Changelog

Quality of Life Improvements

Critical Fixes

• Fixed critical loading error in political values selector that caused application crashes when selecting political identities
• Resolved type safety issues with RadioPillGroup components - added proper null checks and default values
• Enhanced error handling with proper default parameters and type guards throughout political identity system

Error Handling & Debugging

• Added comprehensive ErrorBoundary component to Clarity layout for graceful error recovery with user-friendly fallback UI
• Removed 80+ debug console.log statements across the application to improve performance and security
• Preserved error console.error statements for production debugging while cleaning up development-only logs
• ErrorBoundary shows detailed error info in development and clean error message in production with refresh option

Security Improvements

• Implemented admin authentication system using environment variable tokens and Bearer auth for secure admin API routes
• Protected admin endpoints (pending stories, review system) from unauthorized access
• Added admin auth middleware that will be replaced with role-based permissions in Beta 4.0 account system

Privacy & Compliance

• Added comprehensive consent banner for cookie and analytics preferences with "Accept All" and "Essential Only" options
• Implemented age verification modal for COPPA compliance with content filtering for children, teens, and adults
• Created consent manager utility for handling user privacy preferences with localStorage persistence
• Integrated consent flow into Clarity Coach layout for full privacy law compliance

User Experience Enhancements

• Created reusable EmptyState component with icon, title, description, and action button for consistent empty state UX
• Added LoadingState component with spinner for improved loading feedback throughout the application
• Enhanced Tales from the White Room page with polished empty state when no stories are available
• Improved error messages and user feedback across all forms and interactions

Code Quality & Maintenance

• Standardized error handling patterns across API routes and client components
• Cleaned up TODO comments and implemented missing functionality (admin auth, feedback widget planning)
• Improved type safety throughout political identity and communication profile systems
• Enhanced code documentation and added change comments for better maintainability

Beta 3.10 focused on production readiness, addressing critical bugs, security vulnerabilities, and UX polish before moving to the Beta 4.0 accounts phase. All improvements maintain backward compatibility and accessibility standards.

Positionality & Lived Experience

Part 1: Socioeconomic Class & Trauma

• Integrated 3 foundational research documents on socioeconomic class, trauma, and lived experience to deepen AI understanding of positionality
• Added Ruby Payne's "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" - comprehensive analysis of economic class "hidden rules," language registers (casual vs. formal/consultative), narrative structures (circular vs. linear), and multi-dimensional resources (financial, emotional, mental, social capital)
• Added Paul Gorski's critical analysis "The Classist Underpinnings of Ruby Payne's Framework" - understanding systemic classism, deficit perspectives, educational disparities, and how poverty is often blamed on individuals rather than structural inequality
• Added Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score" - neurobiology of trauma (amygdala, prefrontal cortex, vagus nerve), polyvagal theory (social engagement, mobilization, immobilization), traumatic memory fragmentation, ACE study findings, epigenetics, and trauma-informed recovery pathways
• Enhanced AI responses with nuanced understanding of how socioeconomic background shapes communication expectations, priorities, and language use
• Improved trauma-informed communication guidance - recognizing triggers, supporting safety and empowerment, avoiding re-traumatization
• Added awareness of class-based power dynamics in workplace and institutional communication, challenging deficit narratives about people experiencing poverty
• Integrated understanding of how trauma affects communication capacity - speechlessness (Broca's area shutdown), loss of context (thalamus shutdown), and body disconnection

