MVP Plan for VibeCheck
1. Core Features and Functionality
Essential Features for MVP
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User Registration/Authentication: Allow users to register via email, phone, or third-party accounts (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music).
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Mood Sharing: Users can share their current mood and a corresponding music track from an integrated music service.
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Mood Profile Dashboard: Simple visualization of users’ mood history and associated tracks.
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Community Feed: User-generated content feed displaying current moods and shared music from friends.
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Night Mode Feature: A mode for spontaneous late-night sharing where users can connect casually.
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Basic Analytics: Collect and store user interaction data to inform future feature decisions.
Deferred Features to Later Versions
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Advanced Mood Analytics: Deep insights into emotional trends and recommendations.
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Premium Subscriptions: Monetization features and additional functionalities for paid users.
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Group Challenges: Community-driven activities or events based on shared music/moods.
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Gamification Elements: Reward systems that encourage user interaction (e.g., badges, points).
User Journey and Key Use Cases
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User Registration: New user downloads and registers for VibeCheck.
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Mood Sharing: User opens the app, selects a mood, chooses a song, and shares it on their feed.
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Community Interaction: Users scroll through their feed, react to friends’ posts, and engage by sharing their songs.
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Analytics Review: Users check their mood profile to see trends over time and how their moods correlate with their song choices.
Technical Requirements at a High Level
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Frontend: Built with React for the web and React Native for mobile applications.
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Backend: Node.js with Express for the server, connected to a PostgreSQL database.
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Integration: Spotify and/or Apple Music APIs for music selection.
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Infrastructure: AWS for hosting, including EC2 instances and RDS for database management.
2. Feature Prioritization
MoSCoW Analysis
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Must-Have:
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User Registration/Authentication
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Mood Sharing
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Community Feed
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Should-Have:
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Mood Profile Dashboard
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Basic Analytics
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Could-Have:
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Night Mode Feature
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Personalized user-driven playlists
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Won’t-Have:
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Advanced Analytics (to be developed post-MVP)
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Premium Subscription Features
Reasoning Behind Prioritization Decisions
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User registration and mood sharing are the fundamental propositions of VibeCheck, focusing on emotional expression and engagement.
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Enhancements like dashboards or analytics provide additional value but aren’t strictly necessary for validating the core concept.
Dependencies Between Features
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The user authentication feature is a prerequisite for mood sharing and dashboard functionalities.
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Music integration is crucial for mood sharing, necessitating early development of third-party API connections.
3. Development Timeline and Milestones
Realistic Timeline for MVP Development: 6 Months
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Month 1-2: Planning and Design
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Conduct detailed UX/UI designs.
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Design database schemas and API documentation.
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Establish partnerships with music streaming services.
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Month 3-4: Development
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Develop user registration/authentication (Month 3).
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Implement mood sharing functionality (Month 3).
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Build community feed (Month 4).
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Month 5: Testing
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Conduct alpha testing within a closed user group.
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Collect feedback and resolve bugs.
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Develop the mood profile dashboard (Month 5).
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Month 6: Launch and Initial Marketing
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Launch the MVP on iOS and Android.
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Begin marketing efforts to acquire initial users through social media platforms.
Key Milestones
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End of Month 1: Completion of design and planning.
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End of Month 4: MVP feature development completion.
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End of Month 6: Launch MVP to the public.
Suggested Development Phases
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Phase 1 - Discovery: Determine requirements, design features, and structure the team.
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Phase 2 - Development: Actual coding of MVP features, iterative testing, and enhancement.
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Phase 3 - Launch: Release MVP to the public and begin user acquisition campaigns.
4. Success Metrics and Validation Criteria
KPIs to Measure MVP Success
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User Engagement: Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU).
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Mood Sharing Frequency: The number of moods and music shared daily.
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Retention Rate: The percentage of users returning after the first week/month.
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Feedback Ratings: Average rating from user feedback collected via in-app prompts.
User Feedback Collection Methods
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Regularly prompt users for feedback through surveys within the app.
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Implement a feedback option on the mood-sharing interface.
Criteria for Iterating or Pivoting
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If user retention is below 20% after one month.
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If engagement metrics show less than 50% participation in mood sharing.
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High volumes of negative feedback regarding core functionalities like user experience or reliability.
5. Resource Requirements
Team Composition Needed for Development
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Developers: 2 Frontend, 2 Backend
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UX/UI Designers: 1 to design user interfaces and experiences.
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Product Manager: 1 to oversee the project and coordinate development.
Estimated Budget Range
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Total Estimated Budget: $150,000 - $250,000, covering development salaries, marketing, operational costs, and legal considerations.
Third-Party Tools or Services to Consider
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API Integrations: Leveraging Spotify and Apple Music for mood/music features.
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Cloud Hosting: AWS for backend services.
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Analytics: Firebase for initial user analytics.
Technical Infrastructure Needs
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Development Environment: GitHub for version control and collaboration.
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Project Management Tools: Tools like Jira or Trello to track development tasks.
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Testing Platforms: Browser testing (e.g., BrowserStack) and Load testing tools for stress-testing the app.
This MVP plan should provide a strong foundation for developing VibeCheck, ensuring that essential features are focused on maximizing user engagement while validating core assumptions about the platform’s value to Gen Z users. A phased approach will allow for iterations based on early user feedback, adapting to market needs and enhancing the user experience over time.
