Skip to content

PRD.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
793 lines (590 loc) · 28.3 KB

PRD.md

File metadata and controls

793 lines (590 loc) · 28.3 KB
Raw

Product Requirements Document: StreakDSA

Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: 2026-01-01
Status: Draft

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Problem Statement
  3. Product Vision & Principles
  4. Target Audience
  5. User Stories & User Flows
  6. Functional Requirements
  7. Non-Functional Requirements
  8. Data Model
  9. UI/UX Specifications
  10. Technical Architecture
  11. Out of Scope
  12. Success Metrics
  13. Project Timeline
  14. Future Considerations
  15. Integration Strategy
  16. Appendix

1. Executive Summary

1.1 Product Overview

StreakDSA is a commitment enforcement system designed to make skipping daily DSA (Data Structures & Algorithms) practice psychologically harder than completing it.

Attribute Value
Working Name StreakDSA
Inspired By Duolingo (streaks, gems), GitHub (heatmap)
Target User Solo developers and working professionals preparing DSA daily
Primary Goal Enforce daily DSA execution through accountability mechanisms

1.2 Core Value Proposition

This is not a productivity app. This is a commitment enforcement system.

When a user skips:

  • They lose their streak
  • They see the failure
  • They feel the consequence

2. Problem Statement

2.1 The Challenge

Most DSA preparation plans fail not due to lack of learning content, but due to:

Failure Factor Description
No External Accountability Self-commitment without consequences rarely persists
No Immediate Consequences Skipping a day has no visible impact
No Visual Progress Reinforcement Achievements aren't celebrated or visualized
No Commitment Mechanism Open-ended goals lack urgency

2.2 Current State

Users attempting DSA preparation face:

  • Motivation decay after initial enthusiasm
  • Silent failures where missed days go unnoticed
  • No commitment contract with defined end dates
  • Lack of visual shame for broken commitments

2.3 Solution

StreakDSA enforces daily execution through:

Streaks + Reminders + Visual Shame + Rewards

3. Product Vision & Principles

3.1 Product Vision

A daily accountability system that makes breaking DSA commitments painful and visible, while rewarding consistency.

3.2 Core Principles (Non-Negotiable)

Principle Description
One Action Per Day User marks DSA done — nothing else required
Zero Friction Check-in must take ≤10 seconds
Harsh Streak Loss No silent failures; broken streaks are visible
Visual Progress Matrix heatmap shows history at a glance
Fixed Pledge Commitment has a defined end date

4. Target Audience

4.1 Primary Persona

Attribute Value
Profile Solo developer / working professional
Goal Preparing for DSA interviews or skill building
Behavior Wants daily accountability, not course content
Pain Point Struggles with consistency, not knowledge

4.2 User Characteristics

  • Self-motivated but needs external reinforcement
  • Prefers simplicity over feature-rich solutions
  • Values visual progress tracking
  • Responds to commitment mechanisms (streaks, pledges)

5. User Stories & User Flows

5.1 User Stories

US-001: User Onboarding

As a new user
I want to sign up and set my DSA pledge
So that I can start my accountability journey with a defined commitment

Acceptance Criteria:

  • User can sign up via Magic Link or Google OAuth
  • User sets pledge duration (e.g., 30, 60, 90 days)
  • User sets daily reminder time
  • User provides phone number for WhatsApp notifications (optional)

US-002: Daily Check-In

As a pledged user
I want to mark my daily DSA practice as complete
So that my streak is maintained and I stay accountable

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Single "Mark Today Complete" button visible on dashboard
  • Check-in takes less than 10 seconds
  • Day marked as completed immediately updates streak
  • Deadline enforcement (default: 10:00 PM user's time)
  • After deadline, day is marked as missed automatically

US-003: Problem Logging (Optional)

As a user who completed daily practice
I want to optionally log the problems I solved
So that I can track what topics I've covered

