No trace line on the game board
The lit tiles already carry the word, so the line drawn over them goes. The name board is the one exception.
Context
While tracing, the board drew a line through the selected tiles on top of lighting them. Two signals for one thing, on the busiest part of the screen, during the part of the game where every glance counts.
Options
| Option | Why it lost |
|---|---|
| Keep the line and the lit tiles | Redundant; the line sits on the letters the player is trying to read |
| Line only, no lit tiles | The line is thin and hard to see at speed; tiles are the identity |
| Lit tiles only; feedback in the pill | Chosen |
Decision
The game board hides the trace line (3.12). The filled tiles carry the word, and the verdict lives in the word pill above the board. The name board on Home keeps its line (3.14.1): its letters recede instead of lighting up, so there the line does real work, showing the letters are one path and hinting that the board can be swiped.
Evidence
Reasoning: one signal per job (principles 02 and 04). The line is still drawn in the code; one CSS rule hides it, so the decision can be reversed in one place.
Consequences
- All feedback is in one place, the pill, so the eye never checks two spots mid-round.
- The logo's own hook shape is the one place a trace is always visible, which keeps the trace special.