product-model
Product Model
Where product design meets reality, in two motions: first the truth of the system — objects, states, what the data can actually support — then the geography built on that truth: which objects earn destinations and how much of each a user sees at each altitude. AI concepts habitually invent omniscient interfaces; modeling first converts that from a late engineering veto into an early design insight. IA works from the model, never from a sitemap brainstorm — this skill decides where information belongs; the craft layer later decides how much attention it deserves there.
Part of the product-define suite. Read design/context.md and problem.md; write design/model.md and design/architecture.md; update context.md Unknowns with data gaps. Gate 3 runs against model.md.
Quick Reference
| Topic | File | Read when |
|---|---|---|
| Freshness, missing, cost, ⚠️ flags | assets/data-reality.md | Before any UI claim |
| Nav + disclosure altitudes | assets/disclosure-ladder.md | IA / placement |
Core Principles
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Name the objects in the user's language. Durable nouns; record eng≠user mismatches.
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For each object, five ledgers: relationships · states · permissions · reversibility · history.