BUILT IN THE OPEN
LIBRARY / NOTES / 05 PUBLISHEDLab Notes.
The build log, written as a split: the decision that was on the table, what we did instead, and one real number. Including the calls we later reversed — a note that turned out wrong stays up with the correction attached.
We promised zero cookies. We shipped one, and said so.
Keep the zero-cookie promise from note 002 and stay blind to whether the site works.
→ Shipped Google Analytics — one cookie, denied by default where the law asks, no ad storage anywhere. 1 cookie, 0 ad cookies
We argued for cream. Two months later we shipped the lab dark.
Keep the cream workbench, the way note 003 argued for it in July.
→ Rebuilt the site from the redesign source: dark by default, cream kept as the daylight theme. 2 themes, 1 stylesheet
We almost rebranded the lab dark. We kept it cream.
Rebuild splitfirelabs.com in a bold dark theme, all its own.
→ Kept UXArcade's cream — the boring choice was the brand choice. 1 palette, 2 products
We shipped a site with no cookie banner
Add the usual analytics + a consent banner, like everyone.
→ Set no cookies at all — so there's nothing to consent to. 0 cookies
Three design systems became one workbench
Let each product carry its own bespoke UI kit, like before.
→ Collapsed them into one shared 'cabinet' the next product loads into. 3 → 1