improve-existing-websitelisted

# Improve Existing Website Improve what is weak without sanding away what makes the product recognizable. Existing work contains both signal and drift; evidence decides which is which. ## 1. Inspect the product people actually use Open the rendered priority path before prescribing. Trace entry, decision, action, and recovery at wide and narrow widths. Then inspect source hierarchy, tokens, repeated components, content, analytics or user evidence supplied in scope, and business cues. Label what you can point to **EVIDENCE**. Label every interpretation **INFERRED**. A direct observation is “the primary action changes label across three screens”; “the brand values warmth” is inferred unless the brief or product evidence says so. **Done when:** the priority path, recurring system choices, and highest-cost failures are observable rather than guessed. ## 2. Separate identity from drift Record signals worth preserving: distinctive type, color relationships, interaction patterns, content voice, layout logic, or customer-recognizable assets. Classify each candidate change: | Class | Meaning | Authority | | --- | --- | --- | | **Preserve** | coherent, repeated, brief-supported identity | repair defects without replacing the signal | | **Normalize** | accidental variation against an established pattern | safe to align when evidence is strong | | **Approval needed** | a new hierarchy, palette, voice, or material redesign | show the choice and wait for owner agreement | Use `refe