Part 2: Global & Non-Western Perspectives

• Integrated 4 foundational documents on Indigenous research methodologies, African philosophy, and intergenerational trauma
• Added Shawn Wilson's "Research Is Ceremony" - Indigenous research paradigm grounded in relationality, where reality itself is relationships, knowledge is relational and shared with all creation, and methodology is the process of building more relations through respect, reciprocity, and responsibility
• Added Ubuntu philosophy framework - African communal ethics based on "A person is a person through other persons," emphasizing identity (sharing a way of life through coordinated interaction) and solidarity (caring for others' well-being through mutual aid)
• Added Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart's Historical Trauma framework - understanding cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across generations from massive group trauma, historical unresolved grief, loyalty to ancestral suffering, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma through biological, psychological, and cultural pathways
• Enhanced AI responses with understanding of circular discourse patterns (Indigenous storytelling), synthesis-first thinking (building relationships before breaking down details), collective knowledge ownership, and non-interference communication styles
• Improved trauma-informed communication guidance - recognizing triggers from historical trauma, building trust slowly with marginalized communities, honoring cultural protocols, acknowledging ongoing impacts of colonialism and genocide, and supporting community-based healing
• Added awareness of how Ubuntu values shape communication - prioritizing relationship preservation over directness, consensus-seeking over individual positions, and collective responsibility language ("we" over "I")
• Integrated understanding of Western vs. non-Western epistemologies - linear logic vs. circular thinking, individual autonomy vs. relational identity, objectivity vs. relational accountability, deconstruction vs. synthesis
• Knowledge base now contains 37 expert documents covering neurodiversity, social dynamics, child development, advanced frameworks, political communication, positionality, and global perspectives

Politalk: Cross-Political Communication

• Added political identity context selectors to Draft and Analyze modes - users can now specify their own and their audience's political orientation (Conservative, Moderate, Progressive, Unsure)
• Integrated 5 comprehensive expert documents on political psychology, discourse analysis, and depolarization strategies
• Added Moral Foundations Theory framework - understanding how conservatives prioritize loyalty, authority, and sanctity while progressives emphasize care and fairness
• Added Political Discourse Analysis - recognizing framing devices, presuppositions, rhetorical strategies, and ideological positioning in communication
• Added Political Identity Psychology - understanding motivated reasoning, identity-protective cognition, in-group favoritism, and confirmation bias across the political spectrum
• Added Conservative vs. Progressive Epistemology - recognizing how different political orientations prioritize different knowledge sources (tradition, authority, lived experience, empirical research)
• Added Depolarization Strategies - practical techniques for shared values discovery, affective empathy, perspective-taking, and collaborative problem-solving
• Extended Double Empathy Problem framework to political communication - recognizing that cross-political misunderstanding is bidirectional, not a deficit in either side
• Enhanced AI responses to bridge ideological divides with empathy, find common ground, and de-escalate politically charged conversations
• Added transparency features showing detected political framing and selected political context in AnalysisInfoCard
• Knowledge base now contains 31 expert documents covering neurodiversity, social dynamics, child development, advanced frameworks, and political communication

RAG Phase 3: Advanced Frameworks - Power, Culture & Cognition

• Integrated 8 new expert documents expanding the knowledge base with advanced communication theory, cognitive psychology, and social frameworks
• Added Michel Foucault's "Discipline and Punish" - understanding power dynamics in communication, the shift from physical to psychological control, and institutional discourse patterns that shape professional and hierarchical communication
• Added Double Empathy Problem and Mutual Misunderstanding research - Relevance Theory framework for understanding cross-neurotype communication, mutual manifestness breakdowns, and bidirectional empathy failures
• Added comprehensive Nonverbal Communication framework - covering channels (face, voice, gesture, space), functions (identification, relationship, emotion, delivery), cultural variations, and interpretation challenges
• Added Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" - System 1 (fast, automatic, intuitive) vs. System 2 (slow, deliberate, analytical) thinking, cognitive biases (availability, anchoring, WYSIATI), heuristics, and decision-making under risk
• Added "At the End of the Day, It's Love" research on neurodiverse intimate relationships - understanding facilitators (strength-based roles, genuine support), challenges (communication differences, emotional interpretation), and successful coping strategies
• Added Missing Responses analysis - understanding communication disruptions through Conversation Analysis, neurotype-specific reasons for missing responses (prioritization, attention patterns), and differentiated coping strategies (NT: modification and attention-drawing; ND: repetition and waiting)
• Added Geert Hofstede's "Culture's Consequences" - five cultural dimensions (Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/Femininity, Long-term Orientation) and their impact on emotional expressivity, proxemics, and communication norms
• Added Accepting Boundaries framework - reciprocity requirements for barrier-free communication, mutual effort balancing, specific adaptations for autistic and non-autistic boundaries, and the role of patience and kind attitude
• Enhanced AI responses with deeper understanding of power structures in communication, cultural "mental programs," cognitive shortcuts and biases, relationship dynamics across neurotypes, and the importance of accepting diverse communication boundaries
• Improved context-aware suggestions for hierarchical communication, cross-cultural interactions, decision-making scenarios, and neurodiverse relationship contexts
• Knowledge base now contains 26 expert documents covering neurodiversity, social dynamics, child development, and advanced frameworks - providing comprehensive, evidence-based communication guidance

