journeys

name: journeys description: "Visitor path evaluation. Traces 3 specific paths through the site and evaluates whether coherence holds across the sequence. Read-only diagnostic." user_invocable: true

Journeys — Atomic Skill

Purpose

Traces 3 specific visitor paths through the site and evaluates whether coherence holds across the sequence. Not "is each page good" but "does the experience build." A page can be individually strong and still break the journey if it doesn't connect to what came before or after.

Read-only diagnostic. No file changes.

Usage

/journeys                # Evaluate all 3 visitor paths

Context

Read

• All published pages (frontmatter + body) — following the actual navigation flow
• _data/navigation.json — sidebar structure that determines click paths
• _data/index.json — homepage content, manifesto, routes, featured artifacts
• contact.md — terminal page
• bio/index.md — bio page
• thinking.md — argument page
• colophon.md — recursive proof page
• Blog posts in _blog/ (if any exist)

Invoke (as needed)

None. Reads pages directly.

Lens Criteria (embedded)

The three journeys below ARE this skill's criteria.

Evaluate

Journey 1: Discovery Path (the stranger)

Route: Homepage → one featured project (first artifact in first route) → tier index → second project → contact

The stranger's path. They found the site via search, a link, or LinkedIn. They know nothing. Does the site earn their next click at every step?

Check at each transition:

• Does the current page create motivation to click deeper?
• Does the next page deliver on what the previous page promised?
• Does voice/tone stay consistent across the sequence?
• Is there a clear "what do I do next?" at each step (even if subtle)?

Journey 2: Deep Dive Path (the curious person)

Route: Blog post (if exists, else homepage) → related project → Governance rabbit hole (Savepoint → Aetherwright → Formwork) → Colophon

The curious person's path. They liked what they saw and want to understand how this person thinks. Does the depth reward them?

Check at each transition:

• Does the Governance trilogy build when read in sequence? (Savepoint → Aetherwright → Formwork should escalate, not repeat)
• Does the Colophon feel like a destination — the reward for going deep?
• Does vocabulary introduced early (drift, scaffold, fidelity) pay off later?
• Is the rabbit hole compelling or does it feel like homework?

Journey 3: Peer Evaluation Path (the hiring manager / collaborator)

Route: Homepage → Bio → Encore (flagship) → Formwork (methodology) → Thinking

The professional's path. They're evaluating whether Peter is someone they want to work with. They need evidence, not vibes.

Check at each transition:

• Does the Bio establish credibility quickly?
• Does Encore prove the range and depth?
• Does Formwork show how Peter thinks about work?
• Does Thinking make the case for the practice?
• Would this sequence make someone want to reach out?

Cross-Journey Check

• Do all three journeys feel like the same site? (Consistent voice, visual identity, vocabulary)
• Are there pages that appear in multiple journeys? Do they serve both paths well?
• Is there a page that SHOULD be in a journey but isn't reachable via natural navigation?
• Walk test: Does each journey arrive at the same world? /the-walk evaluates per-page rooms. Journeys evaluates whether the SEQUENCE of rooms across a path builds coherently. A visitor clicking Homepage → Savepoint → Formwork should feel like they're going deeper into one world, not walking through different shops.

Output

Print in conversation. No file changes. Format:

# Journeys — [GUIDED / COHERENT / DISJOINTED]

## Discovery Path — [GUIDED / COHERENT / DISJOINTED]
**Route:** [actual pages traversed]
**Verdict:** [does the experience build?]
**Weakest transition:** [Page A → Page B] — [why it breaks]
**Friction points:** [where a stranger would bounce]

## Deep Dive Path — [GUIDED / COHERENT / DISJOINTED]
**Route:** [actual pages traversed]
**Verdict:** [does the depth reward?]
**Weakest transition:** [Page A → Page B] — [why it breaks]
**Friction points:** [where curiosity stalls]

## Peer Evaluation Path — [GUIDED / COHERENT / DISJOINTED]
**Route:** [actual pages traversed]
**Verdict:** [does the evidence convince?]
**Weakest transition:** [Page A → Page B] — [why it breaks]
**Friction points:** [where a professional loses confidence]

## Cross-Journey
- **Consistency:** [do all three journeys feel like the same site?]
- **Shared pages:** [pages in multiple journeys — do they serve both?]
- **Navigation gaps:** [pages that should be reachable but aren't]

Direction (if not all passing)

For each DISJOINTED or COHERENT journey:

• Which specific transition is weakest (with evidence from the page content)
• What's missing at the transition point (a hook, a connection, a tonal bridge)
• Which file(s) to modify to fix the transition
• What the transition should feel like after the fix

Called By

• /full-pass run — parallel arm (independent, no data dependencies)
• Standalone — usable anytime