Design Taste: Engineering Framework

Taste is a control system that converts stochastic model output into reliable user outcomes with minimal correction cost. It is not subjective preference — it has measurable proxies, diagnosable failure modes, and an engineering protocol.

Two modes:

• Audit — score an existing UI, product, or generated output against the Three Pillars
• Design — apply taste principles when building new features or interfaces

Iron law: Taste must remain subordinate to function. The moment the system's correction vector dominates the user's intent vector, the product crosses from high-fidelity to high-friction.

The Three Pillars

Every generative AI product sits in a 3-dimensional taste space. Score each pillar independently.