Behavior Spec
A structured template for stating a feature as a behavior rather than an interaction: trigger, inputs, confidence, system action, user control, visibility, correction, backoff.
What event, condition, or moment prompts the system to act, and on whose authority?
What information, signals, or context does the behavior depend on?
How certain must the system be before acting? What threshold is the line, and where does it stop?
What does the system do, propose, prepare, hide, or refuse — concretely, in the user's experience?
Where can the user steer, override, decline, or constrain the behavior in advance and in the moment?
What does the user see about the system's state, reasoning, and confidence at the moment the action lands?
How does the user correct a wrong behavior, and what does the system do with the correction?
When and how does the system stop acting — temporarily, durably, or globally — when it should not?
What it helps you see
It exposes the questions or checks that need to be answered before the product behavior can be trusted.
How to use it
Fill the eight slots for one feature. The output is a behavior spec the team can argue against — concrete enough that disagreement lands on a slot, not on a vibe.
Use it when
Use this when a product question in Designing Behavior, Not Just Interaction needs structure before it becomes a screen, roadmap item, or portfolio claim.
Practice prompt
Choose a real product, project, or career decision and answer the framework's items in order. Carry forward the answer that changes the next move.
Source chapter
This framework was authored in Designing Behavior, Not Just Interaction. Read the chapter for the full argument and the worked examples that produced this shape.