Carrier handoffs
Compare the pickup windows for three equal-priority carriers.
- Alder Parcel08:30–09:00Dock 2
- Birch Freight09:00–09:30Dock 4
- Cedar Express09:30–10:00Dock 1
Rule of Balance
Equal-priority peers receive comparable visual allocation.
Requirement
Declare which items have equal priority in the task and which measurable footprint should be comparable. Bound unexplained variation within that group. Unequal priorities can warrant unequal allocation; use DR-013 to state the intended hierarchy rather than forcing equality across the page.
Why
An outsized peer can imply a distinction the task does not intend. A declared allocation relationship makes one source of that mismatch testable. This is a Viewrule composition convention, not a formula for aesthetic balance.
Computationally falsifiable
peer-footprint measures at least two declared items per group using area (axis-aligned border-box width times height in CSS px²) or font-size (each item's computed CSS font size in CSS px). It compares the population standard deviation divided by the mean with maxCoefficientOfVariation. The coefficient is dimensionless. Missing groups, insufficient peers, or unusable measurements cannot establish comparable allocation. Choose the actual label elements for a font-size contract; a card's inherited size cannot establish the size of every descendant. Rendered display: contents labels participate in font-size comparisons; hidden labels do not. Area measurements need box-generating items.
Application
Compare the footprint of equal-role option cards, or the type size of peer values whose importance is intended to be equal. These are separate contracts; a similar card area does not prove similar typographic emphasis.
Exception
Longer content, accessibility needs, selected states, or a higher-priority action can justify a different footprint. Declare or scope that difference explicitly; do not truncate essential evidence to equalize boxes. An asymmetric layout can satisfy this rule. Symmetry itself is never required.
Human judgment
Decide priority, useful exceptions, and acceptable variance. Area and computed font size are proxies, not measurements of perceived salience or visual weight. Contrast, position, imagery, whitespace, optical size, and the task can outweigh these measurements. Passing cannot establish overall balance, hierarchy, or design quality. Measurement reference.
Examples
The pair isolates this rule. A good example is not approval of the entire interface.
Composition, measured in context
One small dispatch task per pair. The same invented data, readable type, and content order; one controlled layout change.
Good for this task
Bad for this task
These authored relationships are measurable; relevance, grouping, priority, and appropriate whitespace remain human judgments. No symmetry or universal aesthetic score is required. Open one variant at 800 × 900 and 1280 × 900 to inspect viewport-growth yield.
Handoff checklist
Review three equally related steps before releasing the queue.
-
1
Confirm pickup windowsCheck the carrier schedule for this shift.
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2
Match dock assignmentsUse the assigned dock for each carrier.
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3
Review the release queueResolve held shipments before handoff.
Release queue
Compare shipment identities and docks; a wider workspace can expose more of the same queue.
- AL-104Alder Parcel · Dock 2
- BI-208Birch Freight · Dock 4
- CE-312Cedar Express · Dock 1
- AL-116Alder Parcel · Dock 2
- BI-220Birch Freight · Dock 4
- CE-324Cedar Express · Dock 1
Carrier coverage
Inspect three equal-priority handoff plans. None is selected or urgent.
Alder Parcel
Dock 2
08:30–09:00Birch Freight
Dock 4
09:00–09:30Cedar Express
Dock 1
09:30–10:00Enforcement
automated is the strongest mechanism Viewrule expects for the complete rule. Partial checks can still provide supporting evidence without proving the whole requirement.