strict old-skill vs new-skill comparison

ui-polish · same task A

Wave theme: rest-anchor undercurve tuck. Old keeps the same grouped home lens softly focused under Quiet, but the inner-right lip of the lower bowl still reads a little too open toward Studio. New keeps the same grouped field, same Quiet home state, and same undercurve character while tucking the inner-right lip a little more back into Quiet itself.

Method. Old side is the real pre-update output from the previous wave. Then ui-polish was updated, and the same task A was rerun to produce the new side. This is a strict old-vs-new comparison for the same panel brief.

Focus on Quiet at rest and then hover Studio Mode. The new side should keep the same undercurve-focus character while making the lower scoop feel less open toward Studio and more tucked around Quiet.

Old · rest-anchor undercurve focus

Same grouped field, same Quiet home state, same lower scoop — but the inner-right lip still opens a little toward Studio.

New · rest-anchor undercurve tuck

Same grouped field and home lens, but the inner-right lip tucks back toward Quiet instead of reading open to the next value.

Borrowed evidence. Anthropic frontend-design: Choose a clear conceptual direction and execute it with precision. and the key is intentionality, not intensity. Apple WWDC25 Meet Liquid Glass: where the transparent liquid lens can be seen through, to precisely observe the value underneath it., and singular floating plane. Apple WWDC25 Elevate the design of your iPad app: the highlight bends and refracts its underlying elements and to indicate which button is currently selected. Apple HIG Materials: creates a sense of depth, layering, and hierarchy between foreground and background elements. shadcn/ui ToggleGroup: keep one grouped field instead of a detached active object.