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[Seasonal · human approval required] Lunar New Year: better design & features #231

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opened 2026-09-25 13:03:44 -04:00 by jared · 1 comment
jared commented 2026-09-25 13:03:44 -04:00
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Lunar New Year seasonal theme: better design and features

Human approval required. AI may research, design, prototype and implement changes for this theme, but it may not approve or close this issue. Only a human (Jared) closes it, after reviewing the rendered result. Work happens on a branch (seasonal/lunar) and reaches lotus only when a human merges it.

Active: Jan 22 – Feb 5 (auto), or any time via Settings → General → Seasonal Theme
Code: src/app/components/seasonal/themes/LunarNewYear.tsx + LunarNewYear.css.ts; schedule in seasonSchedule.ts

What it does today

Red lacquer tint, hanging crimson lanterns, gold plum blossoms and a subtle gold dragon silhouette.

Baseline: what it actually looks like (rendered 2026-09-25, not inferred from the code)

Left to right: desktop mid-animation (5 s in), desktop with reduced motion, phone (Pixel 7). Light theme, a real room with messages.

Lunar New Year baseline

What the render shows:

  • Lanterns are large and opaque and hang over UI: "Create Room" in the sidebar, the members search box, and header icons on a phone.
  • The dragon and blossoms are barely visible at this size; the lanterns carry the whole theme.
  • The pink/red tint lowers contrast on grey secondary text.
  • The seasonal floating button (bottom-right) overlaps the composer's send button on a phone.
  • Only the light theme was rendered for this baseline; dark (and the other colour themes) must be checked too.

Ideas to explore (not decisions)

  • Keep lanterns in the top band only, smaller, and clear of controls; let them sway gently.
  • Make the dragon a recognisable, slow pass across the top rather than an invisible silhouette.
  • Optional: zodiac animal of the year, red-envelope easter egg.

Hard requirements for any design

  • Text stays readable: nothing opaque or high-contrast over message text, names, the composer, headers or controls. Check WCAG AA contrast of text over the effect.
  • Reduced motion: a static version that still looks good (reduced prop).
  • Performance: transform/opacity animation only; no measurable jank while scrolling or typing; nothing runs when the theme is off.
  • No pointer interference: the overlay never blocks clicks or taps.

Required process: render and look, don't trust the code

Every iteration must be rendered in a real browser and looked at before it's proposed. Code review alone is not enough.

  • Screenshots of: desktop and phone, light and dark theme, reduced motion, and 2–3 frames of the animation (or a short recording), in a room with real messages.
  • Before/after images posted on this issue for each iteration, with a short note on what changed and why.
  • Checked against the hard requirements above, on the rendered images.

Approval (human only)