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Optional — can skip without affecting completion
  • Maximum 2 problems per day
  • Fields: Topic (dropdown), Problem name (text), Difficulty (Easy/Medium/Hard)

US-004: View Progress Heatmap

As a user
I want to see my progress in a visual matrix
So that I can immediately understand my consistency patterns

Acceptance Criteria:

  • GitHub-style heatmap view
  • Rows represent topics
  • Columns represent dates
  • Color coding: 🟩 completed, 🟥 missed, 🔥 streak milestones

US-005: Receive Notifications

As a user
I want to receive daily reminders and missed day alerts
So that I'm held accountable and don't silently fail

Acceptance Criteria:

  • Daily reminder at user-configured time via WhatsApp + Email
  • Missed day alert sent next morning
  • Message includes current streak and days remaining

5.2 User Flow: Happy Path

flowchart TD
    A[User Signs Up] --> B[Sets Pledge Duration]
    B --> C[Sets Daily Reminder Time]
    C --> D[Dashboard Active]

    D --> E{New Day}
    E --> F[Receives Reminder]
    F --> G[Opens App]
    G --> H[Clicks 'Mark Today Complete']
    H --> I[Optionally Logs Problems]
    I --> J[System Updates Streak]
    J --> K[Awards Gems]
    K --> L[Updates Heatmap]
    L --> E

    E --> M{Deadline Passes?}
    M -->|No Check-in| N[Day Marked Missed]
    N --> O[Streak Resets to 0]
    O --> P[Missed Day Alert Sent]
    P --> E
Loading

6. Functional Requirements

6.1 Daily Check-In System

ID Requirement Priority
FR-001 System shall provide a single "Mark Today Complete" button P0
FR-002 Check-in deadline shall be configurable (default: 10:00 PM) P0
FR-003 Missed deadline automatically marks day as incomplete P0
FR-004 No partial credit — completion is binary only P0

6.2 Streak System

ID Requirement Priority
FR-010 System shall track current_streak (consecutive completed days) P0
FR-011 System shall track max_streak (highest streak achieved) P0
FR-012 System shall track pledge_days (total commitment) P0
FR-013 System shall track days_completed (total successful days) P0
FR-014 Streak increments by 1 when day is marked complete P0
FR-015 Streak resets to 0 when day is missed P0
FR-016 Pledge success is achieved when days_completed == pledge_days P0

6.3 Gems Economy

Action Gems Awarded
Day completed +10
7-day streak achieved +50
30-day streak achieved +200
Pledge completed +500
ID Requirement Priority
FR-020 System shall award gems based on actions table above P1
FR-021 Gems are display-only — no spending mechanism P1
FR-022 Total gems visible on dashboard P1

6.4 Problem Tracking

ID Requirement Priority
FR-030 User can optionally log up to 2 problems per day P2
FR-031 Problem fields: Topic (dropdown), Name (text), Difficulty (enum) P2
FR-032 Difficulty options: Easy, Medium, Hard P2
FR-033 Problem logging is independent of day completion P2

6.5 Matrix Heatmap View

ID Requirement Priority
FR-040 System shall display a matrix-style heatmap P0
FR-041 Rows represent topics P0
FR-042 Columns represent dates P0
FR-043 Cell states: 🟩 completed, 🟥 missed, 🔥 streak milestone P0
FR-044 Heatmap is scrollable for date navigation P1

6.6 Notifications

ID Requirement Priority
FR-050 Daily reminder sent at user-configured time P0
FR-051 Reminder sent via WhatsApp AND Email P0
FR-052 Reminder message format: "Day X/Y. Streak at risk. Mark today complete." P0
FR-053 Missed day alert sent next morning P0
FR-054 Missed alert format: "You broke your streak at X days." P0

7. Non-Functional Requirements

7.1 Performance

ID Requirement Target
NFR-001 Dashboard load time < 2 seconds
NFR-002 Check-in action time < 500ms
NFR-003 Heatmap render time < 1 second

