Ceramics · browser-local shelf geometry · 2026 · Solo — product framing, test-first geometry, interaction design, accessibility, responsive verification, production deployment
Kiln Orbit
A direct-manipulation kiln-shelf instrument that turns a rough loading sketch into inspectable spacing evidence.
The problem
Studio ceramicists planning a round kiln shelf often work from a paper sketch or arrange ware only at loading time. A sketch can hide a piece that sits too near the shelf edge or another pot, while a successful physical arrangement is hard to reproduce from memory. Kiln Orbit keeps that narrow workflow causal: set a shelf diameter and planning clearance, stage circular ware footprints, drag or keyboard-nudge them on one proportional shelf, inspect the exact nearest-neighbor and edge evidence, then copy the coordinates and verdict as a loading note. It models two-dimensional circles only and does not account for shelves, posts, handles, overhang, heatwork, airflow, clay movement, glaze behavior, or manufacturer-specific spacing; studio judgment and kiln guidance remain the final authority. State is ephemeral and browser-local, with no account, upload, persistence, paid API, tracking SDK, outbound email, advertising, payment, or destructive operation. Production deployment dpl_HHy8x9B6XpdnTcZow9WCo31vshXc reached READY before independent Foundry artifact, HTTPS deploy, and six-step behavior checks passed at the stable alias.
Architecture
Key decisions
Make the shelf the control
The central circle is not decorative pottery imagery. Pointer and keyboard movement, status color, inventory rows, the active inspector, and the copied note all derive from the same tested physical coordinates.
Keep the safety claim narrow
Kiln Orbit reports planar circular clearance and labels itself as planning geometry. It explicitly leaves irregular profiles, kiln furniture, thermal behavior, material movement, and manufacturer guidance outside the model.
Constrain footprints without hiding bad spacing
Movement keeps each complete circular footprint on the shelf, while the selected planning clearance remains a separate visible verdict. Operators can still inspect and repair a near-edge or neighbor violation.
Use an original kiln-room instrument
Warm refractory neutrals, a graphite firing field, cobalt controls, pyrometric orange warnings, Georgia hierarchy, and monospaced dimensions create an industrial Operate surface without gradients, blur, feature tiles, icon toppers, or ornamental metrics.
Let failed gates harden the contract
Current dependency advisories, a resource-bound worker abort, a forbidden local port, a non-violating Golden Path value, delayed verdict timing, and absent prerendered analytics markers all failed honestly before narrow repairs and complete reruns.