# Decision: Home-studio's basis and genesis (2026-06-17)

**Status**: APPROVED (operator-confirmed 2026-06-17)
**Date**: 2026-06-17
**Author**: Mavis (operator-narrated)

## Genesis

The app was originally called **Dominic Stars**. It was built to help a kid named Dominic plan his homeschooling. The name was changed to "Home-studio" because:

- The app serves the whole family, not just one kid
- Having one child's name in the title felt wrong (or self-conscious, or unhelpful for the operator's reasons)
- The name can be anything — what matters is the basis

## The basis (still intact)

**The app exists to help a kid (Dominic) plan and pursue his homeschooling, with the rest of the family as the supporting environment.**

This is the basis. The chores, the chat, the resources, the gamification, the family stuff — all of that is the *vessel*. The *purpose* is supporting a kid's education and growth.

## What this means for design decisions

The following items from the v0.3.3 addendum are NOT paperwork — they are part of the basis:

### Y. Christian-ethos overlay (GUARDRAIL, NOT A FEATURE)
- 10 parable level names (Sower -> Elder) -- how Dominic's progress is framed
- No dark magic / monsters / dragons rule -- the visual + content constraint
- "Growth not glory" framing -- no leaderboards, no public shame, no streak-shame
- The restraint IS the doctrine -- the app is Christian by what it does NOT do (manipulate, dark-pattern, addict, shame)

**Status**: GUARDRAIL. The ethos is satisfied by absence, not by added features. Do NOT add a scripture-verse card, a morning-watch prompt, or any other explicit "Christian feature" -- that would be going out of our way to service it. The cultivation rhythm comes from the family, not the app's UI. Already satisfied by: light mode only, gentle gamification, parable-based level names, no public comparison.

### W. Self-care check-in / family connection (NOW PRIORITY)
- Homeschooling isn't just "do these tasks"
- It's "how are you, what are you learning, what did you figure out this week"
- The app needs a surface for reflection, not just execution
- The Christian-ethos overlay (gratitude, morning watch) lives here

**Status**: was parked. NOW elevated to next-up.

### B. "Today" page label
- For a homeschooling app, "Today" is the actual point: what's on the schedule for today
- The "fix" is to make the page actually filter to today's items
- Not just a polish task — it's the app's reason to exist

**Status**: was a "polish item". NOW an MVP-level requirement.

### A. My Stuff filter
- For a kid doing his own homeschooling, "my stuff" IS the app
- The parent's view is secondary
- The "My Stuff" toggle is the primary view, not a secondary one

**Status**: was a P1. NOW confirmed as the primary view for the kid.

### L. Family weekly progress
- For a homeschooling family, this is the weekly review
- "What did we cover? What stuck? What's still loose?"
- This is the heartbeat of the basis

**Status**: was a P2. NOW elevated because it's the weekly reflection ritual.

## What this means for prioritisation

The next v0.4.x work should follow this order:

1. **Today filter (B)** — make "Today" actually mean today
2. **My Stuff primary (A — already shipped in v0.4.0)** — confirmed
3. **Family weekly progress (L)** — the reflection ritual
4. **Studio surface (X)** — the "what are we learning / making together" space
5. (Y is a guardrail, not a build target -- already satisfied)
6. **Self-care check-in (W)** — the family connection moment

Chore-management details (one-tap complete, swipe, undo) can wait. They support the basis but aren't the basis itself.

## What this means for the v0.5.x+ roadmap

The app is not a chore tracker. It never was. The chores are the *plumbing* that lets the family function so the homeschooling can happen. The *what* is the homeschooling + the family cultivation.

The roadmap is therefore:

- v0.4.x — Finish chores plumbing (today view, one-tap, swipe, undo) + family weekly progress
- v0.5.x — Studio surface + ethos overlay + self-care check-in
- v0.6.x — Polish + accessibility + offline + notifications

## References

- Operator-confirmed basis: "Where this came on Where this came from. From was originally called Dominic Stars. To help Dominic plan his homeschooling. Basis and that's still the basis. We just. Change the name because we didn't want. It as it was. Can be named anything."
- Filed: 2026-06-17
- Read by: anyone who needs to know what the app is FOR