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v20.0 Homepage Search UX Polish

Summary

This archive records the completed 2026-04-29 homepage search UX maintenance pass while v22.0 Gate 0 remains blocked on external evidence.

The work tightened the homepage search area, made the active search filters more compact, restored and refined the high-level service/category/language metrics rail, and kept the resting homepage focused on private search and trust signals. Follow-up polish folded the trust-strip content into a clearer How It Works section, refined the category-to-process spacing, improved the hero and footer copy/layout, and kept all user-facing copy localized across the seven supported UI locales. No curated service records or verification levels changed.

Completed Outcomes

  1. Moved utility and category filters out of the resting hero and into the active search/results state.
  2. Reworked active filters into compact segmented controls with keyboard and screen-reader semantics preserved through button roles, aria-pressed, and aria-expanded.
  3. Collapsed secondary categories behind a "More categories" control while keeping selected hidden categories visible.
  4. Restored the 196 services, 12 categories, and 7 languages metrics rail in the resting discovery flow.
  5. Tuned spacing around the search bar, quick-search chips, active filters, stats/trust sections, how-it-works section, and footer across desktop and mobile layouts.
  6. Reworked the restored stats surface into a restrained semantic dl metrics rail with a subtle brand accent line, gradient number treatment, and clean dividers.
  7. Improved contrast and mobile ergonomics on related homepage/search surfaces, including quick-search chips, scope filters, service card support text, and the chat launcher.
  8. Added localized moreCategories and fewerCategories strings for all seven supported UI locales.
  9. Updated SearchControls component coverage for the collapsed/expanded category state.
  10. Replaced the separate homepage trust-strip row with concise, step-specific How It Works detail cards that reinforce privacy, filtering, and direct provider contact without adding a longer marketing section.
  11. Refined the category shortcut rail spacing and kept the shortcuts tied to the existing search/category selection flow.
  12. Updated the homepage hero subtitle and How It Works copy to be clearer and less repetitive while preserving the privacy-first message.
  13. Polished the How It Works heading, connector row, and cards with restrained visual hierarchy, accessible headings, and no extra decorative icon layer.
  14. Improved the footer medium-width layout so the brand block and Community, Resources, and Legal columns remain balanced.
  15. Localized the final homepage credibility copy for all seven supported UI locales and refreshed component smoke coverage.

Verification Snapshot

Validated on 2026-04-29:

  1. npx vitest run tests/components/home/SearchControls.test.tsx
  2. npx vitest run tests/components/home/HomeSurfaces.test.tsx
  3. npm run lint
  4. npm run type-check
  5. npm run format:check
  6. Commit hook checks: ESLint, Prettier, related Vitest, type-check, and i18n audit
  7. Pre-push npm test: 180 files passed, 1321 tests passed, 24 skipped
  8. Closeout verification for the follow-up polish: npm test -- tests/components/home/HomeSurfaces.test.tsx, npm run lint, npm run type-check, npm run i18n-audit, npm run format:check, and git diff --check

Local Playwright test suites were not run, per the free-tier CI testing posture. The UI spacing was inspected through the running local app with desktop and mobile viewport screenshots.

Remaining Follow-Through

No new roadmap follow-up remains for this homepage UX pass. Existing v22.0 Gate 0 blockers are unchanged:

  1. UA-1 / G0-3: attach candidate partner legal/API terms and complete clause-level C1 review.
  2. UA-3 / G0-8: attach named pilot partner list, outreach owner assignment, and dated outreach execution evidence.

Canonical References

  1. Roadmap
  2. Planning index
  3. Testing guidelines