Beacon

#Anatomy

1. 1RegionThe view the beacons watch: a document, a list, a map.
2. 2BeaconAt the edge where the flags are: the most urgent one in words, and how many lie that way.
3. 3FlagThe flagged item, with what needs you and when.

#When to use

• In long documents and lists where the model flags items people can’t all see: lease reviews, rent rolls, due diligence.
• When order matters. The beacon names the most urgent item, so the first tap goes to the right place.
• Not for flags already in view. A flag on screen needs no beacon.

#Behaviour

Beacons sort by urgency, not position. An overdue clause comes before a nearer one due in nine days.

#Best practices

• Name the most urgent item and when it is due: “Break notice due in 3 days”.
• Count the flags that lie that way instead of stacking a beacon per flag.
• Pulse once for a new flag, then rest. A beacon that keeps pulsing stops being read.
• Use ochre for what needs a person, and keep pigment for what the model wrote.

#Accessibility

• Each beacon is a button named for where it goes and how many it counts: “Go to §14, Insurance certificate overdue. 2 flagged below.”
• Going there moves the view and announces the item. Under Still, the view jumps without scrolling.
• The document is a labelled, focusable list, so a keyboard can scroll it.
• Each flag says what and when in text; the ochre bar is never the only signal.

#Specifications

Beacon

40 pt ink pill, 8 pt from the edge

Dot

9 pt ochre

Flag

3 pt ochre bar and a mono label

Pulse

One beat; none under Still