
+
+Two families minimum is the rule *only* when the voice needs it. A single well-chosen family with committed weight/size contrast is stronger than a timid display+body pair.
+
+Vary across projects. If the last brief was a serif-display landing page, this one isn't.
+
+### Scale
+
+Modular scale, fluid `clamp()` for headings, ≥1.25 ratio between steps. Flat scales (1.1× apart) read as uncommitted.
+
+Light text on dark backgrounds: add 0.05–0.1 to line-height. Light type reads as lighter weight and needs more breathing room.
+
+## Color
+
+Brand surfaces have permission for Committed, Full palette, and Drenched strategies. Use them. A single saturated color spread across a hero is not excess; it's voice. A beige-and-muted-slate landing page ignores the register.
+
+- Name a real reference before picking a strategy. "Klim Type Foundry #ff4500 orange drench", "Stripe purple-on-white restraint", "Liquid Death acid-green full palette", "Mailchimp yellow full palette", "Condé Nast Traveler muted navy restraint", "Vercel pure black monochrome". Unnamed ambition becomes beige.
+- Palette IS voice. A calm brand and a restless brand should not share palette mechanics.
+- When the strategy is Committed or Drenched, color carries the brand. Don't hedge with neutrals around the edges. Commit.
+- Don't converge across projects. If the last brand surface was restrained-on-cream, this one is not.
+
+## Layout
+
+- Asymmetric compositions are one option. Break the grid intentionally for emphasis.
+- Fluid spacing with `clamp()` that breathes on larger viewports. Vary for rhythm: generous separations, tight groupings.
+- Alternative: a strict, visible grid as the voice (brutalist / Swiss / tech-spec aesthetics). Either asymmetric or rigorously-gridded can be "designed"; the failure mode is splitting the difference into a generic centered stack.
+- Don't default to centering everything. Left-aligned with asymmetric layouts feels more designed; a strict grid reads as confident structure. A centered-stack hero with icon-title-subtitle cards reads as template.
+- When cards ARE the right affordance, use `grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(280px, 1fr))` for breakpoint-free responsiveness.
+
+## Imagery
+
+Brand surfaces lean on imagery. A restaurant, hotel, magazine, or product landing page without any imagery reads as incomplete, not as restrained. A solid-color rectangle where a hero image should go is worse than a representative stock photo.
+
+**When the brief implies imagery (restaurants, hotels, magazines, photography, hobbyist communities, food, travel, fashion, product), you must ship imagery.** Zero images is a bug, not a design choice. "Restraint" is not an excuse.
+
+- **For greenfield work without local assets, use stock imagery.** Unsplash is the default. The URL shape is `https://images.unsplash.com/photo-{id}?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1600&q=80`. Pick real Unsplash photo IDs you're confident exist (`photo-1559339352-11d035aa65de`, `photo-1590490360182-c33d57733427`, etc.); if unsure, pick fewer photos but don't substitute colored `<div>` placeholders.
+- **Search for the brand's physical object**, not the generic category: "handmade pasta on a scratched wooden table" beats "Italian food"; "cypress trees above a limestone hotel facade at dusk" beats "luxury hotel".
+- **One decisive photo beats five mediocre ones.** Hero imagery should commit to a mood; padding with more stock doesn't rescue an indecisive one.
+- **Alt text is part of the voice.** "Coastal fettuccine, hand-cut, served on the terrace" beats "pasta dish".
+
+Tech / dev-tool brands are the exception where zero imagery can be correct; a developer landing page often carries its voice through typography, code samples, diagrams. Know which kind of brand you're working on.
+
+## Motion
+
+- One well-orchestrated page-load with staggered reveals beats scattered micro-interactions, when the brand invites it. Tech-minimal brands often skip entrance motion entirely; the restraint is the voice.
+- For collapsing/expanding sections, transition `grid-template-rows` rather than `height`.
+
+## Brand bans (on top of the shared absolute bans)
+
+- Monospace as lazy shorthand for "technical / developer." If the brand isn't technical, mono reads as costume.
+- Large rounded-corner icons above every heading. Screams template.
