Research question
Which minimum measures show whether a team can complete a critical communication workflow under control and resume safely after disruption? The question is intentionally narrower than a general product assessment.
Unit of analysis
The unit is one complete workflow from defined start state to confirmed closure. Clicks and message volume are contextual only; correct outcome, time, assistance, failure and safe abort are primary.
- One team with explicit roles
- One critical workflow
- One permitted test-data model
Measurement gates
Gate 1 tests identity and targeted revocation. Gate 2 measures the core workflow as a timeline. Gate 3 adds controlled friction. Gate 4 checks recovery and context integrity. A gate passes only against a pre-defined target.
Evidence matrix
Each finding separates expectation, visible observation, impact, reproducibility and decision. This keeps usability friction distinct from a security-relevant blocker. Average scores must not conceal individual blockers.
Stop criteria
The pilot pauses on ambiguous identity, ineffective revocation, data loss, uncontrolled authorisation or prohibited data. A stop is a successful control point: preserve cause, evidence correction and re-run the gate.
Replication package
A future field study should publish its charter, workflow script, data dictionary, anonymised evidence matrix, analysis logic and deviation log. Without these artefacts results are difficult to compare.