Pre-implementation review · 27 October 2026
NOVA is a private messenger built on five principles: privacy, speed, simplicity, intelligence and beauty. This canvas is the design contract — identity, tokens, components, twelve screens plus the Arabic mirror, and the motion between them.
00 · Principles
Each principle has a test and a refusal. If a feature cannot pass the test, it does not ship — regardless of what competitors do.
E2EE everywhere, handle-first identity, no contact graph on the server. Test: zero plaintext in any log.
Optimistic send in under 16ms, no spinners on cached data. Test: cold start p95 < 700ms.
Four tabs, one primary action per screen, settings that read as sentences. Test: the one-job rule.
AI on the device first, cited, reversible, never speaking as you. Test: every answer has a source.
Continuous corners, optical alignment, one accent per viewport. Test: review at 100%, not at 60%.
01 · Identity
A four-point star drawn from two intersecting curves, with a 0.5× clear space. It reads at 16pt, survives a favicon, and has no competitor silhouette. The gradient appears only in the app icon; everywhere else the mark is a single colour.
02 · Colour
Two themes, designed separately. Blue is the action colour, violet means “this is not ordinary” — AI, secret chats, vault. Every value below was measured against WCAG 2.2, not estimated.
| Pair | Ratio | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| F4F5F7 on 09090B | 18.24:1 | AAA |
| A1A5B0 on 09090B | 8.08:1 | AAA |
| 82869A on 09090B | 5.52:1 | AA |
| FFFFFF on 3D63DB (button fill) | 5.24:1 | AA |
| FFFFFF on 4F7CFF | 3.71:1 | Large text only |
| 2F55C8 on FFFFFF (light ink) | 6.45:1 | AA+ |
That last finding is why filled buttons use blue.600 while blue.500 stays the icon and selected-state colour. Brand hex everywhere would have failed AA on every button label.
03 · Typography
04 · Space, shape, icons
Bubbles are 22pt with a 6pt origin corner and no tail. It is the single most recognisable shape in the product.
05 · Components
A component is not finished until it has been designed in default, focused, pressed, loading, empty, error, offline, disabled, permission-denied, long-text, RTL and 310% type. Shown here in dark; every one has a light counterpart.
Available. This is how people find you.
The signed agreement [1] and the cost schedule [2] were shared on 12 Sep.
Verified since March
3 devices · key rotated 12 days ago
06 · High-fidelity screens
Rendered at 390 × 844 in the real token system. Dark is the reference build; the light theme is designed rather than inverted; the last frame is the Arabic mirror. Every screen does one job and offers one primary action.
Private by default.
Yours by design.
End-to-end encrypted · no ads · your number stays private
This is how people find you.
Your phone number stays private.
Available · 1 change every 30 days
Inner orbit
Contract_v4_final.pdf · 3.4 MB
Daniel: Voice room in ten minutes
Active
Today · 20:58
Signed version — clause 7, page 12.
Today · 20:58
Signed version — clause 7, page 12.
The signed supplier agreement [1] and the cost schedule [2] were shared on 12 September. Only the agreement was countersigned.
Documents · 3
Aisha sent the signed supplier agreement on 12 September and asked for notes on clause 7 by tonight. She will be awake until midnight.
Sources [1] 12 Sep · [2] 21:04 · model nova-sum-3b · on device
4,214 members · 12 online · Muscat
Upcoming
“Start here: how we critique, how we credit, how we disagree.”
Critique week starts Monday. Post one unfinished screen — not a portfolio piece.
Our September archive is live: 312 screens, 41 critique notes, one very good argument about corner radii.
Stage tonight: bring a flow you are stuck on. 24 seats, cameras optional.
Live now
Recent
“Contracts by day, oud by night.”
Privacy
Security
Secret chat · separate keys · no backup · no forwarding
Screenshots are still possible. We will tell you if one is taken.
المدار القريب
العقد_النهائي.pdf · ٣٫٤ ميجابايت
النشِط
07 · Motion
Springs are specified as response/damping pairs so SwiftUI and Compose produce the same feel. Nothing exceeds 420ms; feedback is capped at 180ms. Every transition has a reduced-motion counterpart.
Ask NOVA
Summarise · on this device
| Interaction | Spring / curve | Duration | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receive message | spring .34 / .82 | 340ms | Translate 12→0, fade in |
| Open conversation | spring .38 / .86 | 380ms | Shared avatar and name |
| Tab switch | ease-out | 220ms | 4pt slide, no scale |
| Long-press menu | spring .30 / .80 | 200ms | Blur 0→12, row dims to 92% |
| AI shimmer | linear loop | 1.6s | Stops instantly on completion |
| Reduce motion | cross-fade | 120–160ms | Position changes instantly |
08 · Handoff
No production code has been written. These are the six decisions that unlock the build, followed by the design QA gate that every future screen must pass.