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Project Homey: MVP 1.0 Feature Set

Kitchen and groceries MVP scope with domain-extensible inventory, automation, planning, and notification requirements.

MVP 1.0 Scope: Kitchen & Groceries

Domain Focus: MVP 1.0 focuses exclusively on the Kitchen & Groceries domain.

The architecture is designed to be domain-extensible. Future phases will add:

  • Phase 2: Garage & Tools (tool inventory, maintenance supplies)

  • Phase 3: Closet & Wardrobe (clothing inventory, seasonal rotation)

  • Phase 4: Medicine Cabinet, Electronics, Hobbies, etc.

All features in this document (Smart Automation, Digital Twin, Planner, Notifications) are implemented with extensibility in mind, allowing the same patterns to be reused for other household domains.

See foundation.adoc Section 2.1 for the complete phasing roadmap.

1. The Smart Automation Engine (Data Ingestion)

The primary entry point designed to eliminate manual typing fatigue.

  • PDF Ingestion: Direct parsing of digital invoices (Primary support: BigBasket). The app extracts item names and quantities automatically.

  • Paper OCR: A camera-based scanner optimized for Vijetha and Organic World receipts to extract text and dates.

  • The Learning Logic: A "memory" system that remembers where you stored "Brand X Coffee" last time and suggests the same location/expiry duration for new scans.

  • Visual Fallback: A "Photo-to-Date" tool where users can snap a picture of a physical expiry date printed on a container as a temporary placeholder.

2. The Digital Twin (Spatial Inventory)

The visual representation of the home’s storage.

  • Flexible Location Hierarchy: Navigation structured as Location trees (Kitchen → Pantry → Top Shelf), with any depth needed.

  • Optional Grid Visualization: Locations can optionally enable flexible grid layouts (2x2 to 6x6) for spatial mapping. Grid is configurable per-location.

  • Dual-Mode Display: Items can be viewed in spatial Grid mode (when enabled) OR categorical List mode (always available), toggled per-location.

  • Metadata Cards: Each item card stores Name, Category, Expiry Date, Brand, and optional Grid Position.

  • Search & Filter: Quick-access search to find any item by name, with category filters. Grid view shows items in their assigned positions; List view groups by category.

  • Unassigned Items: Items without grid positions appear in a floating "Unassigned Bar" at the bottom until assigned.

Note: Updated from original Zone→Unit→Cell (2x2 fixed) design to flexible Location + Optional Grid architecture. See digital-twin.adoc v2.0 for details.

3. The Household Planner (Owner View)

The high-level management tool for the "Architect" of the house.

  • Menu Architect: A simple interface to drag-and-drop inventory items into "Meal Slots" for the week.

  • Stock Health Check: A visual indicator showing which planned meals are missing ingredients based on current inventory.

  • The Weekend Nudge: An automated summary of items that are running low or have been "Used Up" by the Chef, formatted for a shopping trip.

4. Chef’s Kitchen Dashboard (Executor View)

A simplified, high-contrast interface for the person currently cooking.

  • Daily Menu View: A focused screen showing only the meals planned for the current 24-hour window.

  • Recipe Ingredients: A checklist of items needed for the current meal, pulled directly from the Digital Twin.

  • The "Used Up" Feedback: A prominent one-tap button to mark an ingredient as finished, which triggers an update to the master inventory.

5. Contextual Notification System

The proactive "Assistant" that monitors the house.

  • The Expiry Countdown: Actionable alerts sent at 7 days, 3 days, and 24 hours before an item expires.

  • Time-Based Nudges: Contextual suggestions (e.g., "Snack time?" alerts between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM for quick-cook items).

  • Vacation Mode: A single toggle to silence lifestyle nudges and switch to "Safe Mode" (monitoring only for total waste prevention).

6. Household Sync (The Token Bridge)

The mechanism to keep two phones in sync without a permanent cloud account.

  • Snapshot Sync: The ability for the Owner to generate a code that "pushes" the current house state to the Chef’s device.

  • 30-Day Token: A security and logic boundary where the "Chef" view remains active for a month before requiring a fresh sync.