Step 1 of 4
Where are we similar or different?
The Matrix is every traveler's position on all 12 dimensions, laid side by side. It's not a score. It's the raw material — the thing the other three frameworks read.
Each dimension is a 1–5 scale. Budget: 1 is "hostel and street food," 5 is "I'm not thinking about it." Pace: 1 is "one thing a day," 5 is "we can sleep when we're home."
For every pair of travelers, the distance between their answers is the gap on that dimension.
The group readout is a count, not a verdict: aligned on 7, gapped on 3, split on 2. Two groups can have the same count and very different trips — which is exactly why this isn't the score.
The worked example
Aligned on Food, Culture, Comfort, Adventure, Alone Time, Flexibility, Conflict. Gapped on Pace and Planning. Split on Budget (Dev is a 5, Priya is a 2) and Rhythms (Jordan is up at 6, Cole isn't functional before 10).
Nothing alarming yet. Most groups look like this. The question is what those four differences actually mean — which is Step 2.
People answer as who they wish they were. "I'm easy" is the most common answer and the least reliable one. The Matrix trusts your self-report; your friends might not.