UI Refresh Requirements — Communications Department Q&A

Updated: 2026-06-26 · Audited: 2026-06-26 · Work Item: AB#1821 · Prepared: 2026-03-02

Purpose: Determine SDUI architecture approach for DAL/UAL MEC pilot launch.

Confirmed Requirements

Update Frequency

Same-day updates required (within hours) — dynamic content updates via existing services architecture.
Impact: Eliminates app store releases as primary deployment. SDUI or dynamic content system required.

Change Types

All types needed: content, styling, layout structure, navigation, feature flags, A/B testing.
Impact: Layout + navigation changes = Full SDUI architecture required.

Launch Plan

Pilot: 2 MECs (DAL and UAL)
September 2026: Launch deadline
October 2026: Hardening period
Beyond October: Rollout to additional MECs

Offline

Strategy already defined: background sync (download when connected, use cache offline). No new architecture needed.

Backend

Infrastructure planning deferred until architecture finalized. New services deployed to existing or new infrastructure as needed.

Security

HTML content from trusted ALPA sources only. No external sandboxing required.

Outstanding Questions

Q3 — MEC Customization: Layout Differences

Q3.1: How different should each MEC's app experience be?

Answer: Planning for different layouts per MEC. UAL may have a different home screen structure than Delta, etc.

Why this matters:

Identical layout → Simpler SDUI (content + styling only)
Different layouts per MEC → Complex SDUI (full layout rendering)
User-customizable → Most complex (personalization engine)

Impact: Requires full layout rendering engine. Rules out simple content-only or styling-only solutions. JSON SDUI or Blazor Hybrid required.

Q6 — Look & Feel Requirements

Q6.1: How important is visual consistency between iOS and Android?

Critical — Must look identical on both platforms (pixel-perfect)
Important — Should be very similar (minor differences acceptable)
Flexible — Platform-native look is fine

Q6.2: iOS Glass UI / Translucency Effects

iOS design language uses frosted glass, blur effects, and translucency. Options:

Full iOS glass aesthetic — Blur backgrounds, translucent panels, vibrancy effects
Partial glass effects — Some blur/translucency where it makes sense
Flat/solid design — No blur/translucency (easier cross-platform consistency)

Tradeoffs: Full glass UI → Platform-specific (iOS only), premium look. WebView (Blazor Hybrid) → Cannot achieve native glass effects.

Q6.3: Android Material Design 3

Options: Full Material Design 3 (dynamic color, elevated surfaces, Material motion) · Material-inspired · Flat/solid design consistent with iOS. Tradeoff: Blazor Hybrid → Can simulate Material with CSS, but not true native Material.

Q6.4: Platform Design Language Conflict

Full iOS glass + Full Material Design 3 = Different look on each platform. Preferred approach: Platform-native / Unified design / Hybrid (core screens unified, content screens platform-native) / ALPA brand first.

Q6.5: Is a "web-like" experience acceptable for some screens?

WebView-based UI (Blazor Hybrid) enables instant updates but feels more like a website than native app. Cannot achieve native iOS glass effects.

Q6.6: Is a mixed architecture acceptable?

Example: Native UI for performance-critical screens (Flight Finder, FAR 117), WebView for content screens (MEC News, Committee Pages).

Architecture compatibility:

Architecture	Glass/Material Support
FlagstoneUI	Flat/solid design (cross-platform consistency, no iOS glass or Android Material)
JSON SDUI	Can support both iOS glass and Material Design 3 (native rendering with platform-specific handlers)
Blazor Hybrid	Flat/solid only (WebView cannot do native blur/translucency or true Material)
Native XAML	Full iOS glass + full Material Design 3 possible (platform-specific handlers required)

Q7 — Performance Expectations

Q7.1: Acceptable load time per screen type?

Screen Type	Example	Acceptable Load Time
Performance-critical	Flight Finder, FAR 117 Calculator	<200ms / <500ms / <1s
Content screens	MEC News, Committee Pages	<500ms / <1s / <2s
Rarely-used screens	Settings, Profile	<1s / <2s / Don't care

Q7.2: Unacceptable performance issues?

Laggy scrolling / Slow screen transitions (>1s) / Delayed button responses (>200ms tap feedback) / Choppy animations / All of the above.

Impact: Strict performance (<200ms) → Native UI required (rules out Blazor Hybrid). Relaxed for content (1–2s acceptable) → WebView viable.

Q8 — Content Richness

Q8.1: Types of content to display?

Simple text and buttons (current app style)
Rich formatted text (bold, italics, lists, headers)
Embedded media (images, videos, audio)
Interactive elements (polls, forms, quizzes)
HTML content from web CMS (WordPress, SharePoint, etc.)
PDFs and documents (view inline vs download)

Impact: HTML from CMS → WebView required (Blazor Hybrid or WebView component).

Q9 — Risk Tolerance

Q9.1: Priority ranking (Critical / Important / Nice-to-have)?

Scenario	Priority
Updates go live instantly (no app store wait)
Visual consistency across iOS and Android
Native performance (no lag, smooth scrolling)
Stable, proven technology (low risk)

Q9.2: Comfort with experimental approaches?

Experimental technology (FlagstoneUI v0.0.1)
WebView-based UI (Blazor Hybrid) for some screens
Custom-built renderer (JSON SDUI)
Mixed architecture (different tech per screen type)

Architecture Decision Path

Based on confirmed requirements, Full SDUI is required (same-day updates + layout/navigation changes). Remaining questions determine implementation:

If Q3.1 = different layouts per MEC → Need full layout rendering engine
If Q6 = platform-native look OK → JSON SDUI with platform-specific handlers (supports iOS glass + Android Material)
If Q6 = pixel-perfect consistency → FlagstoneUI or Blazor Hybrid (flat/solid design)
If Q6.5 = web-like acceptable for content → Mixed architecture (native + Blazor)
If Q7 = strict performance → Native SDUI only (rules out Blazor for performance screens)
If Q8.1 = HTML from CMS → Blazor Hybrid or WebView components required
If Q9 = stable tech priority → Blazor Hybrid (proven) over FlagstoneUI (v0.0.1)

Prepared by: ALPA Bot · Date: 2026-03-02 · Related: AB#1821