# Phase 26: Discovery Landing Page - Discussion Log

> **Audit trail only.** Do not use as input to planning, research, or execution agents.
> Decisions are captured in CONTEXT.md — this log preserves the alternatives considered.

**Date:** 2026-04-10
**Phase:** 26-discovery-landing-page
**Areas discussed:** Page Structure & Section Order, Search Bar Behavior, Feed Data & Ranking, Auth-Variant Experience
**Mode:** --batch --auto (all decisions auto-selected)

---

## Page Structure & Section Order

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Hero search + vertical sections | Full-width hero with search bar, vertical stack of content sections below | ✓ |
| Grid dashboard | Multi-column grid of section cards (like current dashboard) | |
| Single infinite feed | One merged feed of all content types | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Hero search + vertical sections (recommended default)
**Notes:** Reuses existing visual patterns (cards, rounded-xl, light borders). Section order: Search → Setups → Items → Categories, prioritizing social content first.

---

## Search Bar Behavior

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Open CatalogSearchOverlay | Hero search bar triggers existing overlay on focus/type | ✓ |
| Inline search results | Show results directly below the search bar on the landing page | |
| Dedicated search route | Navigate to /search with query params | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Open CatalogSearchOverlay (recommended default)
**Notes:** Avoids duplicating the full-featured search UI (tag filtering, grid/list toggle, manual entry fallback). CatalogSearchOverlay is already built and tested.

---

## Feed Data & Ranking

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Item count proxy (setups) | Rank popular setups by number of items — more items = more effort/completeness | ✓ |
| Creation date (setups) | Show most recently created setups | |
| Random rotation | Rotate featured setups randomly | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Item count proxy (recommended default)
**Notes:** No engagement metrics exist. Item count is the best available proxy and is trivially queryable via setupItems join.

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Global item count per category | Trending = categories with most catalog items | ✓ |
| Recent growth rate | Categories with most new items in last 7 days | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Global item count per category (recommended default)
**Notes:** Simpler query, no time-windowed aggregation needed. Growth-based trending can be added later when catalog is larger.

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Cursor-based pagination | Use cursor pagination per INFR-02 requirement | ✓ |
| Offset pagination | Traditional LIMIT/OFFSET | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Cursor-based pagination (recommended default — required by INFR-02)

---

## Auth-Variant Experience

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| Same page + Collection CTA | Identical content, authenticated users get "Go to Collection" button in hero | ✓ |
| Dual-mode page | Show personal stats/shortcuts for authenticated users | |
| Redirect authenticated to dashboard | Authenticated users skip landing page entirely | |

**User's choice:** [auto] Same page + Collection CTA (recommended default)
**Notes:** Per DISC-05, the difference is a single navigational CTA. No personalized feed in v2.1 (PERS-01/PERS-02 deferred).

| Option | Description | Selected |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| In hero area next to search | CTA visible without scrolling, adjacent to primary action | ✓ |
| Floating sidebar | Persistent side panel for authenticated users | |
| Below hero | Separate banner below search area | |

**User's choice:** [auto] In hero area next to search (recommended default)

---

## Claude's Discretion

- Exact layout sizing, spacing, and responsive breakpoints
- Number of items shown per section before "View all"
- Empty states for sections with no data
- Loading skeletons for each section
- Whether "View all" links route to existing pages or new feed pages

## Deferred Ideas

- Personalized feed (PERS-01, PERS-02)
- SSR/static prerendering for SEO (SEO-01, SEO-02)
- Engagement metrics for ranking
- Setup preview images
- Manufacturer entity (todo — different domain)
- Storage service tests (todo — testing concern)