7.2 Availability

ID Requirement Target
NFR-010 System uptime 99.5%
NFR-011 Notification delivery 99% within 5 minutes of scheduled time

7.3 Usability

ID Requirement Target
NFR-020 Check-in flow completion ≤ 10 seconds from open to complete
NFR-021 Mobile responsiveness Full functionality on mobile browsers

7.4 Security

ID Requirement Target
NFR-030 Authentication Magic Link or OAuth 2.0 (Google)
NFR-031 Data encryption TLS 1.3 for transit, AES-256 at rest
NFR-032 Session management Secure, HTTP-only cookies

8. Data Model

8.1 Entity Relationship Diagram

erDiagram
    User ||--o{ DailyLog : has
    DailyLog ||--o{ ProblemLog : contains

    User {
        uuid id PK
        string email UK
        string phone
        int pledge_days
        date start_date
        time reminder_time
        int current_streak
        int max_streak
        int gems
        timestamp created_at
        timestamp updated_at
    }

    DailyLog {
        uuid id PK
        uuid user_id FK
        date date
        boolean completed
        timestamp marked_at
        timestamp created_at
    }

    ProblemLog {
        uuid id PK
        uuid daily_log_id FK
        string topic
        string name
        enum difficulty
        timestamp created_at
    }
Loading

8.2 Schema Details

User Table

Field Type Constraints Description
id UUID PK Unique identifier
email VARCHAR(255) UK, NOT NULL User email
phone VARCHAR(20) NULLABLE WhatsApp number
pledge_days INT NOT NULL Total commitment days
start_date DATE NOT NULL Pledge start date
reminder_time TIME NOT NULL, DEFAULT '22:00' Daily reminder time
current_streak INT DEFAULT 0 Current consecutive days
max_streak INT DEFAULT 0 Highest streak achieved
gems INT DEFAULT 0 Total gems earned
created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL Account creation
updated_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL Last update

DailyLog Table

Field Type Constraints Description
id UUID PK Unique identifier
user_id UUID FK → User.id Owner reference
date DATE NOT NULL Log date
completed BOOLEAN NOT NULL, DEFAULT FALSE Completion status
marked_at TIMESTAMP NULLABLE When marked complete
created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL Record creation

Constraints:

  • UNIQUE(user_id, date) — one log per user per day

ProblemLog Table

Field Type Constraints Description
id UUID PK Unique identifier
daily_log_id UUID FK → DailyLog.id Parent log reference
topic VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL Problem topic/category
name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL Problem name
difficulty ENUM NOT NULL Easy, Medium, Hard
created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL Record creation

Constraints:

  • Maximum 2 problems per daily_log_id (enforced at application level)

9. UI/UX Specifications

9.1 Screens Overview

Screen Purpose Priority
Dashboard Primary interaction — streak, gems, check-in P0
Today Log Optional problem logging P2
Matrix View Visual progress heatmap P0
Onboarding Pledge setup P0

9.2 Dashboard Screen

Components:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                             │
│     🔥 Current Streak: 16 days              │
│     💎 Gems: 210                            │
│     ⏳ Days Remaining: 74/90                │
│                                             │
│  ╔═════════════════════════════════════╗   │
│  ║                                     ║   │
│  ║    [ Mark Today Complete ✓ ]        ║   │
│  ║                                     ║   │
│  ╚═════════════════════════════════════╝   │
│                                             │
│     Optional: Log problems solved today     │
│                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

States:

  • Pending: Button active, awaiting check-in
  • Completed: Button disabled, shows checkmark
  • Missed: Shows ❌ with streak reset message

9.3 Today Log Screen

Fields:

  • Topic (Dropdown): Arrays, Strings, Trees, Graphs, DP, etc.
  • Problem Name (Text input)
  • Difficulty (Radio): Easy | Medium | Hard
  • Save Button

Constraints:

  • Maximum 2 problems displayed
  • Add button disabled after 2 entries

9.4 Matrix View Screen

Layout:

