Why we built research mode as a separate layer

Most sessions in UnlockLab are short: connect a device, read its chipset and partition state, decide what to do next. That workflow works best when it stays simple — a handful of clear views, nothing you have to interpret.

Firmware research doesn't fit that shape. Verifying a checksum, browsing a partition at the byte level, or comparing dump structure against a reference isn't something you do on every device — it's something you do when the summary view has already told you what you need to know and you want to go one level deeper.

We considered folding that into the main diagnostic views and decided against it — mixing a byte-level hex browser into a screen most people use for a 30-second chipset check would slow down the common case to serve the uncommon one. Research mode exists as its own layer specifically so it never has to compromise the default workflow to stay available for the people who need it.

If you're doing repair work, you may never open it. If you're doing firmware research, it's there, unabridged, whenever the summary isn't enough.