HTML Rich Communication

Default: the ten-minute lane

The usual job is conversion, not rediscovery. If the answer, notes, or source material already exists, preserve its claims and turn it into a clearer reading experience. Do not reopen research unless a required claim is missing or stale.

Use this lane for a read-only artefact with one audience and one cognitive job. Target 5–10 minutes from request to verified link.

1. Lock the job in one sentence. Reader needs to <understand/decide/compare/review/operate/inspect evidence> <thing> so they can <action>. Choose one dominant mode. Keep this in working memory; do not create a contract file.
2. Choose one spine. If two reader jobs compete, subordinate one behind disclosure or split the artefact. For explainers, default to one worked scenario and introduce boundaries or components only when the path crosses them; do not lead with architecture unless topology or ownership is the question. For briefs, lead with the decision. For reports, lead with the finding.
3. Cut before building. Default bounds: 900–1,500 words, 4–6 sections, 0–2 useful visuals, at most one main table, and optional source links at the bottom. Put lookup material in <details> or link it; do not mix explainer, reference, risk register, and implementation review.
4. Build once. Start from templates/fast-explainer.html or an equally small static page. Write one self-contained index.html; use semantic HTML and inline CSS. No build system is required, and self-contained does not mean inlining multi-megabyte runtimes.
5. Verify once, repair once. Serve locally, inspect desktop and 375 px mobile, check first-screen answer, horizontal overflow, links, and console errors. Exercise controls only if controls exist. When a bundler or generator materially transforms the source, inspect the emitted artefact rather than treating source checks as proof. Make one bounded correction pass, then publish or report the remaining blocker.
6. Publish if requested. Create a secret Gist, verify public: false, and return the GistPreview URL. Fresh local rendering is sufficient; do not re-review the hosted copy unless delivery itself is failing.

Effectiveness contract

A good artefact: