Quest Discovery: Formal Requirements Specification

This document contains the formal requirements for the Quest Discovery virtual geocaching application. Requirements are organized hierarchically with high-level requirements and sub-requirements.

[REQ-AUTH] User Authentication and Account Management

Rationale: Users need secure and flexible authentication options to access the app. Supporting multiple authentication methods accommodates different user preferences while ensuring account security and data privacy.

Verification Criteria:

• Support multiple authentication methods (social and standalone)
• Secure storage of credentials and user data
• Account recovery mechanisms available
• Seamless authentication experience across app sessions

[REQ-AUTH-1] Third-Party Authentication Integration

Rationale: Many users prefer authenticating with existing social accounts for convenience and to reduce password fatigue. Integration with major platforms lowers barriers to entry and enables social features.

Verification Criteria:

• Support Facebook authentication
• Support Google authentication
• Support Apple authentication
• Support Microsoft authentication
• Handle OAuth flows securely
• Properly manage authentication tokens and refresh cycles
• Graceful error handling for authentication failures

[REQ-AUTH-2] Standalone Account Management

Rationale: Not all users want to link geocaching activity to social accounts. Standalone accounts provide privacy-conscious users with an alternative authentication method.

Verification Criteria:

• Email and password registration
• Strong password requirements and validation
• Email verification for new accounts
• Password reset functionality
• Account deletion capability
• Secure credential storage using industry standards

[REQ-SOCIAL] Social Platform Integration

Rationale: Connecting external social platforms enables users to share achievements, discover friends using the app, and increase viral growth through cross-platform sharing. Different platforms offer different capabilities that should be leveraged appropriately.

Verification Criteria:

• Support connection to multiple social platforms
• Secure OAuth integration for each platform
• User control over connected accounts
• Clear privacy policies for data sharing

[REQ-SOCIAL-FB] Facebook Integration

Rationale: Facebook has the largest social network and strong integration with Meta’s ecosystem. Users can discover friends and share achievements to increase engagement.

Verification Criteria:

• Connect Facebook account to Quest Discovery profile
• Discover friends who also use Quest Discovery via Facebook connections
• Share quest completions to Facebook timeline
• Respect Facebook API rate limits and terms of service
• Handle disconnection of Facebook account

[REQ-SOCIAL-IG] Instagram Integration

Rationale: Instagram is a visual platform ideal for sharing quest completion photos and achievements. The platform’s younger demographic aligns with target users.

Verification Criteria:

• Connect Instagram account to Quest Discovery profile
• Discover mutual connections who use Quest Discovery
• Share quest completion photos to Instagram feed or stories
• Format posts appropriately for Instagram’s requirements
• Handle disconnection of Instagram account

[REQ-SOCIAL-X] X (Twitter) Integration

Rationale: X provides a platform for sharing achievements and engaging with the broader geocaching community through public posts.

Verification Criteria:

• Connect X account to Quest Discovery profile
• Share quest completions to X timeline
• Include appropriate hashtags and formatting
• Handle disconnection of X account

[REQ-SOCIAL-TT] TikTok Integration

Rationale: TikTok’s video-first platform and massive user base provides opportunities for viral growth and community engagement.

Verification Criteria:

• Connect TikTok account to Quest Discovery profile
• Discover mutual connections who use Quest Discovery
• Optionally share quest completions to TikTok
• Handle disconnection of TikTok account

[REQ-ACHIEVE] Achievement and Progression System

Rationale: A robust achievement system motivates users to explore more locations, complete challenging quests, and engage with the community. Multiple achievement categories and leaderboards provide goals for different play styles.

Verification Criteria:

• Track multiple point categories independently
• Calculate and display cumulative ratings
• Maintain separate leaderboards for each category
• Public visibility by default with privacy controls
• Real-time point updates upon quest completion

[REQ-ACHIEVE-1] Official Quest Points

Rationale: Official quests represent curated, high-quality content that users can trust. Tiered difficulty levels reward users appropriately for quest complexity and challenge.

Verification Criteria:

• Award points for completing official quests
• Implement tiered difficulty system with corresponding point values
• Higher difficulty quests award more points
• Official quest designation visible on quest pages
• Maintain separate leaderboard for official quest points
• Track completion counts per difficulty tier

[REQ-ACHIEVE-2] Community Quest Points

Rationale: Community-created content expands available quests beyond developer capacity. Separate point tracking distinguishes community quests from official quests while still rewarding completion.

Verification Criteria:

• Award points for completing community quests
• Separate point tracking from official quests
• Maintain separate leaderboard for community quest points
• Display community quest creator attribution
• Track total community quests completed

[REQ-ACHIEVE-3] Trailblazer Points

Rationale: Rewarding quality quest creation incentivizes users to contribute high-quality content and expand the quest catalog. Points are awarded only after quality verification to maintain standards.

Verification Criteria:

• Award points for approved quest submissions
• No points awarded until quest passes quality screening
• Bonus points for quests meeting official verification standards
• Distinguish between basic community quests and official-quality submissions
• Maintain separate trailblazer leaderboard
• Track submission approval rate

[REQ-ACHIEVE-4] Herald Points

Rationale: Social sharing increases app visibility and viral growth. Herald points incentivize sharing while keeping this separate from core gameplay to avoid penalizing private users.

Verification Criteria:

• Award points for sharing quest completions to connected social platforms
• Separate leaderboard not factoring into main rating
• Optional participation in herald system
• Track shares per platform
• Verify successful post before awarding points

[REQ-ACHIEVE-5] Achievement Visibility Controls

Rationale: Users should control who can view their achievements and quest history. Flexible privacy settings accommodate different comfort levels with public profiles.

Verification Criteria:

• Achievements public by default
• Allow users to set profile visibility (public/friends/private)
• Granular controls for showing total points vs quest details
• Totally private mode excludes users from leaderboards
• Privacy changes take effect immediately

[REQ-PROFILE] User Profile and Social Features

Rationale: User profiles serve as the hub for achievements, social connections, and quest management. Supporting follows, friends, and customizable privacy enables social engagement while respecting user preferences.

Verification Criteria:

• Display user achievements and quest history
• Support following and friend relationships
• Private quest library management
• Customizable privacy settings
• Activity timeline showing recent completions

[REQ-PROFILE-1] Following and Friend System

Rationale: Social connections increase engagement and enable community features. The mutual follow model creates meaningful friend relationships while allowing asymmetric following.

Verification Criteria:

• Users can follow other users
• Mutual follows establish friend relationships
• Suggested connections based on linked social accounts
• Follow/unfollow functionality
• View lists of followers and following
• Friend-only content visibility when configured

[REQ-PROFILE-2] Quest Library Management

Rationale: Users need to organize and manage quests they plan to complete. Private quest libraries with custom lists and filtering help users plan exploration efficiently.

Verification Criteria:

• Save quests to private library
• Create multiple custom lists for organization
• Move quests between lists
• Filter saved quests by location, difficulty, and type
• Optional auto-remove from saved lists upon completion
• View saved quest count and list organization

[REQ-PROFILE-3] Achievement Display and Statistics

Rationale: Users want to showcase their accomplishments and track progress. Detailed statistics and achievement breakdowns provide goals and measure progress.

Verification Criteria:

• Display overall player rating
• Show total quests completed
• Break down completions by point category
• Click into each category to view specific completed quests
• Display achievement progression (e.g., 50% to next tier)
• Show quest completion map/heat map

[REQ-PROFILE-4] Profile Timeline

Rationale: A timeline provides a chronological view of user activity and creates opportunities for social engagement. Users control what appears on their timeline.

Verification Criteria:

• Display timeline of quest completions and submissions
• Show recent activity in chronological order
• Optional captions for quest completion posts
• Like, comment, and share functionality on timeline posts
• Setting to disable automatic posting to timeline
• Filter timeline by activity type

[REQ-PROFILE-5] Privacy Controls

Rationale: Users have varying comfort levels with profile visibility. Granular privacy controls respect user preferences from fully public to completely private.

Verification Criteria:

• Public mode: All users can view timeline and completed quests
• Friends Only mode: Only friends see specific completions
• Private mode: Friends see total points but not quest details
• Totally Private mode: No leaderboard visibility, profile not discoverable
• Privacy settings persistent across sessions
• Clear indication of current privacy level

[REQ-DISCOVER] Quest Discovery and Search

Rationale: Users need efficient ways to find quests near them or in areas they plan to visit. Multiple discovery methods (map, list, search, filters) accommodate different user preferences and use cases.

Verification Criteria:

• Interactive map-based quest discovery
• Text-based list view alternative
• Search and filter functionality
• Display quest markers with relevant information
• Navigate to quest detail pages

[REQ-DISCOVER-1] Interactive Map Interface

Rationale: A slippy map provides intuitive geographic browsing and helps users visualize quest density and locations relative to their position.

Verification Criteria:

• Display interactive slippy map with zoom and pan
• Show quest markers at their locations
• Cluster markers when zoomed out for performance
• Display user’s current location
• Tap quest markers to view basic info
• Navigate to quest detail page from marker

[REQ-DISCOVER-2] List View

Rationale: Some users prefer text-based lists over maps for quick scanning and accessibility. List view provides an alternative discovery method.

Verification Criteria:

• Toggle between map and list view
• Sort quests by distance, difficulty, popularity, or date added
• Display quest thumbnails, names, difficulty, and distance
• Tap list items to view quest details
• Maintain user’s view preference across sessions

[REQ-DISCOVER-3] Search and Filter

Rationale: Filtering reduces information overload and helps users find quests matching their current goals (difficulty level, quest type, location).

Verification Criteria:

• Filter by geographic location or radius
• Filter by difficulty level
• Filter by quest type (official vs community)
• Combine multiple filters
• Search quests by name or keywords
• Clear filters to reset view
• Display active filter count

[REQ-QUEST-PAGE] Quest Detail Pages

Rationale: Each quest needs a dedicated page providing all information users need to decide whether to attempt it and how to complete it. Rich context enhances the exploration experience.

Verification Criteria:

• Display comprehensive quest information
• Enable quest library management
• Start quest from detail page
• Show completion statistics and social proof
• Optional educational content

[REQ-QUEST-PAGE-1] Core Quest Information

Rationale: Users need to understand what they’re looking for, where it is, and how difficult it will be before starting a quest.

Verification Criteria:

• Display quest name and description
• Show quest location on embedded map
• Display difficulty rating
• Indicate official vs community quest status
• Show creator attribution for community quests
• Include sample photos for official quests
• Display target object description

[REQ-QUEST-PAGE-2] Social Proof and Statistics

Rationale: Completion statistics help users gauge quest popularity and difficulty. Seeing recent completers adds social validation.

Verification Criteria:

• Display total completion count
• Show recent completers with timestamps
• Display completion rate if available
• Show average time to complete
• Display user ratings or difficulty votes

[REQ-QUEST-PAGE-3] Quest Actions

Rationale: Users need to save quests for later or immediately start attempting them. Clear action buttons support these workflows.

Verification Criteria:

• “Save Quest” button adds to user’s library
• Select which list to save to
• “Start Quest” button initiates quest mode
• Remove from saved quests
• Share quest with friends

[REQ-QUEST-PAGE-4] Educational Context

Rationale: Optional educational content enriches the exploration experience by providing historical, cultural, or local context without disrupting quest focus.

Verification Criteria:

• Display links to historical context about location
• Show relevant landmark information
• Include local business or cultural significance
• Clearly separate educational content from quest instructions
• Keep educational content on quest page only (not in quest mode)
• Optional expansion of context sections

[REQ-TIMELINE] Social Feed and Timeline

Rationale: A social feed creates community engagement and showcases quest completions. Dual feed modes (“For You” and “Following”) surface relevant content while enabling friend-focused browsing.

Verification Criteria:

• Display quest completion posts from community
• Support multiple feed algorithms
• Enable social interactions on posts
• Navigate to quest details from posts
• Refresh feed with new content

[REQ-TIMELINE-1] Feed Modes

Rationale: Different feed modes serve different user intents: discovering popular local quests vs keeping up with friends’ activities.

Verification Criteria:

• “For You” feed showing local and popular quest completions
• “Following” feed showing only friends’ activities
• Toggle between feed modes
• Algorithm considers user location for “For You”
• Maintain scroll position when switching modes

[REQ-TIMELINE-2] Social Interactions

Rationale: Standard social features increase engagement and create community connection around shared exploration experiences.

Verification Criteria:

• Like quest completion posts
• Comment on posts
• Repost to own timeline
• Share posts to external social media
• View like and comment counts
• Notifications for interactions on own posts

[REQ-TIMELINE-3] Post Content

Rationale: Quest completion posts need sufficient context while showcasing the achievement. User-added captions personalize the experience.

Verification Criteria:

• Display quest completion photo
• Show quest name and location
• Include user’s optional caption
• Display completion timestamp
• Indicate which quest was completed with link to quest page
• Show achievement points earned

[REQ-NOTIF] Notifications

Rationale: Notifications re-engage users with timely, relevant information about nearby quests, friend activity, and social interactions. All notifications should be configurable.

Verification Criteria:

• Push notification support
• In-app notification center
• Granular notification preferences
• Timely delivery based on user context

[REQ-NOTIF-1] Quest Recommendations

Rationale: Location-based quest recommendations encourage exploration when users are near available quests.

Verification Criteria:

• Notify users of nearby quests based on current location
• Consider user’s difficulty preferences
• Avoid notification spam with rate limiting
• User setting to enable/disable quest recommendations
• Option to set notification radius

[REQ-NOTIF-2] Friend Activity Notifications

Rationale: Knowing when friends complete quests creates social engagement and inspiration for users’ own exploration.

Verification Criteria:

• Aggregate friend completions into digestible notifications
• Display format like “Jerry and 3 others completed quests”
• Tap notification to view filtered friend activity timeline
• User setting to enable/disable friend activity notifications
• Customizable notification frequency

[REQ-NOTIF-3] Social Interaction Notifications

Rationale: Users want to know when others engage with their content. Timely notifications increase engagement with the social platform.

Verification Criteria:

• Notify on likes to user’s posts
• Notify on comments to user’s posts
• Notify on new followers
• Notify on friend requests (mutual follows)
• User settings to enable/disable each notification type
• Batch notifications to avoid spam

[REQ-ACTIVE] Active Quest Management

Rationale: Users need to manage multiple ongoing quests and easily access details for quests they’re actively attempting. Clear active vs idle status helps users organize their quest list.

Verification Criteria:

• List of all active quests
• Status tracking (active vs idle)
• Quick access to resume quests
• Bulk management of idle quests

[REQ-ACTIVE-1] Active Quest List

Rationale: A dedicated list view shows all in-progress quests and provides entry points to resume them.

Verification Criteria:

• Display all active quests
• Show quest thumbnail, name, and status
• Sort by recently started or distance
• Tap quest to enter quest mode
• Display quest progress if applicable

[REQ-ACTIVE-2] Quest Status Management

Rationale: Automatic status transitions prevent clutter while preserving quest progress for users who attempt quests over multiple sessions.

Verification Criteria:

• New quests start in “Active” status
• Quests transition to “Idle” after several days without completion
• Display days since quest was started
• Manual removal of individual quests
• Bulk removal of all idle quests with one action
• Confirm before bulk removal

[REQ-QUEST-MODE] Quest Mode and Completion Flow

Rationale: Quest Mode provides a focused, distraction-free interface that keeps users in the moment. Minimizing UI and removing navigation options reduces phone time during exploration.

Verification Criteria:

• Focused UI showing only quest-relevant information
• Hide standard app navigation
• Camera integration for photo submission
• AI-powered verification
• Manual review fallback

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-1] Focused Interface

Rationale: A minimal interface reduces distractions and keeps users focused on their physical surroundings rather than their phone.

Verification Criteria:

• Display quest description and target object details
• Show location map with geofence circle
• Display sample photos if available
• Hide bottom navigation bar
• “Exit Quest” back button returns to active quest list
• No access to timeline, profile, or discovery features

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-2] Location Verification

Rationale: GPS verification ensures users actually visit quest locations, maintaining the integrity of the exploration experience.

Verification Criteria:

• Display user’s position relative to quest location
• Show distance to quest location
• Indicate when user is within geofence
• Enable photo submission only within geofence radius
• Handle GPS signal loss gracefully
• Allow reasonable geofence radius for GPS accuracy

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-3] Photo Capture Interface

Rationale: A streamlined camera interface makes it easy to capture and submit photos while providing tools to improve AI recognition success.

Verification Criteria:

• Access device camera directly
• Capture photo of target object
• Review photo before submission
• Optionally highlight target object in photo to assist AI
• Retake photo if needed
• Submit photo for AI verification

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-4] AI Verification

Rationale: AI image recognition provides instant verification without requiring manual review, creating a seamless completion experience. Multiple verification methods handle edge cases.

Verification Criteria:

• Submit photo to AI recognition service
• Analyze photo for target object
• Return verification result (success/failure)
• Provide confidence score
• Display success message on verification
• Offer retry options on failure
• Highlight area to improve recognition
• Alternative manual review submission with description

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-5] Live AI Verification (Future)

Rationale: Real-time video-based verification provides the ultimate hands-free experience, particularly with smart glasses. Architecture should support this future enhancement.

Verification Criteria:

• Architecture supports video stream processing
• Process video frames in real-time
• Provide instant feedback when object detected
• Handle computational costs appropriately
• Graceful degradation if real-time processing unavailable
• Consider bandwidth and battery implications

[REQ-QUEST-MODE-6] Completion and Rewards

Rationale: Celebrating completion and clearly displaying earned rewards motivates continued engagement and progression.

Verification Criteria:

• Display completion confirmation
• Show points earned by category
• Celebrate with visual feedback
• Add quest to completed list
• Remove from active quests
• Remove from saved lists if user setting enabled
• Option to share completion immediately
• Return to appropriate screen (active quests or timeline)

[REQ-CREATE] Quest Creation

Rationale: User-generated content scales the quest catalog beyond developer capacity. Quality controls and submission requirements maintain overall experience quality while enabling community contribution.

Verification Criteria:

• Premium users can submit quests
• Location validation ensures real visits
• Quality screening before approval
• Tiered submission options

[REQ-CREATE-1] Location Specification

Rationale: Requiring users to physically visit locations prevents spam and ensures quest creators understand the location context.

Verification Criteria:

• Pin location on map using current GPS position
• Alternative: Extract location from photo metadata
• Validate user has actually visited the location
• Set geofence radius for quest completion
• Prevent quest creation for private property without confirmation

[REQ-CREATE-2] Quest Details

Rationale: Comprehensive quest information ensures future questers understand what they’re looking for and why it’s interesting.

Verification Criteria:

• Enter quest name and description
• Specify difficulty level
• Upload multiple photos of target object
• Describe target object characteristics
• Indicate if object is permanent or variable
• Add context about location or object significance
• Preview quest before submission

[REQ-CREATE-3] Quality Screening

Rationale: Automated and manual screening maintains quality standards and filters inappropriate content before it reaches users.

Verification Criteria:

• Automated checks for inappropriate content
• Verification of required fields
• Review photo quality
• Basic community quest approval has lighter requirements
• Official quest submission requires comprehensive details
• Manual review queue for borderline submissions
• Feedback provided for rejected submissions

[REQ-CREATE-4] Submission Types

Rationale: Tiered submission options balance ease of contribution with quality standards. Users can choose appropriate effort level for their contribution.

Verification Criteria:

• Basic community quest: Lighter screening, fewer requirements
• Official quest submission: Comprehensive details, multiple photos, context
• Clear indication of submission type to users
• Different point rewards for each type upon approval
• Display submission status (pending/approved/rejected)

[REQ-TUTORIAL] Onboarding and Tutorial

Rationale: First-time users need to understand the quest mechanics without traveling to a physical location. An engaging tutorial demonstrates core functionality and reduces abandonment.

Verification Criteria:

• Tutorial available on first launch
• Demonstrates complete quest flow
• Requires no travel
• Engaging and quick to complete

[REQ-TUTORIAL-1] Tutorial Quest

Rationale: A practice quest with a common household object lets users experience the full quest flow in a safe, controlled environment.

Verification Criteria:

• Generate dynamic quest based on user’s location
• Target common household object (e.g., shoes)
• Walk user through quest mode interface
• Guide photo capture and submission
• Demonstrate AI verification
• Award tutorial completion achievement
• Optional: Repeat tutorial from settings

[REQ-PREMIUM] Monetization and Premium Features

Rationale: Free and premium tiers balance accessibility with revenue generation. Premium features provide value without creating pay-to-win dynamics.

Verification Criteria:

• Free tier with core functionality
• Premium tier with enhanced features
• Clear value proposition for premium
• No pay-to-win mechanics

[REQ-PREMIUM-1] Free Tier

Rationale: Free tier must provide complete core experience to attract users and demonstrate value before asking for payment.

Verification Criteria:

• Complete unlimited quests
• Access all social features
• Earn points and appear on leaderboards
• View and use timeline
• Display unobtrusive advertisements
• Ad placement doesn’t disrupt core quest flow
• Clear indication of premium features

[REQ-PREMIUM-2] Premium Tier

Rationale: Premium tier removes friction (ads) and unlocks content creation to incentivize subscription while maintaining free tier viability.

Verification Criteria:

• All free tier features
• No advertisements
• Quest creation capability
• Additional profile customization options
• Premium badge on profile
• Monthly subscription option
• Longer-term subscription options with discounted pricing
• Clear billing and cancellation process
• Restore purchases across devices

[REQ-GLASSES] Smart Glasses Integration

Rationale: Smart glasses integration provides a truly hands-free exploration experience aligned with the app’s “in the moment” philosophy. Early support positions the app for future wearable adoption.

Verification Criteria:

• Detect connected smart glasses
• Enable glasses-specific features
• Voice interaction support
• Hands-free photo capture

[REQ-GLASSES-1] Device Connection

Rationale: The app needs to detect and communicate with connected smart glasses to enable enhanced features.

Verification Criteria:

• Detect Meta AI glasses connection
• Display connection status
• Enable/disable glasses features
• Handle connection loss gracefully
• Settings for glasses integration

[REQ-GLASSES-2] Voice Commands

Rationale: Voice interaction reduces need to look at phone screen during questing, keeping users present in their environment.

Verification Criteria:

• Voice command to read quest description aloud
• Voice command to open camera
• Voice command to submit photo
• Voice command to exit quest
• Clear audio feedback for commands
• Handle noisy environments appropriately

[REQ-GLASSES-3] Hands-Free Photo Capture

Rationale: Capturing photos through glasses provides the ultimate hands-free experience and aligns with natural exploration behavior.

Verification Criteria:

• Trigger photo capture from glasses camera
• Automatic submission to AI verification
• Audio confirmation of photo capture
• Audio feedback for verification result (success/failure)
• Fallback to phone camera if glasses unavailable

[REQ-CONTENT-MOD] Content Moderation

Rationale: User-generated content and social features require robust moderation to maintain safe, welcoming community and comply with platform policies.

