# Interface Density and Navigation Polish Report

## Status

Current implementation report for IARPG-OPS-2 2.0.14-wip. The release remains work in progress.

## Purpose

Document the interface refinement requested after review of the 2.0.13 first viewport: tighten the global menu, improve visual hierarchy, preserve exactly one sticky row, and reduce excess whitespace throughout the publication without sacrificing orientation, keyboard access, responsive containment, or readable content.

## Scope

The round covers the shared PHP shell, the final CSS cascade, the non-sticky search masthead, the sticky branded navigation row, the compact publication-orientation rail, breadcrumbs, the five-path `/start` hero, internal page heroes, shared section rhythm, cards, report readers, standards, browser-local workbenches, partner banners, and the global footer. It does not change the meaning or destinations of the five-path Start Here orientation map.

## Executive Summary

The prior first viewport stacked a release utility strip, search masthead, sticky navigation, publication orientation, provenance links, breadcrumbs, and a large hero. The current shell removes the redundant utility strip, keeps search and release state in a 50-pixel non-sticky masthead, keeps the IARPG logo and primary navigation in the sole 46-pixel sticky `.menu-strip`, and uses one compact orientation/evidence rail. The result reveals useful page content substantially earlier while keeping the current-versus-future product boundary visible.

The navigation is visually tighter through a smaller mark, reduced gaps, compact type, bounded active states, smaller theme and overflow controls, and a more compact menu panel. Shared spacing variables now govern marketing pages, mission catalogs, research and report readers, standards, workbenches, editorial layouts, calls to action, partner artwork, and the footer. Responsive rules preserve large primary actions, menu containment, readable body leading, reduced-motion behavior, forced-colors support, print cleanup, and safe-area handling.

## Evidence Reviewed

- The user-supplied 1366 × 768 screenshot of the 2.0.13 shell, which showed substantial vertical space before the Start Here hero.
- `app/layout.php`, including masthead, sticky navigation, publication orientation, command palette, breadcrumbs, partner artwork, and footer.
- `assets/css/site.css`, including earlier one-sticky-surface resets and responsive rules.
- `/start`, `/how-to-play`, `/missions`, `/build`, `/standards`, `/docs/`, one canonical report reader, one mission detail, and `/simulate`.
- `scripts/validate_shell_layout.py`, `scripts/validate_ui_density.py`, browser fixtures, structural accessibility, delivery-performance, staging-host, and production-edge validators.
- Active startup memory in `.uai/index.uai`, `.uai/context.uai`, `.uai/constraints.uai`, `.uai/progress.uai`, `.uai/decisions.uai`, `.uai/architecture.uai`, `.uai/ui-shell.uai`, and `.uai/test-plan.uai`.

## Findings

### The top utility strip duplicated release context

The utility strip repeated the standard, version, product category, examples, tools, and live-MMO boundary already represented elsewhere. Removing it eliminated a full visual tier without removing unique navigation or evidence.

### Search belongs in normal flow

Search remains prominent in the first row and retains the `Ctrl K` command-palette shortcut, but it scrolls away. The compact IARPG brand, primary destinations, More menu, and theme control remain in the sole sticky row. This preserves global navigation while limiting persistent viewport occupation.

### The menu needed stronger grouping and less air

The revised menu uses a 46-pixel desktop token and 44-pixel narrow-screen token, a 28-pixel mark, tighter label spacing, compact controls, and a visible bounded active state. The logo and navigation read as one system rather than separated items spread across a wide bar.

### Context can remain visible without separate rows

The publication rail now gives first-time visitors a Start Here route, one-sentence product definition, and compact Game, Mission, Create, Evidence, and Fairness routes. The separate provenance strip is no longer needed, reducing the pre-content stack while preserving high-value evidence access.

### Shared whitespace needed one final source of truth

Earlier rounds tightened individual templates but left competing values in the cascade. The final 2.0.14 density layer establishes shared section, compact-section, content-gap, card-space, hero, heading, button, report, standard, editorial, tool, call-to-action, partner-banner, and footer budgets. Page-specific exceptions remain possible when justified by content or interaction requirements.

