Decide where the work belongs
Name the navigation cost
Describe what a person expects from the indicator and what the destination actually contains. Compare unread notifications, grouped items, and unrelated metrics. Keep an empty badge state separate from a missing badge state.
Compare meaning fixes
Set text label, icon name, count rule, grouped summary, navigation destination, and no-badge behavior beside one another. Consider users who disable visual badging. Prefer a semantic correction that preserves the underlying notification list.
Choose a bounded move
Record shell location, count source, owner, and revisit evidence. Decide whether to change copy, accessible name, count definition, or destination. Preserve a zero and nonzero control for comparison. State what a person should infer before opening it. Tie the queue choice to one observed navigation mistake.
What to carry forward
Prioritize badge work where meaning confusion causes missed or unnecessary navigation. The decision should name count and destination semantics. If the indicator is clear but stale, queue count synchronization separately from a shell redesign. Name the next observable state change.
Technical background: W3C guidance.
Keep the decision with the work.
Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.
Create an account See the product workflow