+- Single-family pages that picked the family by reflex, not voice. (A single family chosen deliberately is fine.)
+- All-caps body copy. Reserve caps for short labels and headings.
+- Timid palettes and average layouts. Safe = invisible.
+- Zero imagery on a brief that implies imagery (restaurant, hotel, food, travel, fashion, photography, hobbyist). Colored blocks where a hero photo belongs.
+- Defaulting to editorial-magazine aesthetics (display serif + italic + drop caps + broadsheet grid) on briefs that aren't magazine-shaped. Editorial is ONE aesthetic lane, not the default brand aesthetic.
+
+## Brand permissions
+
+Brand can afford things product can't. Take them.
+
+- Ambitious first-load motion. Reveals, scroll-triggered transitions, typographic choreography.
+- Single-purpose viewports. One dominant idea per fold, long scroll, deliberate pacing.
+- Typographic risk. Enormous display type, unexpected italic cuts, mixed cases, hand-drawn headlines, a single oversize word as a hero.
+- Unexpected color strategies. Palette IS voice; a calm brand and a restless brand should not share palette mechanics.
+- Art direction per section. Different sections can have different visual worlds if the narrative demands it. Consistency of voice beats consistency of treatment.

package/.claude/skills/monodesign/reference/clarify.md

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+> **Additional context needed**: audience technical level and users' mental state in context.
+
+Find the unclear, confusing, or poorly written interface text and rewrite it. Vague copy creates support tickets and abandonment; specific copy gets users through the task.
+
+
+---
+
+## Assess Current Copy
+
+Identify what makes the text unclear or ineffective:
+
+1. **Find clarity problems**:
+   - **Jargon**: Technical terms users won't understand
+   - **Ambiguity**: Multiple interpretations possible
+   - **Passive voice**: "Your file has been uploaded" vs "We uploaded your file"
+   - **Length**: Too wordy or too terse
+   - **Assumptions**: Assuming user knowledge they don't have
+   - **Missing context**: Users don't know what to do or why
+   - **Tone mismatch**: Too formal, too casual, or inappropriate for situation
+
+2. **Understand the context**:
+   - Who's the audience? (Technical? General? First-time users?)
+   - What's the user's mental state? (Stressed during error? Confident during success?)
+   - What's the action? (What do we want users to do?)
+   - What's the constraint? (Character limits? Space limitations?)
+
+**CRITICAL**: Clear copy helps users succeed. Unclear copy creates frustration, errors, and support tickets.
+
+## Plan Copy Improvements
+
+Create a strategy for clearer communication:
+
+- **Primary message**: What's the ONE thing users need to know?
+- **Action needed**: What should users do next (if anything)?
+- **Tone**: How should this feel? (Helpful? Apologetic? Encouraging?)
+- **Constraints**: Length limits, brand voice, localization considerations
+
+**IMPORTANT**: Good UX writing is invisible. Users should understand immediately without noticing the words.
+
+## Improve Copy Systematically
+
+Refine text across these common areas:
+
+### Error Messages
+**Bad**: "Error 403: Forbidden"
+**Good**: "You don't have permission to view this page. Contact your admin for access."
+
+**Bad**: "Invalid input"
+**Good**: "Email addresses need an @ symbol. Try: name@example.com"
+
+**Principles**:
+- Explain what went wrong in plain language
+- Suggest how to fix it
+- Don't blame the user
+- Include examples when helpful
+- Link to help/support if applicable
+
+### Form Labels & Instructions
+**Bad**: "DOB (MM/DD/YYYY)"
+**Good**: "Date of birth" (with placeholder showing format)
+
+**Bad**: "Enter value here"
+**Good**: "Your email address" or "Company name"
+
+**Principles**:
+- Use clear, specific labels (not generic placeholders)
+- Show format expectations with examples
+- Explain why you're asking (when not obvious)
+- Put instructions before the field, not after
+- Keep required field indicators clear
+
+### Button & CTA Text
+**Bad**: "Click here" | "Submit" | "OK"
+**Good**: "Create account" | "Save changes" | "Got it, thanks"
+
+**Principles**:
+- Describe the action specifically
+- Use active voice (verb + noun)
+- Match user's mental model
+- Be specific ("Save" is better than "OK")
+
+### Help Text & Tooltips
+**Bad**: "This is the username field"
+**Good**: "Choose a username. You can change this later in Settings."
