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Frontend UI, Accessibility & CI Standards

Purpose​

These standards define enterprise-grade expectations for frontend quality across UI consistency, accessibility, and continuous integration.

They ensure that frontend implementations are:

  • usable and accessible by default
  • consistent and predictable
  • verifiable through automated quality gates

These standards are intentionally framework- and tooling-agnostic.

Scope​

Applies to:

  • all user-facing interfaces
  • web applications and UI layers
  • client-side builds and CI pipelines

In case of conflict, the Definition of Done remains the final gate.

Core Principles​

  1. Consistency over creativity: predictable UI beats bespoke solutions.
  2. Accessibility is mandatory: not optional or deferred.
  3. Automation over trust: CI enforces quality, not humans.
  4. Separation of concerns: UI, state, and domain logic remain distinct.

UI Standards (Design System Discipline)​

Design System Usage​

  • Follow the agreed design system or UI guidelines defined at project level.
  • Layout, spacing, typography, and components must be used systematically.
  • Ad-hoc styling or one-off patterns are discouraged.

Component Structure​

  • Components should have a single, clear responsibility.
  • Presentation components must not contain domain logic.
  • Shared components must be generic and reusable.

Consistency Rules​

  • Similar interactions must behave consistently across the application.
  • Visual hierarchy must be clear and intentional.
  • Error, loading, and empty states must be handled explicitly.

Accessibility Standards (Enterprise Baseline)​

Accessibility is a baseline requirement for all user-facing features.

Mandatory Requirements​

  • Use semantic markup appropriate to content and structure.
  • All interactive elements must be keyboard accessible.
  • Form inputs must have associated labels.
  • Focus order and focus visibility must be correct.
  • Error messages must be perceivable and understandable.

Interaction and Usability​

  • Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.
  • Avoid unexpected focus changes or navigation traps.
  • Respect reduced-motion and accessibility-related user preferences where applicable.

Testing Expectations​

  • Critical flows must be manually verified for keyboard navigation.
  • Automated accessibility checks may be used as a supplement, not a replacement.

These standards are designed to align with common enterprise and regulatory expectations (e.g. WCAG-based requirements), without embedding legal claims.

Performance and UI Efficiency (Baseline)​

  • Avoid unnecessary re-renders and excessive state updates.
  • Keep expensive operations out of UI render paths.
  • Treat UI performance regressions as quality defects.

CI Quality Gates (Frontend)​

Frontend changes must pass the following automated checks where applicable:

Required Gates​

  • formatting / linting
  • type checking (if applicable)
  • automated tests (unit/component/smoke)
  • production build/package step

CI Discipline​

  • CI failures must block merge.
  • Temporary bypasses must be explicit and justified.
  • New changes must not significantly degrade build or test times.

Documentation Triggers​

Update documentation when:

  • UI behavior or user flows change
  • accessibility-relevant behavior changes
  • new UI patterns or components are introduced

Quality Gates​

A frontend change meets these standards only if:

  • UI follows agreed design system constraints
  • accessibility requirements are satisfied
  • critical flows are testable and verified
  • CI checks pass reliably
  • Definition of Done is satisfied

Anti-Patterns​

  • Styling decisions embedded directly in business logic
  • Inaccessible custom UI components
  • Relying solely on automated accessibility tooling
  • Skipping CI checks "just this once"
  • UI-specific hacks that undermine consistency