### The five-path hero is retained and better framed

The `/start` hero still links Game Concept, Missions, Create Missions, Standards, and Research. Its orientation panel, title, lede, and actions now align nearer the top of the first viewport. The mobile layout linearizes the same content rather than shrinking it into an unreadable diagram.

## Decisions or Recommendations

- Keep `.site-masthead` non-sticky and limited to search plus compact release context.
- Keep `.menu-strip` as the only sticky surface.
- Keep the IARPG mark and primary navigation inside `.menu-strip`.
- Do not restore the removed utility strip or a separate provenance row unless new evidence shows a unique unmet task.
- Keep one compact publication-orientation rail with product truth and high-value evidence routes.
- Treat the 2.0.14 spacing variables as the shared baseline; justify page-specific exceptions in durable documentation.
- Preserve the five-path Start Here hero and its current links.
- Preserve visible focus, keyboard operation, safe-area support, reduced motion, reduced transparency, forced colors, high zoom, print cleanup, and horizontal containment.
- Evaluate further reductions through task-based human testing rather than indiscriminately compressing text or controls.

## Risks and Limitations

- A denser interface can increase cognitive load for some visitors. The implementation retains readable body leading, bounded line lengths, large primary actions, responsive stacking, and explicit section hierarchy.
- The focused browser evidence uses managed Chromium with server-rendered HTML and local assets. It does not establish native Firefox behavior, native assistive-technology speech output, or externally hosted runtime behavior.
- Deterministic spacing budgets are regression boundaries, not universal usability standards or evidence of user preference.
- Local transfer and timing measurements are useful for regressions but are not field Core Web Vitals or geographic latency evidence.
- Human comprehension and task success remain unmeasured because no unfamiliar participants were supplied for this round.

## Validation Performed

The completed release runs PHP lint, JavaScript syntax checks, Python compilation, JSON/XML/CSS parsing, JSON Schema validation, canonicalization vectors, source-integrity checks, claim-review checks, memory paths and heading anchors, public UAI mirror parity, site-identity checks, onboarding routing, discoverability, structural accessibility, delivery budgets, managed Chromium interaction fixtures, focused sticky-shell checks, representative-route density checks, isolated Apache and controlled TLS-edge checks, finalizer idempotency, ZIP integrity, fresh-extraction comparison, and external SHA-256 verification.

Focused density evidence checks representative page types at desktop, tablet, and mobile widths. It asserts that the redundant utility strip is absent, the masthead is non-sticky, `.menu-strip` is the sole sticky surface, compact height budgets are respected, page content begins within the first-viewport budget, shared section padding remains bounded, and no page develops horizontal overflow.

## Memory References

- [Hot-memory index](../../../.uai/index.uai#current-snapshot)
- [Current context](../../../.uai/context.uai#verified-current-facts)
- [Current progress](../../../.uai/progress.uai#current-state)
- [Active decisions](../../../.uai/decisions.uai#active-decisions)
- [Current architecture](../../../.uai/architecture.uai#current-architecture)
- [UI shell contract](../../../.uai/ui-shell.uai#current-ui-contract)
- [Current test plan](../../../.uai/test-plan.uai#current-test-plan)

## Related Durable Documents

- [UI/UX, SEO, AEO, and GEO Improvement Report](ui-ux-seo-aeo-geo-improvement-report.md#executive-summary)
- [Site Identity and Onboarding Clarity Report](site-identity-and-onboarding-clarity-report.md#executive-summary)
- [Onboarding Comprehension and Guided Walkthrough Report](onboarding-comprehension-and-guided-walkthrough-report.md#executive-summary)
- [Hero Clarity, Report Integration, and UAI Routing Report](hero-clarity-report-integration-and-uai-routing-report.md#executive-summary)
- [Claim-Level Review and Comparative Fairness Audit](claim-level-review-and-comparative-fairness-audit.md#accessibility-usability-and-security-boundary)

## Supersession Status

Current for the 2.0.14-wip global shell and shared spacing contract. It supersedes the 2.0.13 shell dimensions and row hierarchy but does not supersede the product-identity, five-path hero, split-memory, international-fairness, or claim-review decisions.