+
+**Principles**:
+- Add value (don't just repeat the label)
+- Answer the implicit question ("What is this?" or "Why do you need this?")
+- Keep it brief but complete
+- Link to detailed docs if needed
+
+### Empty States
+**Bad**: "No items"
+**Good**: "No projects yet. Create your first project to get started."
+
+**Principles**:
+- Explain why it's empty (if not obvious)
+- Show next action clearly
+- Make it welcoming, not dead-end
+
+### Success Messages
+**Bad**: "Success"
+**Good**: "Settings saved! Your changes will take effect immediately."
+
+**Principles**:
+- Confirm what happened
+- Explain what happens next (if relevant)
+- Be brief but complete
+- Match the user's emotional moment (celebrate big wins)
+
+### Loading States
+**Bad**: "Loading..." (for 30+ seconds)
+**Good**: "Analyzing your data... this usually takes 30-60 seconds"
+
+**Principles**:
+- Set expectations (how long?)
+- Explain what's happening (when it's not obvious)
+- Show progress when possible
+- Offer escape hatch if appropriate ("Cancel")
+
+### Confirmation Dialogs
+**Bad**: "Are you sure?"
+**Good**: "Delete 'Project Alpha'? This can't be undone."
+
+**Principles**:
+- State the specific action
+- Explain consequences (especially for destructive actions)
+- Use clear button labels ("Delete project" not "Yes")
+- Don't overuse confirmations (only for risky actions)
+
+### Navigation & Wayfinding
+**Bad**: Generic labels like "Items" | "Things" | "Stuff"
+**Good**: Specific labels like "Your projects" | "Team members" | "Settings"
+
+**Principles**:
+- Be specific and descriptive
+- Use language users understand (not internal jargon)
+- Make hierarchy clear
+- Consider information scent (breadcrumbs, current location)
+
+## Apply Clarity Principles
+
+Every piece of copy should follow these rules:
+
+1. **Be specific**: "Enter email" not "Enter value"
+2. **Be concise**: Cut unnecessary words (but don't sacrifice clarity)
+3. **Be active**: "Save changes" not "Changes will be saved"
+4. **Be human**: "Oops, something went wrong" not "System error encountered"
+5. **Tell users what to do**, not just what happened
+6. **Be consistent**: Use same terms throughout (don't vary for variety)
+
+**NEVER**:
+- Use jargon without explanation
+- Blame users ("You made an error" → "This field is required")
+- Be vague ("Something went wrong" without explanation)
+- Use passive voice unnecessarily
+- Write overly long explanations (be concise)
+- Use humor for errors (be empathetic instead)
+- Assume technical knowledge
+- Vary terminology (pick one term and stick with it)
+- Repeat information (headers restating intros, redundant explanations)
+- Use placeholders as the only labels (they disappear when users type)
+
+## Verify Improvements
+
+Test that copy improvements work:
+
+- **Comprehension**: Can users understand without context?
+- **Actionability**: Do users know what to do next?
+- **Brevity**: Is it as short as possible while remaining clear?
+- **Consistency**: Does it match terminology elsewhere?
+- **Tone**: Is it appropriate for the situation?
+
+When the copy reads cleanly, hand off to `/monodesign polish` for the final pass.

package/.claude/skills/monodesign/reference/cognitive-load.md

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+# Cognitive Load Assessment
+
+Cognitive load is the total mental effort required to use an interface. Overloaded users make mistakes, get frustrated, and leave. This reference helps identify and fix cognitive overload.
+
+---
+
+## Three Types of Cognitive Load
+
+### Intrinsic Load: The Task Itself
+Complexity inherent to what the user is trying to do. You can't eliminate this, but you can structure it.
+
+**Manage it by**:
+- Breaking complex tasks into discrete steps
+- Providing scaffolding (templates, defaults, examples)
+- Progressive disclosure: show what's needed now, hide the rest
+- Grouping related decisions together
+
+### Extraneous Load: Bad Design
+Mental effort caused by poor design choices. **Eliminate this ruthlessly.** It's pure waste.
