Product redesign

[TGALLOWAY1]

UX principles for the redesign

1. Center workspace should change meaning by mode

Do not keep one static super-layout.

2. Side panels are contextual tools, not permanent furniture

Good instinct on your part.

3. Manual and generated work must coexist cleanly

This is a core product strength.

4. Constraints must be visible

If something is locked, seeded, inherited, or overridden, the user should know.

5. Timeline should become semantically richer

Not just notes — also sections, cues, notes, mapping, fingering.

6. One entity, many views

This is the cure for the inconsistency problem.

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Concrete redesign direction

If I were defining the v2 concept, I would make the workspaces like this:

Compose

Hero: timeline
Left rail default: Sounds
Right rail default: Inspector or Events
Grid: small reference panel
Purpose: build the musical/performance structure

Optimize

Hero: grid
Left rail default: Sounds
Right rail default: Layouts
Bottom or secondary region: candidate gallery + minimized timeline
Purpose: solve and compare layout strategies

Practice

Hero: large timeline + active pad cues
Panels: mostly hidden
Grid: medium-sized synced display
Purpose: rehearse and validate execution

What I would do next

I would define the redesign in this order:

Phase 1 — product/state architecture
• canonical entities
• source of truth
• selectors
• constraints model
• manual override model

Phase 2 — interaction model
• Compose / Optimize / Practice mode definitions
• panel behavior
• default visible tools per mode
• shared actions across modes

Phase 3 — visual design
• icon rails
• panel drawer behavior
• layout composition
• timeline + grid visual redesign