Weekday Space or Notes Space? A Page-Use Mockup Before a Custom Diary Layout

A custom diary customer often says, "I want lots of space for notes, but I also need room for my week." Those two wishes compete for the same page. This is a proposed example workflow, not a report of observed client results. It helps a diary maker test the competition with a customer's own sample content before choosing a layout.

The artifact: a page-use mockup

The mockup is a plain sketch of one spread, drawn as a rectangle divided into two kinds of area: weekday area (where dated items go) and notes area (undated writing). It is not a production file. It does not specify paper, printing or binding. Its only job is to answer one question: given this person's typical week, which split feels workable?

Inputs to collect

One real or invented typical week, written as the customer would actually write it. Ask for seven days of sample entries, including a busy day and an empty day.
A sample of the notes they would write in a typical week: a few lines of a to-do list, a paragraph of thoughts, a sketch, or nothing at all.
Their handwriting size preference: small, medium or large, shown by writing one sentence on any paper.
Whether the week starts on Monday, Sunday or another day, and whether weekends need equal space.

Steps

Draw the spread rectangle on paper or screen. Keep it proportional but do not worry about exact size.
Divide it into seven weekday blocks and one notes block, using a first guess such as equal weekday blocks and a notes block roughly the size of two weekday blocks.
Have the customer copy their sample week into the weekday blocks at their normal handwriting size. Mark every block where the writing overflows.
Have them copy their sample notes into the notes block. Mark overflow there too.
Count overflows and look at the pattern.

Decision branches

Weekday overflow only: widen the weekday blocks or reduce the notes block, then repeat once.
Notes overflow only: enlarge the notes block or consider a separate notes section, then repeat once.
Both overflow: the page cannot hold both at this writing size. Ask whether smaller handwriting is acceptable, or whether the customer prefers to prioritise one side. Record which they pick, rather than choosing for them.
Neither overflows by a wide margin: the first guess has too much unused space. Offer to shrink a block, but only if the customer wants that.
Uneven days (for example a busy Thursday every week): ask whether one day should get a larger block. This is an option to offer, not a rule.

Stop conditions

Stop after two adjustment rounds. If the customer is still unsure, pause and write down the two best candidate splits side by side instead of continuing to redraw. Also stop and ask for clarification if the sample week is too vague to test, for example "just meetings" with no actual text.

Example

A customer provides a sample week in which Tuesday has five short items and every other day has one or two. Their notes are a short list plus a small doodle. In the first mockup, Tuesday overflows and the notes block has plenty of spare room. The diary maker shrinks the notes block a little and enlarges all weekday blocks, then repeats. Tuesday now fits. The customer decides they would like a bit more notes room after all, so the maker records two candidates: Layout A with larger weekday blocks and Layout B with a slightly larger notes block and a note that Tuesday may be tight. The customer picks one and the choice is written on the order.

What to record

Keep a short record with the sample week, the overflow marks, the candidate splits tried, the customer's final choice and the reason they gave. This avoids a later disagreement about why the layout looks the way it does.

Practical acceptance test

Try the workflow with one volunteer, using a week of invented entries. Pass if all of these are true: the volunteer finished the mockup without help; every overflow was marked; the process stopped within two adjustment rounds; and the final record names a chosen split plus the reason. Fail if the maker had to guess the customer's writing size or if the final choice was not written down. If it fails, fix the missing input first, then repeat the test with a different volunteer.

Conclusion

A page-use mockup turns an abstract wish into a visible trade-off. It does not decide for the customer, it does not promise that any layout will suit every week, and it keeps the conversation about real content. Use it when a request mentions both weekday detail and notes, and skip it when a customer has already chosen a standard layout they are happy with.