Reviewed by LAB/02 editorial check (AI-assisted)
What should the first set of product screens actually show?
A practical way to choose the screens that explain a digital service, expose the key decision and give your team a usable next step.
AI-generated / AI-editedStart with a decision, not a gallery
The first screen set should help a business make a decision. Do you need to align a team around a new service, test whether a customer can choose an option, or give a developer a clear direction? The answer changes which screens deserve attention.
A page count is not a strategy. Five screens can explain a journey better than fifteen disconnected views when each one represents a meaningful moment: discover, compare, decide, act and recover from an error.
Show the path people need to understand
Choose one primary customer task and map the minimum path through it. Include the context before the decision, the content that makes the choice possible and the confirmation that tells someone what happens next. If a screen exists only because it looks complete, question it.
Include one state that reveals the product’s behaviour when reality is messy. An empty result, unavailable option, validation message or permission request often teaches a team more than another polished success screen. It also gives development a responsibility to design for, rather than an assumption to invent.
Make the design legible to the next team
A useful screen set includes notes about hierarchy, responsive changes, reusable patterns and unresolved questions. It does not need to pretend that every technical decision is finished. Mark what is a design intention, what is a content decision and what needs engineering input.
Check the screens at the smallest viewport that matters, with longer text and keyboard focus in mind. Accessible labels, readable contrast and clear error language are part of the experience definition. A visual file alone does not prove an implementation is accessible, but it can prevent avoidable ambiguity.
End with a deliberate next step
The output of a first screen set is a better conversation. Ask the business owner what can now be decided, ask the delivery team what remains unknown and record which evidence would justify moving to a prototype or build.
LAB/02 Core Screens starts from an indicative EUR 1,500 budget. The right scope depends on the journey, the number of states and the handoff needed. A written proposal defines the screens and responsibilities before any paid work starts.
AI-generated / AI-edited