# 019 — Recurrence

## Problem Situation

People experiencing recurring disturbances (noise, service outages, pain episodes, neighbor issues) can't prove the pattern to authorities. Each incident is treated as isolated. You know it happens every Friday night, but all you have is a mental log or a scattered list of dates. Authorities say "we can't act on a one-time thing" — but it's not one time. It's a rhythm. You just can't show it.

## What Was Built

A temporal pattern instrument: a 7-day × 24-hour grid where you log incidents by clicking time slots. Cells glow amber with frequency — the more incidents at a given slot, the brighter it burns. Over time, the recurring pattern becomes visually undeniable. Below the grid: automatic analysis showing total incidents, peak day, peak window (with midnight wraparound), and pattern regularity percentage. When regularity exceeds 50%, a pattern statement generates: "This indicates a recurring disturbance, not isolated incidents."

## Why This Form

The problem is temporal — incidents happen at specific times on specific days, and the repetition is the signal. A week × hour grid is the native representation of weekly rhythmic patterns. Unlike a log or timeline (which is linear and requires reading), the grid shows the pattern at a glance. The accumulation of incidents in the same cells IS the proof. The form does the work of compression — 30 scattered entries become one visible cluster.

## What Is Actually Interesting

The shift from "I feel like it's every weekend" to "I can see it's every weekend." Individual incidents are noise; the grid reveals the signal. The warm amber glow creates an emotional weight — dark cells feel peaceful, bright cells feel alarming. The pattern statement at the bottom translates the visual into language that works in a complaint or escalation. This isn't about tracking — it's about evidence.

## Iterations

No v1.1. Fixed midnight wraparound in peak window display. Core move is clean.

## Next Step

Add week-over-week tracking with a timeline slider, so you can see patterns emerging over 4-8 weeks rather than a single aggregate. Also: export the pattern as a PDF evidence report with timestamps and the generated pattern statement.

## Art Direction

Dark editorial with warm amber accent for incident intensity. Monochrome grid becomes alive through accumulation. Geist for readouts, JetBrains Mono for labels. The warmth of the amber against the dark background creates urgency without panic — appropriate for evidence, not alarm.

## Promotion Candidate Read

Not yet. The core move is clean but the instrument is currently aggregated — you can't see WHEN patterns formed or how they evolved over time. Adding temporal depth (week-by-week) would transform it from a snapshot into a timeline of evidence. The form is right but needs operational depth to graduate.
