Architecture: Establish Design Principles and Architectural Documentation Framework

[fxstein]

Summary

Establish a comprehensive architecture and design principles framework for the GoProX project to ensure consistency, maintainability, and user experience across all components and future development.

Motivation

As GoProX grows with multiple features, scripts, and components, we need a clear architectural foundation to:

• Ensure consistent design patterns across all project components
• Guide decision-making for new features and implementations
• Maintain simplicity and user experience as the project scales
• Provide clear guidelines for contributors and maintainers
• Document architectural decisions for future reference

Requirements

1. Design Principles Documentation

• Create and maintain docs/architecture/DESIGN_PRINCIPLES.md as the canonical source for architectural decisions
• Document core principles including:
  • Simplicity First: Design for non-expert users with intuitive interfaces
  • Consistent Parameter Processing: All scripts must use zparseopts for option parsing
  • Human-Readable Configuration: Simple key=value pairs with examples as comments
  • Progressive Enhancement: Core functionality works with minimal configuration
  • Platform Consistency: Maintain consistent behavior across supported platforms
  • Error Handling and Recovery: Clear, actionable error messages
  • Documentation-Driven Development: Document decisions as they are made

2. Architectural Decision Records (ADRs)

• Establish a process for recording significant architectural decisions
• Create template for ADRs in docs/architecture/adr-template.md
• Document decisions that establish new patterns, affect multiple components, or set precedents

3. Component Architecture Guidelines

• Define standards for script structure, error handling, logging, configuration management, testing, and documentation

4. Integration with Development Process

• Update AI Instructions to reference design principles
• Establish review process for architectural decisions
• Create checklists for new component development

Acceptance Criteria

• Design Principles document is created and comprehensive
• AI Instructions updated to reference design principles
• ADR template and process established
• All existing scripts reviewed for compliance with principles
• Development checklist created for new components
• Documentation updated to reflect architectural standards

Benefits

• Consistency: All components follow the same design patterns
• Maintainability: Clear guidelines reduce technical debt
• User Experience: Simplicity-first approach benefits all users
• Developer Experience: Clear patterns reduce cognitive load
• Scalability: Architectural foundation supports project growth

Reference

• Current Design Principles: docs/architecture/DESIGN_PRINCIPLES.md
• AI Instructions: AI_INSTRUCTIONS.md
• Related Issues: Repository Cleanup and Organization #66 (Repository Cleanup), Enhanced default behavior: Automatic GoPro SD card detection and firmware management #67 (Enhanced Default Behavior), Enhancement: AI Instructions Tracking and Evolution #68 (AI Instructions Tracking)