skills/intuitive-software-design/references/experience-progression.md

# Experience progression

Use when first encounter, occasional use, and repeat expert work require materially different support. Apply the standard's intended-user frame and Intuition–Mastery Curve. Domain expertise and familiarity with this product are separate axes.

Identify the knowledge needed initially, what can be learned from visible interaction, what must remain recognizable after a long absence, and what repeated work makes costly. Base frequency and expertise claims on supplied context; label assumptions. Do not invent a universal novice persona.

Consider task-relevant support: sensible empty states and examples, in-context explanation, stable labels, visible progress, remembered context, predictable shortcuts, bulk actions, and reversible personalization. Choose only what addresses a demonstrated gap. A mandatory tour is not evidence of good onboarding; shortcuts should not be the only accessible path to a core action.

Fixture: A dispatcher needs to edit many schedule entries daily. A guided wizard may help a first encounter but impose repeated process friction. Preserve an understandable direct path and, if supported by task evidence, efficient multi-edit actions. Do not remove a useful dense schedule simply to make the first screen sparse.

Check whether guidance remains available without interrupting repeated work, whether advanced controls have discoverable alternatives, and whether returning users can recover orientation without remembering training. Account for supported keyboard and assistive-technology operation; visual discoverability alone is insufficient.

Validation: Evaluate first-use recognition, return-after-absence orientation, and repeated-task efficiency separately with relevant audiences. Functional checks can verify shortcut equivalence and context preservation; human testing assesses learnability and perceived operating effort. Do not average a novice barrier away with expert success or invent efficiency thresholds.