FreezeDesignDecisions [rule] v1.0.0

Once a design decision has been shipped to production users and validated with evidence, freeze it. Do not revisit shipped, validated decisions without new contradictory evidence — revisiting settled questions wastes team bandwidth and reintroduces resolved debates.

Severity

warning

Applies When

Any proposal to change a design decision that was already shipped and validated with user data or research.

Verify By

Ask: is there new evidence (new A/B result, new usability study, new error data) that contradicts the original decision? If not, the freeze holds.

Exceptions

• New contradictory evidence (user study, analytics showing degraded metric, accessibility audit finding) justifies unfreezing.
• Regulatory or platform requirement changes that invalidate the original design context.
• The original decision was a workaround explicitly planned for replacement after a dependency became available.

FreezeDesignDecisions [rule] v1.0.0

Once a design decision has been shipped to production users and validated with evidence, freeze it. Do not revisit shipped, validated decisions without new contradictory evidence — revisiting settled questions wastes team bandwidth and reintroduces resolved debates.

Severity

warning

Applies When

Any proposal to change a design decision that was already shipped and validated with user data or research.

Verify By

Ask: is there new evidence (new A/B result, new usability study, new error data) that contradicts the original decision? If not, the freeze holds.

Exceptions

• New contradictory evidence (user study, analytics showing degraded metric, accessibility audit finding) justifies unfreezing.
• Regulatory or platform requirement changes that invalidate the original design context.
• The original decision was a workaround explicitly planned for replacement after a dependency became available.

Rationale

Unfreezing validated decisions without new evidence is a productivity trap. It signals to the team that no decision is permanent, which creates insecurity in the design process and causes teams to under-invest in shipping because changes feel reversible at any time.

Severity

warning

Applies When

Any proposal to change a design decision that was already shipped and validated with user data or research.

Verify By

Ask: is there new evidence (new A/B result, new usability study, new error data) that contradicts the original decision? If not, the freeze holds.

Exceptions

• New contradictory evidence (user study, analytics showing degraded metric, accessibility audit finding) justifies unfreezing.
• Regulatory or platform requirement changes that invalidate the original design context.
• The original decision was a workaround explicitly planned for replacement after a dependency became available.