The UX Redesign

• Redesigned interface with progressive disclosure pattern - core inputs (goal, message, interpretation) immediately visible, context options collapsed by default
• Removed unreliable "Direct/Indirect/Unsure" self-assessment selector that caused false baselines - AI now automatically detects communication style from actual message content
• Implemented meaningful communication profiles with specific behavioral guidance for each neurotype: Autism (literal, direct communication preferences), ADHD (extra context, jumping between ideas), Neurotypical (comfortable with social hints)
• Added generation-specific profiles with cultural communication context for Boomer (1946-1964), Gen X (1965-1980), Xennial (1977-1983), Millennial (1981-1996), Gen Z (1997-2012), and Gen Alpha (2013+)
• Added relationship context selector (colleague, manager, friend, family, romantic partner, etc.) to account for power dynamics and situational appropriateness
• Implemented InfoTooltip component with helpful explanations: neurotype definitions, generation year ranges, and how context selections improve results
• Added AnalysisInfoCard component displaying detected communication style and all selected context factors after translation/analysis for full transparency
• Reduced cognitive load with clearer visual hierarchy: primary inputs in bordered card, optional context in collapsible "Add Context for Better Results" section
• Added concise, helpful introductory text to Draft and Analyze pages explaining core purpose with links to "How to Use" for detailed guidance
• Completely updated "How to Use" page to reflect simplified interface, explain new context options, and provide clear guidance on when to use each feature
• Maintained all accessibility features: proper ARIA labels, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation support, screen reader compatibility
• All safety features remain fully functional: content filtering, crisis intervention, user reporting, rate limiting, output validation

The Safety Update

• Implemented comprehensive multi-layered safety system with content filtering for crisis situations, violence, abuse, illegal activities, and inappropriate content
• Added tiered access model with three levels: Anonymous (no account, limited features, no data collection), Authenticated (13+, full features), and Supervised (under 13 with parental consent)
• Trauma-informed content safety approach that supports legitimate sensitive conversations (bullying, family conflict, identity, mental health) while providing appropriate crisis resources
• Crisis intervention system that provides immediate resources (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Crisis Text Line) without blocking conversations
• Rate limiting using Upstash Redis to prevent abuse and ensure fair usage (10 requests per day for anonymous users, higher limits for authenticated users)
• Output validation system that checks AI responses for harmful advice or inappropriate content before delivery
• User reporting system allowing users to flag concerning AI responses with detailed feedback mechanism
• Comprehensive Terms of Service covering acceptable use, prohibited activities, and user responsibilities
• Privacy Policy with COPPA compliance, data collection transparency, and user rights (access, deletion, portability)
• Professional disclaimers clarifying that Clarity Coach is not a substitute for professional therapy, medical advice, or legal counsel
• Enhanced safety for Clarity Coach Junior with stricter age-appropriate content filtering and parental control options
• Anonymous access mode allows kids in difficult situations to get communication support without parental consent barriers