Verification Criteria:

• Automated content screening
• User reporting mechanisms
• Manual review queue
• Enforcement actions for violations

[REQ-CONTENT-MOD-1] Automated Moderation

Rationale: Automated systems scale to handle high content volumes and catch most policy violations before they reach users.

Verification Criteria:

• Scan quest descriptions for prohibited content
• Analyze uploaded photos for inappropriate content
• Screen comments and posts for hate speech, harassment, illegal content
• Flag content for manual review when confidence is low
• Block obvious violations immediately

[REQ-CONTENT-MOD-2] User Reporting

Rationale: Community reporting catches content automated systems miss and empowers users to maintain community standards.

Verification Criteria:

• Report button on quest posts, comments, and profiles
• Report categories (harassment, inappropriate content, spam, safety concerns)
• Optional description of issue
• Confirmation of report submission
• Reports enter manual review queue
• Feedback to reporter when action is taken

[REQ-CONTENT-MOD-3] Enforcement

Rationale: Clear consequences for violations and consistent enforcement maintain community standards and comply with legal requirements.

Verification Criteria:

• Graduated enforcement (warning, content removal, suspension, ban)
• Clear community guidelines
• Appeal process for enforcement actions
• Track user violation history
• Automatic escalation for repeat offenders

[REQ-ACCESS] Accessibility

Rationale: The app should be usable by people with diverse abilities. Accessibility features expand user base and comply with legal requirements.

Verification Criteria:

• Support for assistive technologies
• Alternative interaction methods
• Adjustable interface elements
• Clear, accessible design

[REQ-ACCESS-1] Visual Accessibility

Rationale: Users with visual impairments need alternative ways to access visual information and navigate the app.

Verification Criteria:

• Full screen reader support
• VoiceOver compatibility
• High contrast mode
• Adjustable text sizing
• Audio descriptions for quest details
• Voice navigation in quest mode
• Alternative text for all images and UI elements

[REQ-ACCESS-2] Hearing Accessibility

Rationale: Audio feedback needs visual alternatives for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Verification Criteria:

• Visual indicators for all audio feedback
• Visual quest completion confirmation
• Haptic feedback options
• Closed captions for video content
• Visual notification indicators

[REQ-ACCESS-3] Motor Accessibility

Rationale: Users with limited mobility need alternatives to precise gestures and multi-step interactions.

Verification Criteria:

• Large touch targets (minimum 44x44pt)
• Simplified gestures
• Voice commands as touch alternatives
• Adjustable interaction timeouts
• One-handed operation mode
• Switch control support

[REQ-ACCESS-4] Cognitive Accessibility

Rationale: Clear, consistent interfaces with reduced complexity accommodate users with cognitive disabilities and benefit all users.

Verification Criteria:

• Simplified UI mode option
• Consistent navigation patterns
• Clear visual hierarchy
• Step-by-step quest guidance option
• Progress saving for multi-session completion
• Avoid time-pressure mechanics

[REQ-OFFLINE] Offline and Low-Connectivity Support

Rationale: Outdoor exploration often occurs in areas with poor cellular coverage. Offline functionality ensures the app remains useful in low-connectivity environments.

Verification Criteria:

• Core features work offline
• Pre-download quest data
• Queue actions for later sync
• Clear connectivity status

[REQ-OFFLINE-1] Offline Quest Data

Rationale: Pre-downloading quest information enables quest viewing and navigation even without connectivity.

Verification Criteria:

• Auto-download saved quests when online
• Cache quest descriptions, images, and locations
• Manual download of quest packs by region
• Display offline availability indicator
• Estimate storage requirements before download

[REQ-OFFLINE-2] Degraded Mode Features

Rationale: Basic quest functionality should work with GPS alone, allowing quest attempts even when submission must wait for connectivity.

