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docs/nova-cards-v3-priority-roadmap.md

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+# Nova Cards v3 Priority Roadmap
+
+Roadmap date: 2026-03-28
+
+Companion document:
+- `docs/nova-cards-v3-audit-checklist.md`
+
+Purpose:
+- Convert the v3 audit into an execution order
+- Focus first on features that compound value on top of the existing Nova Cards v3 foundation
+- Avoid spending time on low-leverage polish before the public creator/discovery loop is stronger
+
+Assumptions:
+- Current foundation is stable: schema versioning, Studio, presets, AI assist, exports, rising, related cards, public browsing, remix lineage, collections, challenges, and moderation/reporting are already working
+- Prioritization favors retention, discovery, and creator identity ahead of deeper niche editor polish
+
+Status legend:
+- `P0` Next build target
+- `P1` High-value follow-up
+- `P2` Important but can wait
+- `P3` Long-tail / later platform work
+
+## Prioritization principles
+
+1. Build on shipped behavior, not on spec completeness alone.
+2. Prefer features that increase creation, publishing, and rediscovery loops.
+3. Prefer public-facing discoverability and creator identity before deep editor complexity.
+4. Keep schema-safe, testable increments.
+5. Defer expensive operational tooling until the product surface justifies it.
+
+## P0: Public Creator Identity And Discovery Expansion
+
+Why first:
+- The editor already has enough capability to create cards.
+- The biggest missing product loop is stronger public identity and richer discovery after publishing.
+- These features make every existing card and creator more valuable without requiring a full editor rewrite.
+
+Scope:
+- Add richer creator card pages beyond a flat list
+- Add public metadata surfaces for style family, top tags, and top categories
+- Add creator “featured works” support
+- Add dedicated public feeds for style family and mood
+- Add a “best remixes” or expanded remix-discovery surface
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- Creator profile enhancements on the Nova Cards creator page:
+  - featured cards rail
+  - creator stats summary
+  - top styles / tags / categories summary
+  - cards grouped or filterable by style family
+- New public routes/pages:
+  - `/cards/styles/{style}`
+  - `/cards/moods/{mood}` or a tag-backed mood feed if mood remains AI/tag derived
+  - `/cards/remix-highlights` or equivalent best-remixes feed
+- Presenter/controller additions for creator-facing payloads and public discovery filters
+- Feature tests for all new public routes and canonical behavior
+
+Why this is P0 instead of more Studio work:
+- It improves the creator growth loop immediately
+- It helps discovery quality with existing content
+- It avoids prematurely overbuilding advanced editor controls before public demand is better supported
+
+## P1: Advanced Studio Usability Pass
+
+Why second:
+- The Studio is already functional and valuable
+- The highest-value missing editor work is usability, not unrestricted complexity
+- This pass should improve serious creator workflows without turning Nova Cards into a full design app
+
+Scope:
+- Reorder text blocks
+- Compare current draft against a selected snapshot at a useful summary level
+- Add clearer block visibility controls and editing affordances
+- Introduce a true quick mode versus advanced mode split in the Studio UI
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- Text block reorder controls using simple move up/down actions first
+- Version compare summary UI:
+  - changed title/quote/source
+  - changed layout/background/style sections
+  - changed tags/publish settings
+- Quick mode:
+  - format
+  - background/template
+  - main text
+  - preset/style
+  - preview/publish
+- Advanced mode:
+  - current full control surface
+- Tests for restore and compare API behavior where needed, plus front-end interaction coverage if available in the repo
+
+Explicitly not in this phase:
+- freeform drag canvas
+- arbitrary layer transforms
+- unbounded design-tool behavior
+
+## P1: Editorial And Themed Discovery Surfaces
+
+Why this is also P1:
+- Once creator identity is stronger, editorial discovery becomes more valuable
+- The spec calls for featured/editorial/seasonal surfaces, but these are not necessary before the base creator/discovery loop is improved
+
+Scope:
+- Add editorial landing support for Nova Cards
+- Add seasonal or themed Nova Card hubs
+- Add admin-facing hooks for featuring creators/cards/collections/challenges more intentionally
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- `cards/editorial` landing page
+- `cards/seasonal` landing page
+- Staff-configurable featured creator/card slots or score-driven sections
+- Reusable presenter format for editorial rails:
+  - featured creators
+  - challenge highlights
+  - collection picks
+  - best remixes
+
+## P2: AI Assist And Export Expansion
+
+Why later:
