Motivation App Feature Analysis & Implementation Plan
Created: 2026-01-01 Purpose: Map Motivation Daily Quotes features to Sanctivβs spiritual growth platform Status: Planning DocumentExecutive Summary
The βMotivation - Daily Quotesβ app (4.8β , 1M+ reviews, ~$600K/month revenue) provides a proven model for daily inspirational content delivery. This plan maps its successful features to Sanctivβs Christian spiritual growth context, leveraging our existing tech stack and multi-tenant architecture. Key Insight: Sanctiv can deliver a superior experience by combining Motivationβs engagement patterns with our:- AI-powered personalized content (vs. static quotes)
- Community/companion features (vs. solo experience)
- Holistic spiritual tracking (vs. simple quote delivery)
- Church organization integration (vs. individual-only)
Part 1: Feature Mapping
Motivation App Features β Sanctiv Equivalents
| Motivation Feature | Sanctiv Equivalent | Reuse/Build | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote Library (20+ categories) | Devotional Content Library | Build | P0 |
| Daily Notifications | Daily Truth Reinforcements | Extend (exists) | P0 |
| Home Screen Widget | iOS Widget | Build | P0 |
| Lock Screen Widget | iOS Lock Screen Widget | Build | P1 |
| Favorites/Collections | Saved Devotionals | Build | P1 |
| Social Sharing | Share as Image | Build | P1 |
| Personalization (fonts/themes) | App Theming | Extend | P2 |
| Search | Content Search | Build | P1 |
| Category Filtering | Devotional Categories | Build | P0 |
| Apple Watch | watchOS Companion | Build | P3 |
Part 2: Technical Stack Analysis
What We Already Have β
What We Need to Build π¨
Part 3: Database Schema Additions
New Tables Required
RLS Policies
Part 4: Implementation Epics
Epic 1: Devotional Content Foundation (Week 1-2)
Goal: Core content system with database, API, and basic UI| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Create database migrations for devotional tables | 2h | None |
| 1.2 | Seed initial devotional categories (20+) | 2h | 1.1 |
| 1.3 | Seed curated devotional content (100+ entries) | 4h | 1.1, 1.2 |
| 1.4 | Create edge function: get-daily-devotional | 3h | 1.1 |
| 1.5 | Create edge function: generate-personalized-devotional (AI) | 4h | 1.1 |
| 1.6 | Build DevotionalCard component | 2h | Design tokens |
| 1.7 | Build DevotionalListScreen | 3h | 1.6 |
| 1.8 | Build DevotionalDetailScreen | 3h | 1.6 |
| 1.9 | Add βDevotionalsβ tab to library | 2h | 1.7, 1.8 |
- Users can browse devotionals by category
- Users can view full devotional with scripture
- Daily devotional is personalized to userβs journey
- Organization-specific content supported
Epic 2: Daily Truth Notifications (Week 2-3)
Goal: Customizable push notifications with devotional content| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Add devotional notification type to system | 2h | Epic 1 |
| 2.2 | Create notification template: daily-devotional | 2h | 2.1 |
| 2.3 | Build notification preferences UI for devotionals | 3h | 2.1 |
| 2.4 | Add multiple time slots support (morning, noon, evening) | 3h | 2.3 |
| 2.5 | Create edge function: schedule-daily-devotionals | 4h | 2.1, 2.4 |
| 2.6 | Implement notification-to-app deep linking | 2h | 2.1, Epic 1 |
| 2.7 | Track notification delivery and open rates | 2h | 2.5 |
- Users can set 1-5 daily devotional notification times
- Notification displays devotional preview
- Tapping notification opens the exact devotional
- Notification content matches whatβs shown in app
Epic 3: iOS Home Screen Widget (Week 3-4)
Goal: Native iOS widget for daily devotional display| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Research: expo-widgets vs react-native-widgetkit | 4h | None |
| 3.2 | Set up iOS Widget Extension target | 4h | 3.1 |
| 3.3 | Configure App Groups for data sharing | 2h | 3.2 |
| 3.4 | Build Small Widget (2x2) - daily verse | 4h | 3.3 |
| 3.5 | Build Medium Widget (4x2) - verse + reflection | 4h | 3.4 |
| 3.6 | Build Large Widget (4x4) - full devotional | 4h | 3.5 |
| 3.7 | Implement widget tap β app deep link | 2h | 3.6 |
| 3.8 | Add widget configuration intent | 3h | 3.6 |
| 3.9 | Background refresh timeline | 3h | 3.6 |
- Widget displays current dayβs devotional
- Three widget sizes available
- Tapping widget opens devotional in app
- Widget updates at least twice daily
- Widget respects organization branding
Epic 4: Favorites & Collections (Week 4)
Goal: Save, organize, and access favorite devotionals| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Implement save/unsave devotional action | 2h | Epic 1 |
| 4.2 | Create FavoritesScreen | 3h | 4.1 |
| 4.3 | Add favorites to library tab | 1h | 4.2 |
| 4.4 | Implement search functionality | 4h | Epic 1 |
| 4.5 | Add search to DevotionalListScreen | 2h | 4.4 |
| 4.6 | Offline favorites caching | 3h | 4.2 |
- Users can save/unsave any devotional
- Saved devotionals accessible in Library
- Search works across title, content, scripture
- Favorites available offline
Epic 5: Social Sharing (Week 5)
Goal: Share devotionals as beautiful images| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Design share card templates (3 styles) | 4h | Design |
| 5.2 | Implement ShareCardView component | 4h | 5.1 |
| 5.3 | Integrate react-native-view-shot | 2h | Already have |
| 5.4 | Add share action to DevotionalDetailScreen | 2h | 5.2, 5.3 |
| 5.5 | Create organization-branded templates | 3h | 5.2 |
| 5.6 | Track share events for analytics | 1h | 5.4 |
- Users can share devotional as image
- Multiple visual styles available
- Organization branding applied
- Shares to Instagram, Messages, etc.
