System Requirements Document

1. Introduction

This document outlines the system requirements for the Guised Up social platform, designed to help users show up authentically online. The platform emphasizes real connections over curated content, focusing on genuine interactions and semantic relevance.

2. System Overview

Guised Up is a social platform that provides a personalized feed based on authenticity, relationship depth, semantic similarity, and time decay. The application is built using React Native for the mobile frontend, with a Laravel PHP and Python backend. It utilizes SQL databases and a vector database for intelligent search and recommendations.

3. Functional Requirements

Real Connections Feed

• As a user, I want to see a personalized feed that ranks content based on authenticity signals, so that I can view genuine posts.
• As a user, I want my feed to prioritize content from people I interact with genuinely, so that I can maintain meaningful connections.
• As a user, I want the feed to understand my interests using semantic similarity, so that I see relevant topics.
• As a user, I want newer content to be preferred in my feed, without compromising relevance, so that I stay updated.
• As a user, I want to search the feed using natural language queries, so that I can find semantically relevant posts easily.

Backend API

• As a developer, I want to create a new post via a POST /api/posts endpoint, so that users can share content.
• As a developer, I want to return a personalized feed via a GET /api/feed endpoint, so that users can view their ranked content.
• As a developer, I want to enable natural language search via a GET /api/search endpoint, so that users can find relevant posts.
• As a developer, I want to log user interactions via a POST /api/interactions endpoint, so that relationship depth signals are captured.

React Native Screen

• As a user, I want to view my feed on a React Native screen, so that I can interact with the platform on my mobile device.
• As a user, I want to see each post with an avatar, username, post text, time ago, and a reaction button, so that I can engage with the content.
• As a user, I want infinite scroll functionality, so that I can continuously browse my feed.
• As a user, I want a search bar at the top of the feed screen, so that I can perform searches easily.
• As a user, I want the app to handle loading, empty, and error states gracefully, so that I have a smooth user experience.

SQL Queries

• As a developer, I want to write SQL queries to identify the top 10 most active users, so that user engagement can be analyzed.
• As a developer, I want to retrieve posts from users with whom a given user interacts most, so that interaction patterns can be studied.
• As a developer, I want to find posts with high views but no reactions, so that content engagement can be assessed.
• As a developer, I want to detect potential spam by identifying users with excessive posts, so that platform integrity is maintained.

Additional Requirements

• As a developer, I want to include a subject line in my submission email, so that it is correctly identified as part of the Guised Up application process.
• As a developer, I want to explain my decisions in the Technical Solution Document, so that the rationale behind my architectural choices is clear.
• As a developer, I am expected to think through the architecture, so that the system is designed efficiently and effectively.

4. User Personas

• Regular User: Engages with the platform to connect authentically with others and consume genuine content.
• Developer: Implements and maintains the platform's backend and frontend functionalities.

5. Core User Flows

Regular User

1. Open the app and log in.
2. View the personalized feed.
3. Interact with posts by reacting or commenting.
4. Use the search bar to find specific content.
5. Scroll through the feed with infinite scroll.

Developer

1. Implement API endpoints for post creation, feed retrieval, search, and interaction logging.
2. Develop the React Native screen to display the feed.
3. Write SQL queries for data analysis and spam detection.
4. Prepare and submit the Technical Solution Document with architectural explanations.

6. Visuals Colors and Theme

• Color Palette: Professional blues and teals to convey authenticity and trust.
• Theme: Modern and clean design with emphasis on user-generated content.

7. Signature Design Concept

• Design Concept: Focus on simplicity and user-centric design, ensuring ease of navigation and interaction.

8. Interaction Model & Motion Direction

• Interaction Model: Intuitive touch interactions with smooth transitions and feedback.
• Motion Direction: Subtle animations to enhance user experience without distraction.

9. Non-Functional Requirements

• Performance: The app should load feeds and search results quickly.
• Scalability: The system should handle increasing numbers of users and posts efficiently.
• Security: Ensure secure access and data protection using token-based authentication.

10. Tech Stack

• Frontend: React Native
• Backend: Laravel PHP, Python
• Database: MySQL or PostgreSQL with migrations
• Vector Database: Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector, Qdrant, or Chroma
• Embeddings: OpenAI or sentence-transformers

11. Assumptions and Constraints

• Users prefer authentic content over highly curated posts.
• The system must integrate AI tools for efficiency.
• The platform should support natural language processing for search functionality.

12. Glossary

• Authenticity Signals: Indicators of genuine content, such as minimal filters and honest text.
• Relationship Depth: Measure of meaningful interactions between users.
• Semantic Similarity: Understanding of content relevance based on meaning rather than keywords.
• Vector Embeddings: Numerical representations of content used for semantic search.