+
+**Common sources**:
+- Confusing navigation that requires mental mapping
+- Unclear labels that force users to guess meaning
+- Visual clutter competing for attention
+- Inconsistent patterns that prevent learning
+- Unnecessary steps between user intent and result
+
+### Germane Load: Learning Effort
+Mental effort spent building understanding. This is *good* cognitive load; it leads to mastery.
+
+**Support it by**:
+- Progressive disclosure that reveals complexity gradually
+- Consistent patterns that reward learning
+- Feedback that confirms correct understanding
+- Onboarding that teaches through action, not walls of text
+
+---
+
+## Cognitive Load Checklist
+
+Evaluate the interface against these 8 items:
+
+- [ ] **Single focus**: Can the user complete their primary task without distraction from competing elements?
+- [ ] **Chunking**: Is information presented in digestible groups (≤4 items per group)?
+- [ ] **Grouping**: Are related items visually grouped together (proximity, borders, shared background)?
+- [ ] **Visual hierarchy**: Is it immediately clear what's most important on the screen?
+- [ ] **One thing at a time**: Can the user focus on a single decision before moving to the next?
+- [ ] **Minimal choices**: Are decisions simplified (≤4 visible options at any decision point)?
+- [ ] **Working memory**: Does the user need to remember information from a previous screen to act on the current one?
+- [ ] **Progressive disclosure**: Is complexity revealed only when the user needs it?
+
+**Scoring**: Count the failed items. 0–1 failures = low cognitive load (good). 2–3 = moderate (address soon). 4+ = high cognitive load (critical fix needed).
+
+---
+
+## The Working Memory Rule
+
+**Humans can hold ≤4 items in working memory at once** (Miller's Law revised by Cowan, 2001).
+
+At any decision point, count the number of distinct options, actions, or pieces of information a user must simultaneously consider:
+- **≤4 items**: Within working memory limits, manageable
+- **5–7 items**: Pushing the boundary; consider grouping or progressive disclosure
+- **8+ items**: Overloaded; users will skip, misclick, or abandon
+
+**Practical applications**:
+- Navigation menus: ≤5 top-level items (group the rest under clear categories)
+- Form sections: ≤4 fields visible per group before a visual break
+- Action buttons: 1 primary, 1–2 secondary, group the rest in a menu
+- Dashboard widgets: ≤4 key metrics visible without scrolling
+- Pricing tiers: ≤3 options (more causes analysis paralysis)
+
+---
+
+## Common Cognitive Load Violations
+
+### 1. The Wall of Options
+**Problem**: Presenting 10+ choices at once with no hierarchy.
+**Fix**: Group into categories, highlight recommended, use progressive disclosure.
+
+### 2. The Memory Bridge
+**Problem**: User must remember info from step 1 to complete step 3.
+**Fix**: Keep relevant context visible, or repeat it where it's needed.
+
+### 3. The Hidden Navigation
+**Problem**: User must build a mental map of where things are.
+**Fix**: Always show current location (breadcrumbs, active states, progress indicators).
+
+### 4. The Jargon Barrier
+**Problem**: Technical or domain language forces translation effort.
+**Fix**: Use plain language. If domain terms are unavoidable, define them inline.
+
+### 5. The Visual Noise Floor
+**Problem**: Every element has the same visual weight; nothing stands out.
+**Fix**: Establish clear hierarchy: one primary element, 2–3 secondary, everything else muted.
+
+### 6. The Inconsistent Pattern
+**Problem**: Similar actions work differently in different places.
+**Fix**: Standardize interaction patterns. Same type of action = same type of UI.
+
+### 7. The Multi-Task Demand
+**Problem**: Interface requires processing multiple simultaneous inputs (reading + deciding + navigating).
+**Fix**: Sequence the steps. Let the user do one thing at a time.
+
+### 8. The Context Switch
+**Problem**: User must jump between screens/tabs/modals to gather info for a single decision.
+**Fix**: Co-locate the information needed for each decision. Reduce back-and-forth.