  • Horizontal scroll for date navigation
  • Vertical scroll for topic navigation
  • Cell size: touch-friendly (minimum 40x40px)
  • Legend: 🟩 Completed | 🟥 Missed | 🔥 Milestone

10. Technical Architecture

10.1 Tech Stack

Layer Technology Rationale
Frontend Next.js SSR, fast builds, integrated routing
Backend Next.js API Routes Unified codebase, serverless-ready
Database PostgreSQL Reliable, ACID-compliant, good for time-series
ORM Prisma Type-safe, migrations, developer experience
Authentication Magic Link / Google OAuth Low friction, no password management
Email Resend Developer-friendly API, reliability
WhatsApp Twilio / Meta API Enterprise-grade delivery
Scheduler Cron (Vercel / Railway) Native platform support
Hosting Vercel / Railway Easy deployment, edge functions

10.2 System Architecture

flowchart TB
    subgraph Client
        Web[Next.js Frontend]
    end

    subgraph Server
        API[Next.js API Routes]
        Cron[Cron Jobs]
    end

    subgraph Data
        DB[(PostgreSQL)]
    end

    subgraph External
        Email[Resend API]
        WhatsApp[Twilio/Meta API]
        Auth[OAuth Provider]
    end

    Web --> API
    API --> DB
    Cron --> DB
    Cron --> Email
    Cron --> WhatsApp
    Web --> Auth
Loading

10.3 Cron Jobs

Job Schedule Description
Send Daily Reminders Once/day per user timezone Send reminder at user's configured time
Check Missed Days Daily at midnight Mark uncompleted days as missed
Update Streaks After missed day check Reset streaks for users who missed
Award Gems After streak updates Award milestone gems

10.4 API Endpoints

Endpoint Method Description
/api/auth/[...nextauth] * Authentication handlers
/api/user/onboard POST Set pledge and reminder
/api/checkin POST Mark today complete
/api/problems POST Log a problem
/api/dashboard GET Get dashboard data
/api/matrix GET Get heatmap data
/api/cron/reminder POST Trigger daily reminders
/api/cron/process-day POST Process missed days

11. Out of Scope

The following features are explicitly NOT included in MVP:

Feature Reason
❌ Social features This is personal accountability
❌ Leaderboards Competition not part of core value
❌ Discussion/comments Not a community platform
❌ Analytics dashboards Heatmap is sufficient
❌ Motivational quotes Not an inspiration app
❌ Courses/content This is accountability, not education
❌ AI suggestions Keeping it simple
❌ Gem spending/store Display-only economy

12. Success Metrics

12.1 Primary Metrics (Binary)

Metric Target Method
Pledge Completion Rate User completes ≥80% of pledged days days_completed / pledge_days >= 0.8
Streak Consistency Never skip >2 consecutive days Monitor max gap in DailyLog
Visual Fill Rate Heatmap visibly fills over time UI observation

12.2 Secondary Metrics

Metric Target
Daily Active Users 80% of active pledges
Check-in Time < 10 seconds
Notification Open Rate > 30%

If primary metrics are achieved → Product works.

13. Project Timeline

13.1 Development Schedule (7 Days)

Day Task Deliverable
Day 1 Auth + User model Working signup/login, User schema
Day 2 Daily log + streak logic Check-in API, streak calculation
Day 3 Dashboard + check-in Dashboard UI, check-in button
Day 4 Matrix view Heatmap component
Day 5 Email reminders Resend integration, cron job
Day 6 WhatsApp integration Twilio/Meta setup
Day 7 Polish + deploy Testing, production deployment

13.2 Milestones

Milestone Target Date Criteria
M1: Auth Complete Day 1 EOD User can sign up and log in
M2: Core Loop Working Day 3 EOD User can check in, see streak
M3: Visualization Day 4 EOD Heatmap displays correctly
M4: Notifications Day 6 EOD Reminders sending correctly
M5: Production Ready Day 7 EOD Deployed, tested, monitored

