# Product for Designers: Decision Cards

> Make interface decisions you can defend in any design review.

Short, rule-shaped decision cards for product designers by Alex Dovhyi. Each card names a common interface decision, gives the rule, when to use each option, the numbers that settle it, a sentence to defend it in review, and the case where it flips. Every card is also available as markdown, and all of them together at https://productfordesigners.com/llms-full.txt.

## Cards

- [Tabs or Sidebar](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/tabs-sidebar.md): Persistent navigation is for destinations users switch between. Everything else is a link.
- [Skeleton or Spinner](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/skeleton-spinner.md): Match the loading treatment to the wait: nothing under a beat, structure for seconds, progress for longer.
- [Undo or Confirm](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/undo-confirm.md): Prefer undo to confirmation. Confirm only what can’t be undone, and name the consequence in the button.
- [Primary or Secondary](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/primary-secondary.md): One primary action per view. Everything else steps back, and destructive actions look destructive.
- [Ask or Default](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/ask-default.md): Don’t ask what you can infer. Default to what most people would choose, as long as it’s safe.
- [Suggestions or Results](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/suggestions-results.md): Once the query means something, show the thing, not a guess at the question.
- [Optimistic or Wait](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/optimistic-wait.md): Show success instantly when failure is rare and cheap. Wait when money, other people, or permanence is involved.
- [Modal, Panel, or Page](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/modal-panel-page.md): Choose the container by what the user needs to see while they work.
- [Table or Cards](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/table-cards.md): Tables for comparing values across items. Cards for judging items by what they look like.
- [Toggle or Checkbox](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/toggle-checkbox.md): Toggles act immediately. Checkboxes wait for a submit.
- [Inline or Summary](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/inline-summary.md): Say what happened and how to fix it, next to where it happened, without losing anyone’s work.
- [Breadcrumbs or Back](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/breadcrumbs-back.md): Breadcrumbs show where you are. Back shows where you were. Deep hierarchies need both.
- [Autosave or Save](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/autosave-save.md): Save automatically when every edit is safe to keep. Ask for Save when changes must land together or affect others.
- [Comfortable or Compact](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/comfortable-compact.md): Comparison wants density. Decisions want room.
- [Radio or Dropdown](https://productfordesigners.com/cards/radio-dropdown.md): Show the options when there are few and they need comparing. Collapse them when there are many and people know their answer.