prd-v04-screen-flow-definition

Screen Flow Definition

Position in workflow: v0.4 User Journey Mapping → v0.4 Screen Flow Definition → v0.5 Red Team Review

Screens are where journeys become tangible. This skill transforms user journeys into a screen inventory with navigation paths and feature mappings.

Consumes

This skill requires prior work from v0.3-v0.4:

• UJ-* user journey entries (from v0.4 User Journey Mapping) — Journey steps become screens; each step asks "What screen enables this action?"
• FEA-* feature entries (from v0.3 Features Value Planning) — Features map to screens showing which features appear on which screens
• PER-* persona entries (from v0.4 Persona Definition) — Persona context (technical level, role) shapes screen design choices and complexity
• MVP-SCOPE artifact (from v0.3 Features Value Planning) — Explicit feature boundary; screens must render only MVP-scoped features, backlog features deferred
• BR-* business rules (from v0.3 Commercial Model) — Constraints affecting screen layout (pricing tier rules affect which settings appear, role-based visibility, data refresh rates, etc.)

This skill assumes v0.4 User Journey Mapping is complete.

Produces

This skill creates/updates:

• SCR-* entries (screens, confidence 2-3/5) — Screen inventory with journey/feature/persona mappings showing purpose, actions, navigation, and constraints
• DES-* entries (design system components, confidence 2-3/5) — Reusable UI elements and patterns identified across screens
• Feature-to-Screen matrix — Validation artifact showing every FEA- and every UJ- step mapped to SCR-
• Screen count and complexity assessment — Critical for v0.5 technical stack selection (number of screens informs frontend framework needs)

All SCR- entries should include:

• confidence: 2-3/5 (based on journey validation and feature implementation status)
• Evidence source citations (UJ-ID, FEA-ID, PER-ID references)
• Forward target: "Would move to 4/5 if validated in wireframe review or prototype testing"

Example SCR- entry with confidence:

SCR-001: Main Dashboard
Type: Page
Purpose: Central hub showing key metrics and quick actions
Journeys: UJ-001 (Step 4), UJ-002 (Step 5), UJ-003 (Step 1)
Features: FEA-007 (dashboard), FEA-003 (reports preview), FEA-012 (notifications) — all in MVP-SCOPE
Confidence: 2/5 (source: journey-mapping + design-validation; not yet wireframed)

Primary Actions: Create Report, View Data Sources, Access Settings
Secondary Actions: Invite Team, View Help

Navigation:
  From: SCR-000 (Login), any screen via nav bar
  To: SCR-002 (Report Builder), SCR-003 (Data Sources), SCR-010 (Settings)

Content:
  - Key metrics summary (3-5 cards) → DES-001 (Data Card)
  - Recent reports list → DES-002 (Report List)
  - Data source health status → DES-003 (Status Badge)
  - Notification bell → FEA-012

Constraints: BR-015 (data refresh rate), BR-020 (role-based visibility)
Design Notes: PER-001 needs "busy dashboard" - show progress at a glance without overwhelming

Next Target: "Would move to 4/5 if wireframe validated with 3+ target personas"

Example DES- entry with confidence:

DES-001: Data Card
Type: Component
Used In: SCR-001 (Dashboard), SCR-005 (Analytics)
Purpose: Display single metric with trend indicator
Confidence: 2/5 (source: design-pattern-research; component not yet coded)

States:
  - Default: Shows value + trend arrow
  - Loading: Skeleton placeholder
  - Empty: "No data yet" message
  - Error: "Failed to load" with retry

Variants: Small (dashboard, 120px width), Large (detail view, 240px width)
Accessibility: ARIA labels for trend direction, keyboard navigation support

Next Target: "Would move to 4/5 if implemented and tested across both use cases"

Screen Types

Type	Definition	Design Priority	Example
Page	Full viewport, primary navigation target	High	Dashboard, Settings
Modal	Overlay, blocks underlying page	Medium	Confirmation, Quick Edit
Panel	Slide-out, contextual detail	Medium	Detail View, Filters
Component	Reusable UI element	Varies	Header, Data Table

Rule: Start with Pages, then identify where Modals/Panels reduce navigation friction.

Navigation Patterns

Choose a pattern based on product type:

Pattern	When to Use	Example Products
Hub & Spoke	Dashboard-centric apps	Analytics, CRM
Linear Flow	Wizard/checkout processes	Onboarding, E-commerce
Hierarchical	Content-heavy apps	Documentation, CMS
Flat	Simple single-purpose apps	Timer, Calculator

Most SaaS products use Hub & Spoke with occasional Linear Flows for onboarding/purchase.

Mapping Process

1. Pull UJ- (journeys) and FEA- (features) from prior steps

   • Journeys define the paths; features define the capabilities

2. Inventory unique screens needed across all journeys

   • Walk through each journey step and ask: "What screen does this happen on?"

3. Map features to screens (many:many relationship)

   • One feature may appear on multiple screens
   • One screen may contain multiple features

4. Define navigation structure

   • How do users get from screen to screen?
   • What's the hierarchy? What's always accessible?

