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design
Foundations

Feature discovery

Introduce something new at a moment when the crew has attention to spare, and lead with what it does for them.

On this page
Ask about the tide by voice

Say “bosun, when is high water?” and hear the next tide for this anchorage, without opening the chart.

Try itNot now
A discovery message, shown at anchor with nothing on the board, that leads with what the crew gets.

A discovery message tells the crew about something new or changed: a capability they have not used, or a familiar one that moved. On a vessel, when it appears matters more than what it says. A tip that appears in the middle of a tack, or beside an alarm, is a distraction at the worst moment.

01Pick a quiet momentDiscovery appears only when the vessel is moored or at anchor, and nothing on the board needs attention.
02Lead with the benefitThe title says what the crew can now do, not what the feature is called.
03Once, then goneEach tip appears once. Dismissing it is final, and the crew can find it again in help.

When to show it

ConditionDiscovery
Moored or at anchor, board clearMay appear
UnderwayNever
Any alarm, warning or caution unacknowledgedNever
Night themeNever
Already dismissedNever again

Anatomy

  • Title: what the crew can now do, in a few words. "Ask about the tide by voice", not "New: voice tides".
  • Body: how to use it, with the exact words or the place to tap. One or two sentences.
  • Actions: one to try it now, one to dismiss it.

Voice and tone

Discovery may sound a little more eager than the rest of the interface: it is the one place bosun introduces itself. It stays clear and practical, and it never interrupts.

Do
See tomorrow's wind on the chartDrag the time bar under the chart to see the forecast wind for any hour of tomorrow.
Show meNot now
Lead with what the crew gets, and show exactly how.
Don't
NEW: GRIB Overlay v2!We've released GRIB Overlay v2 with enhanced rendering.
Learn more
Don't announce a feature name. It says nothing about why the crew should care.
Do
Plan tomorrow's passageAsk bosun to plan a passage, and it checks the forecast, the tides and your vessel's limits.
Plan itNot now
Wait for a quiet moment. At anchor with a clear board, a tip is welcome.
Don't
ALARMAnchor drag · 38 m outside swing circle · since 21:02ACK
Did you know?You can change the theme in the status strip!
Don't show discovery beside an alarm. It competes for attention the crew needs elsewhere.

Dismissal and durable help

Keep discovery optional and dismissible. Record dismissal at the scope that owns the preference, and do not reopen the same tip on every navigation. A dismissed tip must not remove access to the feature's ordinary label or help page. Only show an invitation where the feature is available to that reader.

In documentation, explain the feature through a working example with a direct link to its guide. Release notes can introduce a capability; they should not be the only place its ongoing behavior is documented.