Verification Criteria:

• GPS-only location verification
• Capture and store photos locally
• Queue photo submissions for when online
• Basic quest progress tracking
• Offline map functionality
• Display cached quest information

[REQ-OFFLINE-3] Smart Sync

Rationale: Intelligent sync prioritizes important data and manages bandwidth to avoid excessive data charges or battery drain.

Verification Criteria:

• Prioritize essential data when bandwidth limited
• Background sync of completions and achievements
• Conflict resolution for data modified offline
• Battery-conscious sync scheduling
• User control over sync timing (WiFi only, etc.)
• Display pending sync items

[REQ-OFFLINE-4] Connectivity Indicators

Rationale: Users need to understand current connectivity status and which features are available or limited.

Verification Criteria:

• Clear online/offline indicator
• Warnings before network-dependent actions
• Estimated data usage for downloads
• Indication of cached vs live data
• Notification when connectivity restored

[REQ-SAFETY] Safety and Liability

Rationale: Location-based exploration involves real-world risks. The app must prioritize user safety, protect privacy, and comply with legal requirements.

Verification Criteria:

• Safety warnings for dangerous locations
• Privacy protections for sensitive data
• Legal compliance and disclaimers
• Emergency access features

[REQ-SAFETY-1] Location Safety

Rationale: Warning users about potential hazards helps prevent accidents and reduces liability while maintaining exploration freedom.

Verification Criteria:

• Warning prompts for quests near roads, water, cliffs
• Warnings for restricted areas
• Integration with emergency service contact info
• Quest creation prohibits dangerous locations
• Community reporting for unsafe quests
• Display safety warnings on quest pages

[REQ-SAFETY-2] Privacy Protection

Rationale: Location data is sensitive. Strong privacy protections build trust and comply with regulations like GDPR.

Verification Criteria:

• Encrypt location data in transit and at rest
• Limited retention policies for location history
• Option to blur home/work locations in social features
• Anonymous quest completion option
• Clear data sharing policies
• User consent for data collection
• Export and delete user data on request

[REQ-SAFETY-3] Legal Compliance

Rationale: Clear terms and disclaimers protect the app from liability while setting expectations for legal user behavior.

Verification Criteria:

• Terms of service prohibit trespassing and illegal activities
• Quest submission requires legal access confirmation
• Age restrictions for account creation
• COPPA compliance for users under 13
• Disclaimers about user responsibility for local laws
• Automatic rejection of quests on private property without permission

[REQ-SAFETY-4] Emergency Features

Rationale: Quick access to emergency services provides peace of mind and can be life-saving in outdoor emergencies.

Verification Criteria:

• Quick access to emergency contacts
• Local emergency service numbers by region
• Share current location with emergency contacts
• Panic button integration with device emergency SOS
• Emergency mode disables non-essential features

[REQ-SAFETY-5] Content Safety

Rationale: Age-appropriate content and prohibition of harmful quests ensures safe exploration for all users.

Verification Criteria:

• Age-based content filtering
• Prohibition of alcohol/drug/adult content in quests
• Community guidelines for appropriate content
• Zero tolerance for harassment or threats
• Parental controls for minor accounts
• Report and remove quests involving illegal activities

Requirements Implementation Notes

This requirements specification provides the foundation for Quest Discovery development. Requirements should be:

1. Tracked as GitHub Issues - Each high-level requirement becomes an Issue, with sub-requirements as Sub-Issues
2. Prioritized - Not all requirements are Minimum Value Product (MVP). Mark critical path items for initial release
3. Testable - Verification criteria should translate directly to acceptance tests
4. Flexible - Requirements may evolve based on user feedback and technical constraints
5. Documented - Link implementation PRs back to requirement issues

The specification intentionally keeps requirements general (e.g., “monthly and longer-term subscriptions” rather than specific “6-month plan”) to allow implementation flexibility while capturing core intent.