iFarted/memory-bank/productContext.md

Product Context — iFarted

Why This Project Exists

Pure-play comedic utility. The product is the punchline: a friend's phone lights up with a deadpan push notification reading "I farted." There is no feed, no inbox, no typing — the notification itself is the entire message. This is Yo! (2014) with flatulence: Yo's own feature summary ("send individual notifications to other users, simply containing the word 'Yo'... additionally send their location") is essentially our brief.

The location attachment upgrades the joke ("I farted." where?) and drives opening the app to see the map pin — which is also where ads live.

Positioning (stolen from Yo, verbatim philosophy)

"Context-based messaging. You understand by the context what is being said." — Or Arbel (Yo creator), via CNET. One phrase; the sender, the timing, and the optional location carry the meaning. A fart at 8am from your partner means "good morning." A fart from a co-worker while you're in a meeting means "get me out." This framing also doubles as our App Review explanation (Apple once rejected Yo for being "too simple").

How It Should Work (UX Flow — Yo pattern)

1. Onboarding (< 60s):
   • Claim a unique @username (first-come-first-served, Yo/Twitter style).
   • Optional: add phone number → opt-in "find friends from contacts."
   • Alternative entry: open an invite link/code → auto-connect to inviter.
   • Request notification permission with a plain-language explanation.
2. Home screen: list of your people (most-recently active first) + big primary send action + "attach my location" toggle. Ad banner (default placement). Empty state pushes the three add-friend paths (search username / contacts / invite).
3. Send: tap a person → instant delivery feedback ("Fart delivered 🫢"). Optionally tap a "with location" toggle first.
4. Recipient experience: push = title: sender's name, body: "I farted.", custom fart sound (Yo sent text + an audio alert of the word). Tap → app:
   • no location → deadpan "whoever farted" screen with a one-tap "fart back";
   • with location → map pin at the sender's location + one-tap fart back.
5. Settings: Remove Ads (IAP) + Restore Purchases, notification sound on/off, phone-discovery toggle, account (username, sign out), privacy note.
6. Ad-free: owning the entitlement unmounts ad containers everywhere.

Ephemerality (Yo decision — resolved)

No message history/inbox/feed. The notification IS the message; the app only shows the latest fart from a person to keep the recipient list ordered. Nothing to scroll, nothing to archive.

Experience Goals

• Setup < 60 seconds; sending = 1 tap (2 with location); zero typing, always.
• Tone: consistently dry/wry, never gross; the name + store listing set the tone.
• Privacy feels safe: location per-message and explicit; phone only used for opt-in matching.
• Add-a-friend is the retention lever — all three connection paths must be one or two taps from the empty state.

Target Users

Friends, partners, roommates (teens/adults). Viral loop: receiving a fart notification is funny enough to screenshot/share → "send a fart to your friends."

Key UX Risks / Notes

• Empty network kills the app → first-run add-a-friend flow is the most important screen.
• Harassment vector (Yo suffered spam/spoofing) → server-side rate limits + block; keep the recipient list explicit (you only receive farts from people you've added, pending acceptance for strangers).
• Ad placement must never block the joke (banner; no interstitial before sending).