Clarity Coach Junior

• Introduced Audience Selector across all modes (Draft, Analyze, Chat) with options for Adult-to-Adult, Parent-to-Kid, Kid-to-Parent, and Kid-to-Kid communication
• AI now adjusts language complexity, tone, and examples based on selected audience for age-appropriate communication
• Added visual indicators (sparkle icon and amber accent) when using kid-friendly modes
• Integrated 8 new expert documents focused on child development, neurodiversity, and family communication
• Added emotion regulation strategies for children with autism, including whole-brain integration techniques (The Whole-Brain Child)
• Added comprehensive neurodiversity resources including books, organizations, and support materials for families
• Added Social Stories framework for explaining social situations to children with autism
• Added evidence-based parent-child communication strategies (How to Talk So Kids Will Listen)
• Added detailed autism characteristics, strengths, and understanding resources (What is Autism)
• Added ADHD explanation guide using relatable analogies and strengths-based language for kids
• Added parent-mediated early intervention research and best practices for families with young children
• Enhanced AI responses to support family communication across all neurotypes and age groups

RAG Phase 2: Social Dynamics and Learning

• Integrated 10 new expert documents covering social dynamics, learning theory, and communication patterns
• Added Growth Mindset framework (Carol Dweck) - understanding fixed vs. growth mindsets in communication
• Added Psychological Safety research (Amy Edmondson) - creating fearless organizations and safe communication environments
• Added Generation Z workplace research - understanding Gen Z communication preferences, expectations, and intergenerational dynamics
• Added Generational Differences framework - communication patterns across Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z
• Added Gender Communication research (Deborah Tannen) - rapport-talk vs. report-talk and bridging gender communication gaps
• Added Cultural Communication theory (Edward T. Hall) - high-context vs. low-context communication, monochronic vs. polychronic time systems
• Added Impression Management theory (Erving Goffman) - understanding social performance and the presentation of self
• Added Interactional Expertise strategies - supporting diverse communication styles in mixed neurotype conversations
• Added Inclusive Communication Model - neurodiversity-friendly practices for recruitment, onboarding, and retention
• Added Double Empathy research in expository contexts - understanding communication accuracy across neurotypes
• Enhanced AI responses with broader social and cultural communication insights
• Improved context-aware suggestions for workplace, generational, and cultural communication scenarios

Document Upload & Analysis

• Added file upload capability across all modes (Draft, Analyze, and Chat)
• Support for PDFs, Word documents, text files, and images (up to 10MB per file)
• AI now analyzes attached documents alongside your message text
• Attachment guidance feature provides specific feedback on whether documents should be revised, integrated, or kept separate
• Enhanced context understanding by combining message intent with document content
• Improved style matching for both message text and attachment content

RAG Phase 1: Neurodiversity and Empathy

• Integrated Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system with expert knowledge base
• Added 10 expert documents covering autism, ADHD, communication, and the Double Empathy Problem
• Enhanced chat responses with evidence-based, scholarly research
• Improved translation quality with context-aware expert knowledge retrieval
• Implemented semantic search for relevant document retrieval
• Fixed markdown rendering in explanations and translations

• Integrated Clarity Coach into main Hearthside Works website
• Added dedicated Clarity Coach navigation header
• Improved mobile responsiveness across all modes
• Enhanced feedback system with separate ratings for explanation and response
• Added edit and re-analyze functionality for AI suggestions
• Fixed API endpoint configuration for better reliability

• Launched Beta phase with improved AI model
• Added Advanced Options with neurotype and generation selectors
• Implemented Golden Feedback Loop for user-edited translations
• Enhanced explanation quality with more detailed analysis
• Added loading tips to educate users during translation

• Initial release with Draft and Analyze modes
• Intent-first design for accurate message translation
• Communication style selectors (direct/indirect)
• Basic feedback system with star ratings
• Copy-to-clipboard functionality
• Dark mode support