Families struggle to coordinate medication management for elderly parents across multiple caregivers, leading to missed doses and health risks. Current solutions require technical expertise or lack real-time family coordination features.
Android-native medication coordination app enabling families to:
- Track medications with simple scheduling
- Coordinate care tasks between family members
- Work reliably offline for healthcare emergencies
- Send notifications for medication reminders
- Development: 8-week MVP delivery
- Target Users: 100 families for initial validation
- Performance: <2s app startup, 100% offline functionality
- Success: 60% day-7 retention, 2+ active family members
- Frontend: Jetpack Compose + Material 3 (native Android)
- Backend: Firebase (Auth + Firestore + FCM) - zero infrastructure
- Local Storage: Room + SQLCipher (offline-first)
- State Management: ViewModel + StateFlow (reactive)
- DI: Hilt (dependency injection)
| Decision | Alternative | Why Chosen for MVP |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase Backend | Custom API | 8 weeks faster development |
| Android Native | Cross-platform | 70% of target users, better performance |
| Offline-First | Online-only | Healthcare requires reliability |
| Family Focus | Individual users | Unique market differentiator |
User Action → ViewModel → Use Case → Repository → Room Database
← StateFlow ← ← ←
↕
Background Sync ←→ Firebase
- Build: Core medication tracking MVP
- Measure: User engagement and adherence rates
- Learn: Family coordination pain points
- Iterate: Based on user feedback, not assumptions
- Unit Tests: Domain logic and business rules
- Integration Tests: Firebase and Room database
- UI Tests: Critical user journeys only
- Target: >85% coverage for shipped features
- Medication Management: Add/edit medications with schedules
- Family Setup: Invite family members with role assignment
- Offline Storage: All data stored locally with background sync
- Basic Notifications: Medication reminder push notifications
- Assignment Distribution: Daily medication tasks for family members
- Progress Tracking: Mark medications taken/missed with timestamps
- Family Communication: Simple notes and status updates
- Emergency Access: Critical medication info available offline
- Firebase Auth: Email/password and Google sign-in
- Local Security: Device biometric unlock
- Session Management: Firebase handles token refresh
- Local Encryption: SQLCipher for sensitive medical data
- Network Security: Firebase TLS 1.3 by default
- Access Control: Family-based permissions via Firestore rules
// Simple Firestore security rules
allow read, write: if request.auth != null
&& request.auth.uid in resource.data.memberIds;| Metric | MVP Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| User Retention | 60% at day 7 | Firebase Analytics |
| Family Adoption | 2+ active members | Custom events |
| Core Feature Usage | 80% medication tracking | Event tracking |
| App Stability | <1% crash rate | Crashlytics |
- Problem-Solution Fit: User interviews and feedback
- Willingness to Pay: Survey 50+ active users
- Market Size: Measure organic growth and referrals
- Week 1-2: Core medication CRUD + basic UI
- Week 3-4: Family management + Firebase integration
- Week 5-6: Offline sync + push notifications
- Week 7-8: Polish, testing, and soft launch
- Code Review: Required for all changes
- Automated Testing: >85% coverage for new features
- User Testing: Weekly sessions with 5 target users
- Performance: <2s app startup on mid-range devices
- Instant UI: Room database as single source of truth
- Background Sync: Firebase updates when connected
- Minimal Dependencies: Keep APK size <20MB for slower networks
- Battery Optimization: Efficient sync and notification scheduling
| Device Tier | Ram | Target Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Low-end | 2GB | <3s startup, basic functionality |
| Mid-range | 4GB | <2s startup, smooth animations |
| High-end | 6GB+ | <1.5s startup, all features optimal |
- Code Quality: Focus on shipped features, not perfect abstractions
- Testing: Test critical paths thoroughly, skip edge cases for MVP
- Documentation: Document decisions, not implementation details
- Refactoring: Only when it enables new features
- Core Features: 100% test coverage for medication logic
- Happy Path: All user journeys work reliably
- Performance: App works on 3-year-old Android devices
- Security: Basic data protection and access control
- Language: English only for initial validation
- Platform: Android 7.0+ (covers 85% of target users)
- Features: Core medication tracking and family coordination
- Geography: US market initially (regulatory simplicity)
- iOS App: After Android product-market fit
- Doctor Integration: After core user behavior validation
- Advanced Analytics: After basic usage patterns established
- Internationalization: After domestic market validation
- Always Work Offline: Healthcare can't depend on internet
- Simple Conflict Resolution: Last-write-wins (document conflicts for later)
- Background Sync: When app opens and every hour when active
- User Visibility: Simple "synced/syncing" indicator
- Authentication: Email/password + Google sign-in
- Database: Firestore for real-time family coordination
- Storage: Minimal - medication photos only if needed
- Functions: Only for critical background tasks (invitations)
- User Retention: 60% of users active after 1 week
- Family Engagement: 2+ family members actively using app
- Core Value: Users report improved medication adherence
- Word of Mouth: >20% of users from referrals
- Reliability: App works when users need it most
- Performance: Fast enough on older Android devices
- Data Integrity: No lost medication data or assignments
- User Experience: Users can complete core tasks without confusion
- iOS Development: React Native or native iOS
- Advanced Features: Medication adherence analytics
- Doctor Integration: Prescription import and sharing
- Monetization: Subscription model validation
- API Layer: Extract business logic if Firebase limits hit
- Advanced Sync: Handle complex family conflict scenarios
- Enterprise Features: Healthcare provider partnerships
- International: Expand beyond US market
- Monitoring: Firebase built-in analytics and crash reporting
- Support: Email support with 24-hour response target
- Updates: Weekly releases during MVP phase
- Feedback: In-app feedback and user interview program
- Data Loss: Automated Firestore backups
- App Store: Maintain 4.0+ rating for visibility
- User Support: Personal touch during early validation
- Technical Issues: Quick iteration based on Crashlytics data
- Solo Developer: Android development and product decisions
- 5-10 Beta Families: Weekly feedback and testing
- Healthcare Advisor: Validate clinical workflows (consultant)
- Development: 80% feature building, 20% infrastructure
- User Research: 2 hours/week user interviews
- Documentation: Decisions and learnings, not comprehensive docs
- Testing: Focus on user journeys, not unit test coverage
- Build: Minimum features that solve core problem
- Measure: Real user behavior, not vanity metrics
- Learn: User feedback drives feature decisions
- Iterate: Weekly releases during validation phase
- Ship Early: Working feature > perfect architecture
- User Focus: Every feature must solve real user problem
- Data-Driven: User feedback and analytics guide decisions
- Technical Debt: Acceptable if it doesn't block users
- User Interviews: 20+ families validate core problem
- Feature Usage: 80% use medication tracking weekly
- Family Coordination: 60% have 2+ active family members
- User Satisfaction: Positive feedback on core workflows
- Retention: 60% weekly active users
- Engagement: 3+ sessions per week average
- Growth: 20%+ users from referrals
- Value: Users report measurable medication improvement
- System Design - Lean MVP architecture
- ADRs - Key architectural decisions
- API Integration - Firebase implementation
- UI Components - Compose component library
- Setup Guide - Development environment
- Testing Strategy - Test-first approach
- User Guide - Family setup and usage
Lean Startup MVP • 8-Week Development • Family-First Healthcare