A pipeline separates art pieces from maintainable products
Immersive sites become one-offs: design loves them, eng fears edits, marketing cannot change copy. Production means treating WebGL/heavy motion as modules with fallbacks—not the only site shape. We lock narrative beats in discovery and guard releases with performance gates. Below: prototype-to-maintenance pipeline. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Narrative beats before tech choice
Write what each screen communicates and what users do. Tech (Three.js, video, CSS) serves beats. Tech demos without beats stay out of production scope. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement.
Asset pipeline and weight budgets
Compression standards for models/textures/audio; naming and versions; CDN caching. Over budget means reduce or redesign. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Device and input tiers
Full desktop, simplified mobile, static low-end. Test touch and keyboard paths. Sample thermal throttling cases. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Fallback is product, not failure
WebGL failure, reduced-motion, and weak networks get readable versions. SEO needs indexable text equivalents. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Content updateability
Copy and hotspots configurable—avoid full rebuilds for one sentence. Split CMS/config permissions. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Release gates
LCP/INP thresholds, error rate, memory samples. Real-device staging matrix. Client preference does not override failed gates. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Maintenance in the contract
Who owns major browser breaks, asset swaps, campaign skins. Immersive work without maintenance rots fast. Fold this into KSX discover→design→build→launch checks on staging so verbal alignment does not drop the requirement. Fold this into KSX Studio discover→design→build→launch: named owner, Definition of Done, staging proof, and rollback so verbal alignment does not drift.
Checklist
- 1Signed narrative beat doc
- 2Asset compression + weight budget table
- 3Three device experience tiers defined
- 4Fallback + SEO text equivalents ready
- 5Real-device performance gates passed
Key takeaways
- Shipability hinges on fallbacks and maintainability.
- Beats drive tech—not the reverse.
- Gates protect brand and engineering teams.
FAQ
- All video instead?
- Sometimes stabler; watch weight, captions, SEO, a11y. Hotspots still need a plan.
- Is WebGL required?
- No. Many narratives hit goals with high-quality 2D/CSS/video.
- How to price?
- Price by beat complexity, assets, device matrix, maintenance—not one cool-site lump sum.