5. Identify shared components

   • Headers, footers, navigation bars
   • Common patterns: data tables, forms, cards

6. Create SCR- entries with journey and feature traceability

7. Create DES- entries for design system elements

SCR- Output Template

SCR-XXX: [Screen Name]
Type: [Page | Modal | Panel | Component]
Purpose: [What user accomplishes on this screen]
Journeys: [UJ-XXX, UJ-YYY that use this screen]
Features: [FEA-XXX, FEA-YYY rendered on this screen]

Primary Actions: [Key user actions available]
Secondary Actions: [Less common but available actions]

Navigation:
  From: [SCR-XXX, SCR-YYY — how users arrive]
  To: [SCR-XXX, SCR-YYY — where users can go next]

Content:
  - [Data/element 1]
  - [Data/element 2]

Constraints: [BR-XXX rules affecting this screen]
Design Notes: [Persona-specific considerations from PER-]

Example SCR- entry:

SCR-001: Main Dashboard
Type: Page
Purpose: Central hub showing key metrics and quick actions
Journeys: UJ-001 (Step 4), UJ-002 (Step 5), UJ-003 (Step 1)
Features: FEA-007 (dashboard), FEA-003 (reports preview), FEA-012 (notifications)

Primary Actions: Create Report, View Data Sources, Access Settings
Secondary Actions: Invite Team, View Help

Navigation:
  From: SCR-000 (Login), any screen via nav bar
  To: SCR-002 (Report Builder), SCR-003 (Data Sources), SCR-010 (Settings)

Content:
  - Key metrics summary (3-5 cards)
  - Recent reports list
  - Data source health status
  - Notification bell

Constraints: BR-015 (data refresh rate), BR-020 (role-based visibility)
Design Notes: PER-001 needs "busy dashboard" - show progress at a glance

DES- Output Template

DES-XXX: [Component/Pattern Name]
Type: [Component | Pattern | Layout]
Used In: [SCR-XXX, SCR-YYY]
Purpose: [What this element does]

States:
  - Default: [Normal state]
  - Loading: [When fetching data]
  - Empty: [No data state]
  - Error: [Error state]
  - Disabled: [When not interactive]

Variants: [If multiple versions exist]
Accessibility: [A11y considerations]

Example DES- entry:

DES-001: Data Card
Type: Component
Used In: SCR-001 (Dashboard), SCR-005 (Analytics)
Purpose: Display single metric with trend indicator

States:
  - Default: Shows value + trend arrow
  - Loading: Skeleton placeholder
  - Empty: "No data yet" message
  - Error: "Failed to load" with retry

Variants: Small (dashboard), Large (detail view)
Accessibility: ARIA labels for trend direction

Screen Categories

Organize screens by function:

Category	Examples	Design Priority
Entry Points	Login, Landing, Signup	High (first impressions)
Core Workflow	Main task screens	High (value delivery)
Settings/Admin	Preferences, Account, Billing	Medium (necessary)
Support/Help	Docs, Contact, FAQ	Low (failure recovery)

Rule: Invest design effort proportional to priority. Don't over-design settings screens.

Feature-to-Screen Matrix

Create a mapping matrix:

Feature	SCR-001	SCR-002	SCR-003	SCR-004
FEA-001 (auto-sync)		✓
FEA-003 (reports)	Preview	Full
FEA-007 (dashboard)	✓
FEA-010 (auth)				✓

This reveals:

• Features spread across multiple screens (normal)
• Features on no screens (problem: orphaned)
• Screens with no features (problem: unnecessary)

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Signal	Fix
Screen explosion	>20 unique screens for MVP	Consolidate; use modals/panels instead
Feature-per-screen	1:1 FEA to SCR mapping	Group related features on screens
No shared components	Every screen is unique	Extract DES- patterns
Navigation dead-ends	Can't get back from a screen	Ensure bidirectional paths
Journey disconnect	SCR- not tied to UJ-	Every screen serves a journey
Modal abuse	Everything is a modal	Modals for confirmations/quick edits only

Quality Gates

Before proceeding to v0.5 Red Team Review:

• All UJ- steps mapped to screens
• All FEA- features appear on at least one screen
• Navigation paths are bidirectional (no dead-ends)
• Shared components identified as DES- entries
• Screen count reasonable for MVP (<15 pages)
• Entry points and core workflow prioritized

Downstream Connections

SCR- and DES- entries feed into:

Consumer	What It Uses	Example
v0.5 Technical Stack Selection	Screen complexity informs frontend needs	"20 screens → need component library"
v0.6 Technical Specification	Screens inform API data needs	SCR-001 → API-001 (dashboard data)
v0.7 Build Execution	Screens become implementation tasks	EPIC-03 builds SCR-001–005
Design	SCR- entries become wireframes/mockups	SCR-001 → Figma design

Detailed References

• Screen flow examples: See references/examples.md
• SCR- entry template: See assets/scr.md
• DES- entry template: See assets/des.md
• Navigation patterns guide: See references/navigation-patterns.md