Design Rationale

设计决策依据

A design rationale document captures the "why" behind design decisions.the context, constraints, alternatives considered, and reasoning that led to a particular solution. While designs themselves show what was built, rationale documents preserve institutional knowledge about why it was built that way.

设计决策依据文档记录设计决策背后的“原因”，包括背景、约束条件、考虑过的备选方案以及促成最终解决方案的推理过程。设计本身展示的是最终成果，而决策依据文档则留存了关于“为何如此设计”的机构知识。

When to Use

使用场景

When making significant UX decisions that affect user experience
Before design reviews to prepare stakeholder discussions
When multiple valid approaches exist and the choice needs justification
To onboard new team members to existing design decisions
When revisiting past decisions to understand original reasoning
During design system evolution to document pattern choices

制定影响用户体验的重大UX决策时
设计评审前，用于准备与利益相关方的讨论
存在多种可行方案且需要对选择进行论证时
帮助新团队成员了解现有设计决策时
回顾过往决策以理解当初的推理逻辑时
设计系统演进过程中，记录模式选择时

Instructions

操作步骤

When asked to document design rationale, follow these steps:

State the Decision Begin with a clear, one-sentence summary of what design decision was made. This becomes the title and reference point for the document.
Describe the Context Explain the situation that prompted this decision. What problem were you solving? What constraints existed? What user needs informed the direction? Include relevant research findings.
List Options Considered Document at least 2-3 alternatives that were evaluated. For each option, describe what it would look like and its key characteristics. Be fair to all options.avoid strawmen.
Define Evaluation Criteria Specify how options were assessed: usability heuristics, technical feasibility, brand alignment, user research findings, business requirements, or design principles.
Explain the Reasoning Walk through why the chosen option best meets the criteria. Be explicit about trade-offs.what you gained and what you sacrificed. Acknowledge where the decision is reversible vs. irreversible.
Document Trade-offs Accepted Every design decision involves trade-offs. Name what you gave up and why it was acceptable. This honesty helps future teams understand constraints.
Note Follow-up Considerations Capture anything that needs attention later: metrics to watch, conditions that might warrant revisiting the decision, or related decisions to make.

当需要记录设计决策依据时，请遵循以下步骤：

明确决策内容 首先用清晰的一句话总结所做出的设计决策，这句话将作为文档的标题和参考核心。
描述背景情况 说明促使做出该决策的场景：要解决什么问题？存在哪些约束条件？哪些用户需求影响了设计方向？请包含相关的研究结果。
列出备选方案 记录至少2-3个经过评估的备选方案。针对每个方案，描述其大致形态和核心特征。请客观公正地对待所有方案，避免设置“稻草人”方案（即明显不合理的方案）。
确定评估标准 明确评估方案的标准：可用性启发法、技术可行性、品牌契合度、用户研究结果、业务需求或设计原则等。
阐述推理过程 详细说明为何选定的方案最符合评估标准。明确说明取舍：获得了什么，牺牲了什么。同时指出该决策是可逆的还是不可逆的。
记录已接受的取舍 每个设计决策都涉及取舍。说明放弃了什么以及为何这种取舍是可接受的。这种坦诚有助于未来的团队理解当时的约束条件。
记录后续注意事项 记录后续需要关注的事项：需要跟踪的指标、可能需要重新审视该决策的情况，或相关的待做决策。

Output Format

输出格式

Use the template in

references/TEMPLATE.md

to structure the output.

使用

references/TEMPLATE.md

中的模板来组织输出内容。

Quality Checklist

质量检查清单

Before finalizing, verify:

Decision is clearly stated in one sentence
Context explains the "why now" and constraints
Multiple alternatives are documented fairly
Evaluation criteria are explicit
Reasoning addresses why chosen option beats alternatives
Trade-offs are honestly acknowledged
Document is useful to someone inheriting this design

定稿前，请确认以下事项：

决策内容已用一句话清晰表述
背景情况说明了“为何此时做决策”以及约束条件
已客观记录多种备选方案
评估标准已明确
推理过程说明了选定方案优于其他备选方案的原因
已坦诚承认取舍内容
文档对后续接手该设计的人员有参考价值

Examples

示例

See

references/EXAMPLE.md

for a completed example.

完整示例请查看

references/EXAMPLE.md

。

develop-design-rationale

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