Platform and user interaction - MVP¶
Device strategy¶
PetFolio is mobile-first. The primary interaction for Personal users - creation, sharing, and consumption - happens on phones. Professional users at larger organisations lean toward desktop and tablet.
| Context | Primary device | Usage pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Personal user creating a profile | Phone (also desktop) | Guided input, photo upload, done in stages |
| Personal user sharing a profile | Phone | Quick action, on the go |
| Sitter/carer consuming a profile | Phone | Quick reference, dipping in and out throughout the day |
| Professional staff on rounds | Tablet or phone | Checking specific animals, moving between locations |
| Professional admin/office work | Desktop or tablet | Sustained sessions, batch updates, staff management |
Connectivity and sync¶
Offline access¶
Users must be able to access pet profiles without an active internet connection. This is a firm requirement, not a nice-to-have. A sitter mid-walk with poor signal cannot be blocked from viewing the walk protocol or behaviour notes.
At minimum, profile reading and reference must work offline. Profile creation and editing should queue changes for sync when connectivity returns.
Sync model¶
- Inbound (server to device): lightweight checks at regular intervals to detect changes. Only pull data if something has changed. Do not continuously sync in the background - mobile data usage must be respected.
- Outbound (device to server): push changes on user action. If offline, queue changes locally and push when next connected.
- Conflict resolution: if the same profile is edited on two devices while offline, the system must handle the conflict gracefully (detailed approach to be defined during engineering).
Authentication by context¶
Authentication behaviour is driven by the device context and who shares the device, not just the account type.
| Context | Device ownership | Session behaviour | Re-authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal mobile | Personal device | Persistent login | Device biometrics (PIN, fingerprint, face ID) |
| Personal desktop | Personal or family device | Persistent login | Convenience-first, treat like mobile |
| Professional shared desktop | Shared device | Sign in/out per user | Full sign-in required, sessions do not persist |
| Professional mobile/tablet | Personal or shared | Depends on device ownership | Biometrics if personal, sign-in if shared |
Search and navigation¶
Personal accounts¶
- Section-based navigation within a profile (jump to diet, routine, behaviour, health)
- Tag and category browsing
- Safety brief and Top Tips always accessible without searching
Professional accounts¶
Filterable animal list with:
- Text search: name
- Multi-choice filters: species, breed, gender, status
- Default view: excludes Draft and Archived animals
- Filter to include: Draft and Archived when needed
Onboarding¶
Account and profile creation follows the same guided prompt pattern used for pet profiles:
- Structured prompts walk the user through setup step by step
- Not overwhelming - the minimum needed to get started
- Consistent experience across account creation and pet profile creation
Content capture¶
- Photo upload directly from phone camera
- Single profile picture per animal for MVP