# Reference Analysis Protocol

## Source Boundary

Record:

- what the reference is,
- whether it is public, private, generated, client-provided, or local-only,
- what screen, state, and viewport were inspected,
- what the reference is allowed to influence,
- what must not be copied.

Do not copy proprietary copy, source code, brand marks, distinctive illustration, exact layout compositions, private paths, internal URLs, or asset files into public docs.

## Analysis Sequence

1. **Purpose:** What job does the reference surface help users complete?
2. **Hierarchy:** What is noticed first, second, and third? Which information is intentionally quiet?
3. **Layout:** Grid, alignment, density, scroll rhythm, empty space, grouping, and navigation structure.
4. **Typography:** roles, scale, weight, line height, truncation, label treatment, and reading load.
5. **Color:** semantic roles, contrast, surface depth, data colors, status colors, and focus visibility.
6. **Components:** buttons, inputs, menus, cards, tables, charts, media, modals, toolbars, and repeated patterns.
7. **Interaction:** hover, pressed, selected, loading, error, empty, disabled, drag, keyboard, touch, and reduced-motion behavior.
8. **Content:** wording density, terminology, proof, labels, microcopy, and product evidence.
9. **Risks:** accessibility gaps, performance-heavy media, misleading hierarchy, content overflow, or category mismatch.
10. **Adoption:** reusable principle, local adaptation, verification evidence, and non-goals.

## Adoption Rules

- Adopt a principle only when it solves a local product problem.
- Translate visual ideas into local tokens, components, and states instead of copying exact values.
- Prefer one or two strong reference insights over a large collage of weak similarities.
- Keep reference names and upstream details out of public guidance unless attribution is required and safe.
- If the reference conflicts with the local product type, explain the conflict instead of forcing the style.

## Output Contract

- **Reusable principles:** concise findings that apply locally.
- **Do not copy:** source-specific elements to avoid.
- **Local mapping:** tokens, components, layouts, states, or workflows affected.
- **Evidence:** screenshots, viewports, source locator shape, or runtime report path when available.
- **Verification:** visual, accessibility, responsive, and interaction checks needed before shipping.