# UX second pass — batched council review

A running parking lot of small UX / interaction decisions deferred for a **batched
[`/council`](../.claude/skills/council/SKILL.md) review**, rather than gating each one the
moment it surfaces. Append quirks here as they come up; resolve them together in one pass,
record the resolution into the contract (`docs/architecture/09`+`10` and the relevant
`docs/spec/`), then delete the row.

## Open

- **Border weight as identity — boxed fields vs Carbon's quieter defaults**
  (**priority: pick this up first, next session** — user-flagged 2026-06-12).
  Carbon's own defaults use far fewer boxes than we do: fields are filled with a
  bottom border only (`reference/carbon` → text-input `_text-input.scss`,
  `border-block-end` only), secondary buttons are a gray _fill_, tertiary is the
  only outlined button (`_button.scss` → `button-theme(transparent,
$button-tertiary, …)`), and tiles separate by layer steps with full borders
  only behind an accessibility feature flag. Our fully-boxed fields/secondaries
  are a recorded divergence (arch 09 §2 + §4) and the box-discipline rules now
  contain the noise — the open question is whether to go further toward Carbon
  (bottom-border-only fields, filled secondary) or keep the boxed look as
  deliberate identity. An identity decision, not cleanup: it would repaint every
  field in the app. Council seats: Carbon (canon above), NN/g (affordance of
  boxed vs underlined inputs), a11y (3:1 non-text contrast for field boundaries
  either way).

- **Two visible "Export" buttons** (`App.tsx` header — workspace export;
  `ChartExport.tsx` in the preview header — per-chart export). Same label,
  different scope, both visible at once. Candidate fix: rename one ("Export
  chart" / "Export workspace") or differentiate via grouping.

- **"LATER" facet placeholders in Chart Builder shelves**
  (`ChartBuilderModal.module.css` → `.facetSlot`/`.facetTag`). Internal roadmap
  language shipped to users. Either hide the affordance until faceting works or
  write user-facing copy.

- **Default snippet names are timestamps** ("Snippet 2026-06-10 18:04:37") — the
  library reads like a downloads folder next to builder-generated names ("Bar
  chart of count by Ship Mode"). Candidate: derive a content-based name from the
  spec (mark + encoded fields) when the user never renames.

- **Fit-mode tab labels** ("Original / Width / Height / Full", `LivePreview.tsx`)
  are terse for a first-time user; tooltips likely suffice.

- **Donate is the most saturated element on screen** (header soft-accent wash) —
  visually outranks Publish/Build Chart. Decide whether intentional.

- **Left rail affordance** (`PaneToggleStrip.tsx`): three unlabeled glyphs + a
  tall empty strip; pane toggles aren't discoverable without hovering.

- **Pane toggle pressed state = hover state** (`PaneToggleStrip.module.css`).
  The pressed chip is a `--layer-02` fill — the same fill the strip's IconButtons
  use on hover — so hovering an off toggle looks identical to an on toggle at
  rest. (The pressed chip's `--border-strong` border used to disambiguate; it was
  dropped in the box-discipline pass.) Candidate cues: a filled/accent glyph,
  an inset edge marker, or restoring a border for the on state only.

- **Dataset detail schema density** (`DatasetsModal.tsx`): one field per row
  makes a 25-column dataset a long scroll before the preview table; a denser
  two-column field list would fit overview + schema + preview on one screen.

- **Chart theme picker placement & header crowding** (`LivePreview.tsx` — ChartThemeControl).
  The picker sits in the preview header because nesting a SelectControl inside the
  PreviewSettings popover is impossible today (one-open-popover registry: the select would
  close/unmount its own parent). Header now holds Fit + theme + export + gear; at narrow
  pane widths the long trigger labels ("FiveThirtyEight", "Urban Institute") may crowd it.
  Council questions: does the picker deserve header prominence (the "transform your chart"
  showcase) or settings-cluster placement (a persistent global pref); should the popover
  registry learn nesting; should the preset block also carry a group _heading_ (a
  divider now bounds it — 2026-06-12, user-decided; `SelectControl` `dividerBefore`)?

- **"Edit themes…" action row inside the value picker** (`LivePreview.tsx` —
  ChartThemeControl). A non-value action lives inside a single-select disclosure (the
  VS Code theme-picker pattern), placed after the custom-themes block and before the
  preset roster (first-use feedback: at the very bottom it was invisible without
  scrolling). The ours-vs-presets divider (2026-06-12) now bounds it below; remaining
  council questions: should the action row itself be styled distinctly from the value
  rows; is a mid-list row that opens a modal instead of selecting surprising to AT
  users?

- **Theme Builder config editor is a plain textarea** (`ThemeBuilderModal.tsx`). Monaco
  (with the Vega-Lite config schema for completions) would match the main editor but is
  heavy inside a modal and untested in that mounting. Revisit whether the builder deserves
  a Monaco instance, and whether the gallery's canvas charts need text alternatives
  beyond the per-card captions.

## Deferred (not design debts, revisit on demand)

- **Drag-and-drop field assignment** — chips are click/keyboard-first by design; drag would
  be a progressive enhancement on top of the chooser model, not a replacement. Revisit if
  real usage asks for it (likely alongside Phase 4 faceting, where drag-to-shelf reads most
  naturally).