The trade-offs that shaped the product. Options considered, what I chose, and the evidence behind it. This is the conversation interviewers want to have.
| Decision | Rejected | Chosen | Evidence / rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respond to stress | Interrupt the player | Adapt the game silently | Research: zero players would pause; alerts read as nagging. |
| Feedback channel | Visible alerts / overlays | Ambient + silent adjustment | Backseat-driver rejection; flow is sacred mid-match. |
| Treat stress as | A problem to reduce | A performance metric | Players want an edge — Calm Score / HRV become inputs, not warnings. |
| Dashboard | Data-dense analytics report | Glanceable gamer launcher | Tester read: don’t want to look at it. Critical info up, depth one click deeper. |
| Competitive fairness | One always-adaptive mode | Training + Sanctioned modes | Sanctioned records but never alters — compatible with league rules. |
| Design system | Ad-hoc styles (Neue Montreal) | Tokenized Fraunces / Inter / Geist | Three surfaces needed one source of truth; mono signals instrument-grade. |
Each row maps to a research finding or a usability signal — no decision is aesthetic-only.