# UX-DECISIONS.md — Design & Messaging Decisions

Living record of UX/messaging decisions. Agents must follow these.
Updated after each review session.

**Last updated:** 2026-02-22

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## Audience

- **Primary:** Crypto natives who understand DeFi but don't know KrAIken
- **Not targeting:** Beginners, "new to DeFi" users
- No ELI5 content on the landing page
- Beginners can find their way through the docs if curious

## Landing Page Variants

| Variant | File | Target | Tone |
|---------|------|--------|------|
| Default | `HomeView.vue` | General crypto users | Clean, professional |
| Offensive | `HomeViewOffensive.vue` | Degens, technical users | Aggressive, direct |
| Mixed | `HomeViewMixed.vue` | Blend | Balanced |

**Offensive is strongest** for crypto natives. Default wins for broader appeal.

## Messaging Rules

### Do Say
- "Stake & Grow" (not "Start Earning")
- "Floor guaranteed" (the mechanism exists, even if floor can decrease)
- "Token-owned liquidity" (metaphor, acceptable in marketing)
- "No admin keys" ONLY when staker governance is implemented
- "How It Works →" as equal-weight CTA alongside "Get $KRK"

### Staking Visibility
- **Staking is NOT mentioned on the landing page.** The staking app is password-protected for a reason — it's for insiders, not casual visitors.
- Landing page sells the token and protocol. The CTA is "Get $KRK", not "Stake".
- No staking mechanics, staking CTAs, or staking explainers on any HomeView variant.
- Visitors discover staking through the community, not through the landing page.

### Don't Say
- "Start Earning" / "Earn yield" / "APY" — staking isn't yield
- "Stake" / "Stake & Grow" / "Staking" on the landing page — see above
- "You just hold and win" — too promissory (changed to "You just hold.")
- "Open source" — repo is private
- "Three strategies" — three positions, one strategy
- Raw holder count when it's low (show growth % instead)

### Staking Value Prop
The one-liner: **"Stake → invite friends → supply grows → you profit with leverage."**

Staking is leveraged directional exposure that pays off when the community grows.
It is NOT passive income. It is NOT yield farming.

## Display Rules

### Numbers
- Show **USD as primary** for all ETH amounts (people can't relate to 0.0000029 ETH)
- Keep ETH as secondary/tooltip for crypto natives
- Use CoinGecko API for ETH/USD, cache 5 min
- Format: ≥$1000 → "$25.4k", ≥$1 → "$2.50", <$1 → "$0.007"
- Never use `toFixed(4)` on tiny ETH values — use dynamic precision

### Stats
- Show growth trends (sparklines, ↑X%) not raw counts
- Multiple mini-sparklines per stat card, not a single health graph
- 7 days or since launch (whichever shorter) for historical data
- Ring buffer only — no unbounded snapshot tables (disk growth concern)
- Live indicator (green dot + "Updated Xs ago") for freshness

### Contract Addresses
- Show in footer with copy buttons
- Link to Basescan for verification

## Docs

- "How It Works" should be equal-weight navigation item, not buried
- Recenter explainer: keep it to 3 bullets (atomic, sentiment-driven, bull/bear)
- No Baseline comparison table — borrow their language, don't name-drop them
- Code page (`/docs/code`) for contract source viewing instead of Codeberg link

## Tone

- Sharp, direct, no fluff
- Technical confidence without overclaiming
- "We" when referring to the protocol community
- Never condescending
- Dark theme, minimal decoration