Design - Scoping & Estimation (Internal)

Never client-facing. The unit each step is sized in, its S/M/L/XL bands, and the role mix - one section per step, in step order. Hours per step per tier are in the effort model; the tier model and prices in productisation.md. Bands and tiers are defined in depth.md.

3.1 Visual System

Unit: designed surfaces (templates + major variants + set pieces) × the ambition band. This step carries the surface ladder - the whole of it, less the validation share costed in 3.2.

Band	Surfaces
S	≤5
M	6–12
L	13–25
XL	26+

Component counts do not price. Components are extracted from surface design; the library's formalisation (variants, tokens, documentation) is the separable design system line on the estimate, not a per-component rate. A per-component model was tried and rejected - see calibration flag 1 in the effort model.

Role mix: design mid produces tokens, components, templates and the library; principal owns art direction, reviews each batch, and leads the presentation. Hours in the effort model.

3.2 Experience Design

Unit: the validation share of the chapter's designed surfaces - the flows, interaction specification, prototype assembly, and the walkthrough loop. Production sits in 3.1.

The ambition band barely moves this step. No surfaces are produced here, so a Premium project's extra cost is already spent in 3.1. What drives 3.2 is size (how many surfaces there are to wire and walk) and behavioural complexity (user types, conditional flows, authenticated areas).

Design-phase user testing is size-driven, not band-driven: mandatory at L and XL, a priced addition below.

Role mix: design mid produces flows and the prototype; principal leads the walkthrough and runs testing sessions. Hours in the effort model.