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Standardize Domain Naming: Tool to Option, Score to Rating

  • Status: accepted
  • Deciders: eitah
  • Date: 2026-02-18

Technical Story: 1106683 - Standardize event types: rename Tool -> Option, Score -> Rating (#6)

Context and Problem Statement​

The component was originally extracted from a project comparing software tools, so the domain language used "Tool" for columns and "Score" for cell values. As the component generalized to any decision matrix, these names became misleading. A Pugh matrix compares "Options" and assigns "Ratings", not "Tools" and "Scores."

Decision Drivers​

  • Align with standard Pugh matrix terminology
  • "Rating" conveys subjectivity better than "Score" (ratings are opinions, scores feel objective)
  • Consistency across types, events, store actions, CSS classes, and UI text

Considered Options​

  • Keep "Tool" and "Score" (status quo)
  • Rename to "Option" and "Rating" (standard Pugh terminology)
  • Rename to "Alternative" and "Assessment"

Decision Outcome​

Chosen option: "Rename to Option and Rating", because these are the standard terms in Pugh matrix literature. The rename was comprehensive: TypeScript types, event names (ToolAdded -> OptionAdded, ScoreAssigned -> RatingAssigned), Zustand store actions, CSS class names, and all UI-facing text.

Positive Consequences​

  • Domain language now matches Pugh matrix literature
  • "Rating" sets correct user expectations (subjective assessment)
  • Consistent naming across all layers of the codebase

Negative Consequences​

  • Breaking change for stored events: old ToolAdded events are not understood by the new projectEvents() function (mitigated by ADR-0012)
  • Required a comprehensive codebase-wide rename