Should I make my two steps have the same rise or keep one closer to a typical height?
Steps should always have uniform rise. In fact, codes require it (to within 3/8&quot; maximum total variance per IIRC). Our brains expect that the step following the first will be about the same, and it's guaranteed to cause stumbling and worse if you do it lop-sided.
Splitting the height puts you square in the range given by accessibility guidelines. Be sure to account for differing tread/flooring thicknesses when you plan your stringers.
In this case, two 5-1/4&quot; rises seems just fine. Three shorter rises would feel odd (and would be annoying for most users--we don't like to take many short steps as it feels like we're being made to dance our way up).