ValGuide – Emotionally Safe UI/UX Guidelines
Purpose This document defines the UX and interaction principles for ValGuide. It serves as a shared reference for humans and AI agents working on the codebase.
The goal is to ensure that ValGuide feels safe, calm, and trustworthy—especially for non-technical, risk-averse users working in public-facing cultural institutions.
Core Definition
Emotionally safe UI/UX means designing flows, copy, defaults, and system behavior so users feel:
- In control (nothing happens without intent)
- Not judged (mistakes are normal and recoverable)
- Not trapped (there is always a way back)
- Confident to explore without fear of breaking something
This is especially critical when users are:
- New to the system
- Under time pressure
- Unsure about publishing or public visibility
- Interacting with AI-generated content
UX Goals
- Reduce anxiety and confusion
- Increase clarity, trust, and predictability
- Support learning through safe exploration
- Prevent shame, blame, or fear-driven behavior
- Build user confidence over time—not just task completion
Core Principles
1. Clarity Over Cleverness
- Prefer plain, human language over technical or internal terms
- Navigation and actions should be predictable and boring
- Always surface the obvious next step
- Show system status clearly (saving, loading, publishing)
Rule: If something is clever but unclear, it is wrong.
2. User Control and Reversibility
- Favor undo, back, cancel, and draft states
- Confirm only truly destructive or irreversible actions
- Explain consequences before committing
- Preserve user input whenever possible
Rule: Users should never feel locked into a decision.
3. Non-Judgmental Microcopy
- Avoid language like: invalid, failed, incorrect without explanation
- Never imply user fault
- Use supportive, neutral phrasing
Good pattern:
- What happened
- Why it happened (if known)
- What the user can do next
Rule: The system is responsible for helping the user succeed.
4. Gentle Error Handling
- Validate inline and early (before submission)
- Highlight exactly what needs attention
- Never clear user input on error
- Provide a clear recovery path (retry, edit, contact support)
Rule: Errors are part of normal use, not exceptional failures.
5. Transparency and Trust
- Clearly surface pricing, limits, trials, and renewals before surprise moments
- Explain permissions and data usage just-in-time
- Avoid hidden behavior or implicit side effects
Rule: Nothing important should be discovered accidentally.
6. Reduce Overwhelm
- Use progressive disclosure instead of showing everything at once
- Provide sensible defaults and templates
- Allow onboarding to be skipped or revisited
- Avoid aggressive modals and alert storms
Rule: Perceived simplicity matters more than actual simplicity.
7. Respect User Time and Attention
- No dark patterns
- No forced opt-ins or confusing cancellation flows
- Support fast paths for experienced users
- Support guided paths for new users
Rule: Efficiency should never come at the cost of trust.
8. Accessibility and Inclusivity by Default
- Sufficient contrast and readable typography
- Keyboard and screen-reader friendly flows
- Never rely on color alone to convey meaning
- Use icons with text, not instead of text
Rule: Accessibility is a baseline, not a feature.
ValGuide-Specific Principles
9. Private by Default, Public by Intent
- All creation starts in a private or draft state
- Publishing is a deliberate, explained action
- Always indicate where content is visible (draft / team / visitors)
- Provide accurate previews of the visitor experience
Rule: Nothing becomes public without explicit user intent.
10. AI as Collaborator, Not Authority
- Clearly label AI-generated content
- Default AI output to draft or suggestion states
- Encourage review, editing, and ownership
- Avoid absolute or overconfident AI phrasing
- Make it easy to reject or modify AI output without penalty
Rule: The user remains the author and final authority.
Agent Decision Heuristics
When an AI agent or system component is unsure how to proceed, default to:
- Explaining what will happen before acting
- Asking permission instead of assuming intent
- Choosing reversible actions
- Leaving visible traces of what changed
- Offering an undo, review, or preview path
High-Impact Touchpoints to Audit
These areas require extra care and must strictly follow this document:
- Onboarding and first-run experience
- Empty states and first success moments
- Publishing and unpublishing flows
- Billing, upgrades, downgrades, and cancellation
- Data deletion and workspace removal
- Permissions, invites, and role changes
- Import/export and migration flows
- Error states (authentication, payments, integrations, rate limits)
Final Guiding Question
At every UX or system decision, ask:
“Would a careful, slightly anxious user feel safe doing this?”
If the answer is not a clear yes, the design needs adjustment.
This document is normative. All new features, flows, and agent behaviors should be evaluated against it.