Principlev1
Design behavioral systems with explicit fallback modes for
Design behavioral systems with explicit fallback modes for predictable categories of disruption rather than assuming stable conditions will persist.
Why This Is a Principle
This is a principle derived from multiple axioms about cognitive limits and system behavior. Working Memory Capacity Limit (working memory limits), Exponential Information Decay (memory decay), and Directed Attention as Depletable Resource (cognitive resource depletion) establish that humans operate under architectural constraints that worsen during disruption. The behavior of a system arises from its structure, not from (system behavior arises from structure) grounds the design prescription. The principle is actionable (design with fallback modes), general (applies to any behavioral system), and prescriptive rather than descriptive.