+- The current AI assist and export layers already provide useful value
+- They do not block core creation or public discovery
+- Expanding them before creator/discovery surfaces would be lower leverage
+
+Scope:
+- Add higher-level assist actions
+- Add export presets and clearer output workflows
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- AI assist actions:
+  - suggest story format conversion
+  - suggest wallpaper crop/layout
+  - suggest palette/style family
+  - suggest stronger title/description metadata
+- Export enhancements:
+  - save default export preference per creator preset or per user
+  - explicit watermark policy options if needed by product policy
+  - better export status/history presentation in Studio
+
+## P2: Moderation And Abuse Hardening
+
+Why later:
+- The current moderation/reporting baseline is already present
+- This work matters, but it becomes more urgent as creator/discovery scale increases
+
+Scope:
+- stronger duplicate/near-duplicate detection hooks
+- remix abuse controls
+- moderation intervention for problematic remix branches
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- duplicate-card heuristic service hook on publish
+- remix-rate guardrails for suspicious loops
+- moderation action to freeze remixing on flagged cards or branches
+- additional reporting context on lineage-heavy cards
+
+## P3: Migration Ops And Long-Term Platform Tooling
+
+Why last:
+- These are important platform investments, but they are less visible to users right now
+- The existing normalization path keeps older content functioning
+
+Scope:
+- schema backfill commands/jobs
+- rerender tools for migrated cards
+- operational utilities for long-term format changes
+
+Suggested deliverables:
+- artisan command to backfill `schema_version`
+- job/command to rerender a targeted subset of cards
+- admin-safe batch tooling with dry-run mode
+- audit/reporting output for migration health
+
+## Recommended execution order
+
+1. Creator portfolio depth beyond featured works and featured collections
+2. Stronger editorial packaging on top of the existing editorial and seasonal pages
+3. AI assist expansion
+4. Moderation hardening
+5. Migration/backfill/rerender tooling
+
+## Suggested implementation slices
+
+### Slice A: Creator page upgrade
+- Add featured cards rail
+- Add creator stats summary
+- Add style/tag/category summary
+- Add tests for creator page payload and rendering
+
+Status:
+- Partially implemented
+
+### Slice B: Discovery page upgrade
+- Add style-family route and controller action
+- Add mood route and controller action or tag-backed mood filter
+- Add best-remixes feed
+- Add tests for public feeds and filters
+
+Status:
+- Materially implemented for current public discovery breadth
+
+### Slice C: Studio usability
+- Add quick mode toggle
+- Add text block reorder controls
+- Add version compare summary
+- Add front-end coverage if present in the repo workflow
+
+Status:
+- Implemented
+
+### Slice D: Editorial/public packaging
+- Add seasonal/editorial landing controllers and views
+- Add admin config or featured slots
+- Add regression coverage for public rendering
+
+Status:
+- Public editorial and seasonal landings are implemented, and staff-facing creator featuring controls now exist; the remaining gap is broader editorial packaging depth
+
+## Do not prioritize yet
+
+- Freeform drag canvas architecture
+- Arbitrary layer transforms and rotation system
+- Premium monetization logic
+- Deep animation tooling
+- Heavy AI dependence that weakens deterministic/testable behavior
+
+## Recommended next implementation target
+
+If work starts immediately, the best next build target is:
+
+`P1: Editorial controls and creator curation depth`
+
+Reason:
+- The public discovery breadth and Studio usability gaps have already been addressed enough for the next increment.
+- The highest remaining leverage is better curation: featured works on creator pages, featured creators/cards/collections/challenges, and stronger staff control over public surfacing.
+- This closes the gap between existing public landing pages and the fuller editorial ecosystem described by the spec.
+
+Update:
+- `P0 Slice A: Creator page upgrade` is now partially implemented through creator summary stats, top category/tag metadata, and creator highlight cards on the public creator page.
+- `P0 Slice B` is now partially implemented through public style-family and palette-family discovery pages.
+- Public best-remix discovery is also now implemented.
+- Mood discovery is now implemented through durable config-backed tag mappings.
+- Editorial and seasonal landing pages are now also implemented.
+- `P1 Slice C: Studio usability` is now implemented through quick versus advanced mode, text block reordering, version compare summaries, and the supporting payload/test coverage.
+- The next strongest gap is no longer public discovery breadth or the Studio usability pass; it is stronger editorial controls and creator-facing curation depth.