World build

Use for an explicitly requested immersive experience, atmosphere, narrative depth or a surface that should feel like a place. A portfolio or launch page does not automatically need this route. ADS owns product scope, direction and review. This is a palette of techniques, not a required stack or another build loop.

Establish the world

Recover the existing brief, references and prior answers. State the setting, core metaphor and intended feeling in the task's brief. For example, an investigation uses evidence and case files; a laboratory uses specimens and observations; a natural world uses growth and seasons. Translate the metaphor into useful navigation, grouping or feedback, not fake operational telemetry.

When a material creative direction remains unresolved, bring a small reviewable target and recommendation. Proceed with already-settled direction without another approval ceremony. The real product must remain explainable without its metaphor.

Choose an atmosphere, do not accumulate layers

Use the fewest techniques that create the intended feeling. Blank space, flat color and a single type family can all be deliberate.

• Material: subtle grain or paper texture may establish tactility. The noise and gradient examples in whimsical-design are optional recipes. Keep decorative overlays non-interactive and below meaningful content.
• Light and depth: a static glow, restrained vignette or layered plane can establish space. Verify contrast and cost on the target browser; blur is not proof of depth or polish.
• Environmental details: use small peripheral labels only when they convey truthful, useful context. Sentence-case examples: "Camera 04 recording", "Sample 0042", "Comms available". Do not fabricate live status, dates, counters or loading percentages.
• Signature effect: one purposeful spotlight or scroll-linked plane may reinforce exploration. Avoid decorative dots, particle fields, flashing/flicker and ambient motion for its own sake.
• Pointer treatment: keep the native cursor by default. A requested contextual treatment must preserve hit targets, focus, native affordances and coarse-pointer behavior. Do not add a dot follower or make interaction depend on hover.