14. Future Considerations

The following are out of scope for MVP but may be considered for future versions:

Feature Description Version
Forgiveness Tokens Allow 1-2 recovery tokens per pledge v2.0
Multiple Pledges Run sequential or parallel pledges v2.0
Mobile App Native iOS/Android applications v3.0
Team Mode Group accountability (optional) v3.0
Topic Analytics Detailed breakdowns by topic v2.0
LeetCode Sync Auto-detect completed problems v2.0
DSA Sheet Import Import progress from Striver/NeetCode v2.0

15. Integration Strategy

15.1 MVP Approach: Manual Check-In

[!IMPORTANT] > MVP uses manual check-in only. No external integrations.

Rationale:

  • Zero external dependencies — won't break if LeetCode changes
  • Works for any source — LeetCode, Codeforces, NeetCode, AlgoExpert, custom problems
  • Faster to ship within 7-day timeline
  • Core value is accountability, not tracking

User Flow:

  1. User solves problems anywhere (LeetCode, Striver sheet, etc.)
  2. User opens StreakDSA
  3. User clicks "Mark Today Complete"
  4. Optionally logs 1-2 problems solved

15.2 Post-MVP: LeetCode Integration (v2.0)

Priority: Nice-to-have

Options:

Approach Pros Cons
Browser Extension Direct detection, reliable Requires install, more work
GraphQL Scraping No install needed Unofficial, may break
User-submitted link Simple, reliable Still manual

Recommended: Browser extension that auto-populates problem log when user solves on LeetCode.

15.3 Post-MVP: DSA Sheet Import (v2.0)

Target Sheets:

Striver A2Z Structure (455 problems):

Step Topic Problems
1 Learn the Basics 31
2 Sorting Techniques 7
3 Arrays (Easy → Hard) 40
4 Binary Search 32
5 Strings 15
6 Linked Lists 31
7 Recursion 25
8 Bit Manipulation 18
9 Stack & Queues 30
10 Sliding Window & Two Pointer 12
11 Heaps 17
12 Greedy 16
13 Binary Trees 39
14 Binary Search Trees 16
15 Graphs 54
16 Dynamic Programming 56
17 Tries 7
18 Advanced Strings 9

Import Feature Design:

  • User selects which sheet they're following
  • Topics auto-populated from sheet structure
  • Progress can be synced via sheet URL (if public) or manual mapping

15.4 Integration Decision Matrix

Feature MVP v2.0 v3.0
Manual check-in ✅ ✅ ✅
Manual problem logging ✅ ✅ ✅
LeetCode browser extension ❌ ✅ ✅
Striver sheet import ❌ ✅ ✅
LeetCode GraphQL sync ❌ ❌ ⚠️
Codeforces integration ❌ ❌ ⚠️

Legend: ✅ Included | ❌ Not included | ⚠️ Evaluate feasibility

16. Appendix

16.1 Notification Templates

Daily Reminder

WhatsApp/Email:
"Day {current_day}/{pledge_days}. Streak at risk. Mark today complete."

Example:
"Day 17/90. Streak at risk. Mark today complete."

Missed Day Alert

WhatsApp/Email:
"You broke your streak at {streak_days} days."

Example:
"You broke your streak at 16 days."

16.2 Topic Dropdown Options (Aligned with Striver A2Z)

- Basics & Fundamentals
- Sorting Techniques
- Arrays
- Binary Search
- Strings
- Linked Lists
- Recursion & Backtracking
- Bit Manipulation
- Stacks & Queues
- Sliding Window & Two Pointer
- Heaps
- Greedy
- Binary Trees
- Binary Search Trees
- Graphs
- Dynamic Programming
- Tries
- Other

16.3 Difficulty Enum

enum Difficulty {
  EASY = "Easy",
  MEDIUM = "Medium",
  HARD = "Hard",
}

Document History

Version Date Author Changes
1.0 2026-01-01 — Initial PRD creation

End of Document