---
artifact: design-rationale
version: "1.0"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
status: draft
---

# Design Rationale: [Decision Title]

## Decision Summary

**Decision:** [One-sentence statement of what was decided]
**Date:** [When decision was made]
**Decision Makers:** [Who was involved]
**Status:** [Proposed | Accepted | Implemented | Deprecated | Superseded by DR-XXX]

---

## Context

### Problem Statement

[What problem or opportunity prompted this decision?]

### User Need

[What user need does this address? Include relevant research.]

### Constraints

| Constraint Type | Description |
|-----------------|-------------|
| Technical | [Technical limitations or requirements] |
| Business | [Business rules or requirements] |
| Timeline | [Time constraints] |
| Resources | [Resource limitations] |
| Brand/Platform | [Brand guidelines or platform conventions] |

### Design Principles Applied

<!-- Which design principles guided this decision -->

- [Principle 1]: [How it applies]
- [Principle 2]: [How it applies]

---

## Options Considered

### Option A: [Name]

**Description:** [What this option looks like]

**Visual/Wireframe:** [Link or embedded image if available]

**Pros:**
- [Advantage 1]
- [Advantage 2]
- [Advantage 3]

**Cons:**
- [Disadvantage 1]
- [Disadvantage 2]

---

### Option B: [Name]

**Description:** [What this option looks like]

**Visual/Wireframe:** [Link or embedded image if available]

**Pros:**
- [Advantage 1]
- [Advantage 2]
- [Advantage 3]

**Cons:**
- [Disadvantage 1]
- [Disadvantage 2]

---

### Option C: [Name] (Selected)

**Description:** [What this option looks like]

**Visual/Wireframe:** [Link or embedded image if available]

**Pros:**
- [Advantage 1]
- [Advantage 2]
- [Advantage 3]

**Cons:**
- [Disadvantage 1]
- [Disadvantage 2]

---

## Evaluation

### Criteria

| Criterion | Weight | Description |
|-----------|--------|-------------|
| [Criterion 1] | High/Med/Low | [What this measures] |
| [Criterion 2] | High/Med/Low | [What this measures] |
| [Criterion 3] | High/Med/Low | [What this measures] |
| [Criterion 4] | High/Med/Low | [What this measures] |

### Comparison Matrix

| Criterion | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|-----------|----------|----------|----------|
| [Criterion 1] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] |
| [Criterion 2] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] |
| [Criterion 3] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] |
| [Criterion 4] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] | [Score/Rating] |

### User Research Input

<!-- Relevant findings from user research -->

- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]

---

## Decision Rationale

### Why Option C?

[Detailed explanation of why this option was chosen over alternatives]

### Key Differentiators

[What specifically made this option better than others]

### Dissenting Opinions

<!-- Capture any disagreement for the record -->

[Any team members who preferred other options and their reasoning]

---

## Trade-offs Accepted

### What We Gave Up

| Trade-off | Impact | Why Acceptable |
|-----------|--------|----------------|
| [Trade-off 1] | [What's affected] | [Why it's okay] |
| [Trade-off 2] | [What's affected] | [Why it's okay] |

### Risks

| Risk | Likelihood | Mitigation |
|------|------------|------------|
| [Risk 1] | High/Med/Low | [How we'll address] |
| [Risk 2] | High/Med/Low | [How we'll address] |

---

## Reversibility

**Is this decision reversible?** [Yes, easily | Yes, with effort | Partially | No]

**Cost to reverse:** [What would it take to change this later]

**Conditions that would warrant reverting:**
- [Condition 1]
- [Condition 2]

---

## Follow-up Considerations

### Metrics to Monitor

- [Metric 1]: [What it tells us]
- [Metric 2]: [What it tells us]

### Future Decisions Required

- [Related decision 1]
- [Related decision 2]

### Revisit Triggers

<!-- When should we reconsider this decision -->

- [Trigger 1]
- [Trigger 2]

---

## Supporting Materials

- [Link to design files]
- [Link to user research]
- [Link to prototype]
- [Link to related decisions]

---

## Decision History

| Date | Change | Author |
|------|--------|--------|
| [Date] | Initial decision | [Name] |
| [Date] | [Update] | [Name] |

---

*This rationale documents the reasoning at the time of decision. Context may change.*
