Every question, and what it builds.

What is the business called?

The name becomes the title, the logo lockup, and the browser tab.

Example: North Pier Cafe, Ada Electrical.

Builds: Homepage title, Header wordmark, JSON-LD name.

What kind of business is it?

The next questions change with the work. A cafe is not a plumbing company.

Example: Restaurant, Trades.

Choices include Restaurant, Trades, Shop, Professional service, Nonprofit, Creator, Something else. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Page map, Feature set, Which events are even possible.

Where are you, and where do customers come from?

A city we invent would be a lie on the page and in search.

Example: One shop in town, Three counties, no storefront.

Builds: Visit page, Service-area pages, Local SEO only where you said.

Who is the site for?

The homepage talks to that person, and ignores everyone else.

Example: Neighbors booking dinner, Homeowners with a broken panel.

Builds: Headline, Calls to action, What we leave off the page.

What should a visitor be able to do?

Each goal becomes a button and, later, an event we can count.

Example: Call the shop, Ask for a quote.

Choices include Call, Book, Buy online, Ask for a quote, Read and understand, Visit in person. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Primary call to action, Form or phone link, Conversion events.

Who do customers compare you with?

We use this to see what the page must make obvious. We do not name them on your site.

Example: The other cafe on the block, Two regional contractors.

Builds: Homepage contrast, What not to claim.

How should the site sound?

Tone decides the headline before any color is chosen.

Example: Warm, Direct.

Choices include Warm, Direct, Formal, Playful. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Homepage headline, Button labels, Empty and error text.

Do you already have colors?

Color is a token set, not a mood board we invent later.

Example: Warm neutrals, Deep and calm.

Choices include Keep what we have, Warm neutrals, Deep and calm, Bright and clear. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Design tokens, Light and dark theme, Contrast check.

What should sit in the header?

A missing logo should not block the rest of the site.

Example: We have a logo, A wordmark is enough.

Choices include We have a logo, We need a logo, A wordmark is enough. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Header, Social preview, Favicon.

Any preference for type?

Type is loaded on purpose. One pair, with fallbacks, so the page stays fast.

Example: Clean sans, Classic serif.

Choices include Clean sans, Classic serif, You pick. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Font files, Fallback stack, Heading and body styles.

Which pages do you need?

The sitemap is the build. A page that is not listed does not get designed.

Example: Home, Menu, Visit, Home, Services, Request a quote.

Choices include Home, Menu, Hours and visit, Reservations, Catering, Services, Service areas, Request a quote, Products, Mission, Get involved, Events, Work, About, Contact, Notes. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Routes, Navigation, XML sitemap.

What are the hours, even roughly?

Asked when the business is Restaurant

Hours are a fact. If you are unsure, we leave a placeholder you approve.

Example: Tue to Sun, 8 to 2, Closed Mondays.

Builds: Hours block, Visit page, Holiday banner later.

Which towns or neighborhoods do you serve?

Asked when the business is Trades

A trades site ranks and routes by place. We only list places you named.

Example: The city and two suburbs, Anywhere within 40 minutes.

Builds: Service-area pages, Quote form place field, Local titles.

What content do you already have?

We do not pretend photos or paragraphs exist when they do not.

Example: Photos only, Starting from scratch.

Choices include Copy and photos, Photos only, Notes only, Starting from scratch. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Content inventory, What the studio writes, What you supply.

What does the site need to do?

A feature we do not list is out of scope until you add it.

Example: Menu and reservations, Quote request and service areas.

Choices include Menu, Hours, Reservations, Catering, Service areas, Quote request, Contact form, Photo gallery, Blog, Booking, Online shop, Personalization, More than one language. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Components, Forms, What we refuse to bolt on.

What should the site connect to?

Each connection is a line in the scope. None is a fine answer.

Example: Email on the form, A calendar for bookings.

Choices include Card payments, A calendar, A CRM, An email list, None yet. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Form delivery, Payment or calendar scope, What stays manual.

How do you want visits measured?

Measurement is designed with the page, the way this site ships GA4.

Example: GA4, Not sure.

Choices include GA4, Not sure, No analytics yet. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: GA4 tag, Consent gate, No tag you did not ask for.

What should count as a win?

We name the event before launch, and we do not count an action the site cannot do.

Example: A form sent, A phone call.

Choices include Phone calls, Form submissions, Booking requests, Purchases. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Conversion events, GA4 lead event, What we will not invent.

When may analytics run?

Black Box Personalization and this site treat consent as a product decision.

Example: Ask before any analytics.

Choices include Ask before any analytics, Analytics can run without a prompt. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Consent banner, Tag fires only after a yes.

What do people type when they look for you?

Titles and headings use those words. We do not invent rankings.

Example: breakfast near the pier, emergency electrician.

Builds: Title tags, H1, No fake rank claims.

Which places should search titles mention?

A place in the title is a promise you serve it.

Example: One city, The towns from the service area.

Builds: Title tags, Local landing pages, JSON-LD areaServed.

Do you have a domain name?

Launch connects the name on Vercel. You do not need to know DNS.

Example: Yes, at the registrar, Not yet.

Choices include Yes, and I know where it lives, Yes, but I am not sure where, No domain yet. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Vercel domain, Redirects, Studio connects it.

Is email already on that domain?

The form can mail you either way. We will not assume an inbox exists.

Example: Yes, Not yet.

Choices include Yes, Not yet, Not sure. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Form recipient, DNS left alone if mail already works.

Who may approve a change before it goes live?

Nothing publishes on the bot’s word. Someone you name is the gate.

Example: Only me, Me and one teammate.

Choices include Only me, Me and one teammate, The studio may approve small copy fixes. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Approval step, Who the studio calls, Rollback owner.

What may the bot draft?

Guardrails are a list, not a vibe. Prices stay put unless you allow them.

Example: Copy and photos, New pages.

Choices include Copy, Photos, Prices, New pages, Menus or services. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Agent permissions, What still needs a person.

Where do you want to talk to the bot?

The day-to-day interface is a channel you already use.

Example: Chat on the site, Email.

Choices include Chat on the site, Email, SMS. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Chat widget, Email or SMS handoff, Studio backup.

What accessibility bar should we build to?

Both Black Box sites are built toward WCAG 2.2 AA. That is the default.

Example: WCAG 2.2 AA.

Choices include WCAG 2.2 AA, WCAG 2.2 AA, plus a plain-language pass. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Semantic HTML, Keyboard access, Contrast, Focus states.

When do you want to start?

A date changes the sequence. It is not a promise until the scope is signed.

Example: This quarter, No fixed date.

Choices include As soon as the scope is agreed, About a month, This quarter, No fixed date. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Schedule in the written scope.

What budget are you bringing?

These are your bands, not our prices. A written price comes after a working session.

Example: I do not have a number yet.

Choices include Under $8,000, $8,000 to $20,000, $20,000 to $50,000, Over $50,000, I do not have a number yet. The chat narrows these when the industry is known.

Builds: Whether the scope can fit, What gets cut first.

What is your name?

We need a person to reply to. The blueprint is not a project until you send it.

Example: Ada Cole.

Builds: Reply, Approval contact.

What email should we use?

The blueprint stays in this browser until you send it to that address.

Example: ada@example.com.

Builds: Reply-to, Form recipient later.