Choose primary sans typeface for Dataface

Problem

Evaluate candidate sans typefaces for Dataface UI and chart surfaces, choose a primary family, and capture the decision rationale.

Context

• Dataface needed a primary sans-serif typeface for UI chrome, charts, tables, dashboards, and other data-dense product surfaces.
• The evaluation compared realistic chart and table specimens rather than alphabet sheets so numerals, labels, and small-size behavior could be judged in context.
• Inter and Source Sans 3 emerged as the leading candidates.
• The final decision and rationale are recorded in ai_notes/considerations/INTER_AS_PRIMARY_SANS.md.

Possible Solutions

• Recommended: Choose Inter as the primary sans-serif family. Trade-offs: strongest all-around choice for compact UI, chart labels, tables, and numeric control; slightly more technical and assertive than Source Sans 3.
• Choose Source Sans 3 as the primary sans-serif family. Trade-offs: warmer and more text-oriented tone, but lower implementation confidence for chart-oriented numeric feature control.
• Defer the decision and continue with the current default stack. Trade-offs: avoids locking in a choice, but keeps Dataface visually inconsistent and slows implementation of typography defaults.

Plan

• Compare leading candidates in realistic chart, KPI, and table specimens.
• Evaluate aesthetic fit, legibility, numeric behavior, implementation practicality, and licensing.
• Record the winning decision in an internal note rather than preserving exploratory materials in public docs.
• Create a follow-on task for the serif companion typeface.

Implementation Progress

• Evaluated candidate families with specimen pages focused on dashboards, tables, and numeral behavior.
• Chose Inter as the primary sans-serif typeface for Dataface.
• Removed exploratory typography and specimen pages from the docs surface after the decision was made.
• Added ai_notes/considerations/INTER_AS_PRIMARY_SANS.md to capture the rationale and implementation guidance.
• Created a follow-on task to choose a serif companion for narrative headlines and selected annotation labels.

QA Exploration

• N/A. This task is a design decision and documentation/planning update rather than a product feature change.
• [x] QA exploration completed (or N/A for non-UI tasks)

Review Feedback

• Decision captured in an internal note instead of public docs so the repo keeps durable guidance separate from exploratory evaluation artifacts.
• Serif selection intentionally deferred to a separate task.
• [x] Review cleared