Armoured cruisers and the logic of long-range fire

Were the Ibuki-class ships designed before HMS Dreadnought, and did armoured cruisers help shape dreadnought warfare?

They straddled the transition. In this interpretation, armoured-cruiser experience with long-range fighting helped drive the fire-control ideas behind dreadnoughts.

Built from 1905 to 1911, the Ibuki class crossed the dreadnought transition while retaining a mixed 12-inch and 8-inch battery. Pre-dreadnought battleships were expected to close with an opponent, while armoured cruisers were intended to fight at range or evade heavier ships. In this interpretation, cruiser engagements pushed the long-range fire-control work that made an all-big-gun battleship practical. HMS Dreadnought's rapid construction also depended on Jackie Fisher having armour and other inputs ready before assembly began. The race therefore involved industrial preparation as well as design. Later treaty heavy cruisers inherited an awkward position between enlarged scouts and capital-ship auxiliaries.