ADR-044: Community Trust Model Questionnaire

Status: Implemented

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Context

Community configuration has 17+ abstract numeric fields (trust_depth_weight: 0.6, karma_split_helper: 80, karma_decay_half_life_days: 90, etc.). Founders found these numbers difficult to reason about. There was no clear mental model for what a value of 0.6 vs 0.8 meant for their community's culture.

The underlying issue: the numbers are technically precise but semantically opaque. Founders think in terms of values and relationships, not weight coefficients.

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Decision

Replace the initial config screen with a six-question questionnaire that maps human values to configuration parameters. Add a "Revisit trust model" path for existing communities that shows a diff of proposed vs. current config with selective apply.

Pure frontend change — no backend modifications, no new migrations.

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The Six Questions and Their Mappings

Q1: Who is this community for?

Answer	Config fields
just_us	visibility_mode=members_only, join_approval=true, member_cap=50, outsider=false
neighborhood	visibility_mode=hybrid, join_approval=true, member_cap=100, outsider=false
anyone	visibility_mode=public, join_approval=false, member_cap=150, outsider=true

Q2: How do you feel about new members?

Answer	Config fields
trust_takes_time	lockout=14d, request_approval=true, min_interactions=3, joining_counts=false
cautious	lockout=7d, request_approval=false, min_interactions=2, joining_counts=false
open_arms	lockout=0, request_approval=false, min_interactions=1, joining_counts=true

Q3: What kind of relationships do you want?

Answer	Config fields
deep_bonds	trust_depth_weight=0.8, trust_breadth_weight=0.2
mix	trust_depth_weight=0.6, trust_breadth_weight=0.4
wide_web	trust_depth_weight=0.3, trust_breadth_weight=0.7

Note: depth + breadth always sums to 1.0.

Q4: How do you feel about asking for help?

Answer	Config fields
givers_matter	karma_split_helper=80, karma_split_requestor=20
balanced	karma_split_helper=60, karma_split_requestor=40
asking_is_brave	karma_split_helper=60, karma_split_requestor=60

Q5: How long should acts be remembered?

Answer	Config fields
forever	karma_decay=365d, trust_decay=365d
seasonal	karma_decay=90d, trust_decay=180d
present	karma_decay=30d, trust_decay=60d

Q6: How do you want to curate requests?

Answer	Config fields
admin_review	request_approval_required=true
trust_freely	request_approval_required=false

Important: Q6 is applied last, always overriding Q2's request_approval_required. This ensures the admin gets a clean answer to the curation question without confusing overlap with new-member policy.

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UX Design

Community Creation Flow

Three-step flow:

1. Basic Info — name, description, location, category
2. Trust Model — six-question questionnaire, one question at a time
3. Review & Customize (Optional) — pre-populated config editor, with Skip & Create option

Templates bypass the questionnaire (template already has values set).

Questionnaire UI

• One question at a time
• Three radio-style choice cards per question
• Auto-advances 200ms after selection (lets animation land)
• Progress dots: clickable for previously answered questions, visual indicator for current
• Back button navigates to previous question, or to Basic Info on Q1

Revisit Flow (Existing Communities)

• Banner in founder Config tab: "Revisit trust model"
• Inline questionnaire (no page navigation)
• On complete → diff view
• Diff table: Field label | Current value | Proposed value | Checkbox
• All diffs checked by default; founders can uncheck individual fields
• Apply All, Apply Selected (n), or Discard
• Empty diff: "Your config already matches this trust model"

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Implementation

New files:

• apps/frontend/src/lib/trust-model.ts — pure logic (no React, no side effects). Exports: types, QUESTIONS, answersToConfig(), diffConfigs(), FIELD_LABELS, formatConfigValue()
• apps/frontend/src/components/CommunityTrustQuestionnaire.tsx — questionnaire UI
• apps/frontend/src/components/TrustModelDiff.tsx — diff table with selective apply

Modified:

• apps/frontend/src/pages/communities/new.tsx — 3-step flow with questionnaire as Step 2
• apps/frontend/src/pages/communities/[id].tsx — Revisit trust model in config tab

Tests: 33 TDD tests covering all 18 answer→config mappings, Q6 override behavior, diffConfigs, component rendering, and selective apply logic.

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Consequences

Positive:

• Founders interact with values and culture, not numbers
• Config is still fully editable after questionnaire — power users keep access
• Selective diff apply lets communities partially adopt evolution proposals
• Questionnaire is decoupled from config: adding new questions or changing mappings is a single-file change in trust-model.ts

Neutral:

• The questionnaire produces a Partial<CommunityConfig> merged on top of defaults — fields not covered by questionnaire answers (e.g. trust_path_max_hops, base_karma_pool_per_request) retain defaults
• Part 2 of the original idea (system-observed evolution proposals based on actual community behavior) is not yet implemented — that requires backend analytics

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Related

• ADR-030: Community Configuration System (Phase 1)
• ADR-037: Multi-Signal Trust Score
• ADR-040: Community Trust Score