  • A human has reviewed the rendered design and approves it.
  • A human has merged seasonal/lunar.
  • A human closes this issue.
## Lunar New Year seasonal theme: better design and features > **Human approval required.** AI may research, design, prototype and implement changes for this theme, but it **may not approve or close this issue**. Only a human (Jared) closes it, after reviewing the rendered result. Work happens on a branch (`seasonal/lunar`) and reaches `lotus` only when a human merges it. **Active:** Jan 22 – Feb 5 (auto), or any time via Settings → General → Seasonal Theme **Code:** `src/app/components/seasonal/themes/LunarNewYear.tsx` + `LunarNewYear.css.ts`; schedule in `seasonSchedule.ts` ### What it does today Red lacquer tint, hanging crimson lanterns, gold plum blossoms and a subtle gold dragon silhouette. ### Baseline: what it actually looks like (rendered 2026-09-25, not inferred from the code) Left to right: desktop mid-animation (5 s in), desktop with reduced motion, phone (Pixel 7). Light theme, a real room with messages. ![Lunar New Year baseline](https://code.lotusguild.org/attachments/1ffc061a-579e-4c5a-aa16-ee50839329e4) What the render shows: - Lanterns are large and opaque and hang **over UI**: "Create Room" in the sidebar, the members search box, and header icons on a phone. - The dragon and blossoms are barely visible at this size; the lanterns carry the whole theme. - The pink/red tint lowers contrast on grey secondary text. - The seasonal floating button (bottom-right) overlaps the composer's send button on a phone. - Only the **light** theme was rendered for this baseline; dark (and the other colour themes) must be checked too. ### Ideas to explore (not decisions) - Keep lanterns in the top band only, smaller, and clear of controls; let them sway gently. - Make the dragon a recognisable, slow pass across the top rather than an invisible silhouette. - Optional: zodiac animal of the year, red-envelope easter egg. ### Hard requirements for any design - **Text stays readable**: nothing opaque or high-contrast over message text, names, the composer, headers or controls. Check WCAG AA contrast of text *over* the effect. - **Reduced motion**: a static version that still looks good (`reduced` prop). - **Performance**: transform/opacity animation only; no measurable jank while scrolling or typing; nothing runs when the theme is off. - **No pointer interference**: the overlay never blocks clicks or taps. ### Required process: render and look, don't trust the code Every iteration must be **rendered in a real browser and looked at** before it's proposed. Code review alone is not enough. - [ ] Screenshots of: desktop and phone, light and dark theme, reduced motion, and 2–3 frames of the animation (or a short recording), in a room with real messages. - [ ] Before/after images posted on this issue for each iteration, with a short note on what changed and why. - [ ] Checked against the hard requirements above, on the rendered images. ### Approval (human only) - [ ] A human has reviewed the rendered design and approves it. - [ ] A human has merged `seasonal/lunar`. - [ ] A human closes this issue.
lunar-baseline.png
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jared added the enhancementuxarea: appearanceneeds-human-review labels 2026-09-25 13:03:44 -04:00
jared commented 2026-10-25 23:34:44 -04:00
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Iteration 1, ready for review (branch seasonal/lunar, commit 7a24b168). The PR is not set to merge on its own.

Before and after images: https://claude.ai/artifact/VdHunaDsSCCCvT4LNXf15P. The page is private to Jared.

  • Production build, real messages.
  • 1440×900 and Pixel 7, light and dark, reduced motion, and five animation frames.

The baseline render (current lotus) confirmed the issue:

  • opaque lanterns over Create Room, the members search box and messages (several on a phone);
  • a strong pink tint on light;
  • a dragon that can't be seen.

What changed

  • Lantern garland: small lanterns on a scalloped gold cord within the top ~20 px, above the header icons. Two sets sway and glow.
  • Tint: the pink wash is about halved and the dark bottom rim removed.
  • Dragon: the invisible silhouette is removed.

Against the hard requirements

  • Readability: no controls or text covered.
  • Reduced motion: a static garland.
  • Performance: transform and opacity only, with 3 tile layers instead of about 48 lantern elements plus a blurred dragon layer.
  • Clicks: the overlay ignores pointer events.

Open for your call

  • Should the dragon come back as a recognisable, translucent pass across the top every minute or so? It would cross the header and the first messages for a few seconds.
  • The zodiac animal and the red-envelope easter egg aren't built.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

**Iteration 1, ready for review** (branch `seasonal/lunar`, commit `7a24b168`). The PR is not set to merge on its own. **Before and after images:** https://claude.ai/artifact/VdHunaDsSCCCvT4LNXf15P. The page is private to Jared. - Production build, real messages. - 1440×900 and Pixel 7, light and dark, reduced motion, and five animation frames. **The baseline render** (current `lotus`) confirmed the issue: - opaque lanterns over Create Room, the members search box and messages (several on a phone); - a strong pink tint on light; - a dragon that can't be seen. **What changed** - **Lantern garland:** small lanterns on a scalloped gold cord within the top ~20 px, above the header icons. Two sets sway and glow. - **Tint:** the pink wash is about halved and the dark bottom rim removed. - **Dragon:** the invisible silhouette is removed. **Against the hard requirements** - **Readability:** no controls or text covered. - **Reduced motion:** a static garland. - **Performance:** transform and opacity only, with 3 tile layers instead of about 48 lantern elements plus a blurred dragon layer. - **Clicks:** the overlay ignores pointer events. **Open for your call** - Should the dragon come back as a recognisable, translucent pass across the top every minute or so? It would cross the header and the first messages for a few seconds. - The zodiac animal and the red-envelope easter egg aren't built. 🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
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Reference: LotusGuild/cinny#231