Epic 6: Lock Screen Widget (iOS 17+) (Week 5-6)
Goal: Always-visible inspiration on lock screen| Story | Description | Effort | Dependencies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | Create Lock Screen Widget extension | 4h | Epic 3 |
| 6.2 | Build circular widget (scripture verse) | 3h | 6.1 |
| 6.3 | Build rectangular widget (verse + reference) | 3h | 6.1 |
| 6.4 | Build inline widget | 2h | 6.1 |
| 6.5 | Test iOS version compatibility | 2h | 6.1-6.4 |
- Lock screen widgets display daily verse
- All lock screen widget types supported
- Works on iOS 17+
Epic 7: Apple Watch App (Phase 2)
Goal: Wrist-based devotional access Status: Deferred to post-MVP (P3 priority) Reason:- Requires native Swift development
- Expo has limited watchOS support
- Focus on core mobile experience first
Part 5: Technical Architecture
Content Delivery Flow
Widget Data Sharing Architecture
Part 6: Content Strategy
Initial Devotional Categories (20)
| Category | Slug | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | faith | Growing in faith and trust |
| Prayer | prayer | Deepening prayer life |
| Anxiety & Worry | anxiety | Finding peace in uncertain times |
| Hope | hope | Encouragement and hope |
| Love | love | Godβs love, loving others |
| Forgiveness | forgiveness | Healing through forgiveness |
| Purpose | purpose | Finding Godβs purpose |
| Strength | strength | Strength in weakness |
| Gratitude | gratitude | Cultivating thankfulness |
| Wisdom | wisdom | Biblical wisdom for life |
| Marriage | marriage | Strengthening marriages |
| Parenting | parenting | Raising children in faith |
| Work & Career | work | Faith in the workplace |
| Healing | healing | Physical and emotional healing |
| Identity | identity | Identity in Christ |
| Community | community | Life in the body of Christ |
| Spiritual Growth | growth | Maturing in faith |
| Scripture Memory | memory | Key verses to memorize |
| Seasons & Holidays | seasons | Seasonal devotionals |
| Daily Living | daily | Practical daily faith |
Content Sources
- Curated Public Domain: Classic devotionals, historical quotes
- AI-Generated: Personalized based on user journey
- Organization Custom: Church-specific content
- Scripture-Based: Verse + AI reflection
Part 7: Success Metrics
Key Performance Indicators
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Active Users | +30% | Analytics |
| Notification Open Rate | >25% | notification_deliveries |
| Widget Adoption | 40% of users | App Groups analytics |
| Favorites per User | >5 | user_devotional_favorites |
| Share Rate | 10% of views | share events |
| Daily Engagement | 3+ sessions | Analytics |
User Experience Goals
- < 2 seconds to see daily devotional
- 1 tap from widget to full content
- Notification consistency - content matches app 100%
- Offline access - favorites always available
Part 8: Risks & Mitigations
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Widget development complexity | High | Start with simple widget, iterate |
| Notification spam perception | High | Default to 1/day, require opt-in for more |
| Content quality variance | Medium | Manual curation + AI quality checks |
| iOS version fragmentation | Medium | Graceful degradation, feature flags |
| Widget data sync issues | Medium | App Groups + background refresh |
Part 9: Timeline Summary
| Week | Epic | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Epic 1 | Devotional content system |
| 2-3 | Epic 2 | Daily truth notifications |
| 3-4 | Epic 3 | iOS home screen widgets |
| 4 | Epic 4 | Favorites & search |
| 5 | Epic 5 | Social sharing |
| 5-6 | Epic 6 | Lock screen widgets |
| Post-MVP | Epic 7 | Apple Watch (optional) |
Part 10: Alignment with Sanctiv Mission
This feature set directly supports Sanctivβs mission:- Churches (B2B): Can distribute organization-specific devotionals
- Members: Get daily spiritual encouragement personalized to their journey
- Retention: Creates daily habit through widgets + notifications
- Differentiation: AI-powered personalization vs. static quotes
- Community: Share feature spreads gospel and platform
Connection to Existing Features
- Journal entries: Devotionals can seed journal reflections
- Companions: Share devotionals with accountability partners
- Habits: βDaily devotionalβ as a trackable habit
- Insights: Track spiritual growth through devotional engagement
Appendix: Motivation App Competitive Analysis
What Motivation Does Well
- Simple, focused experience
- Excellent widget implementation
- Consistent notification delivery
- Clean sharing templates
- Large content library
What Motivation Does Poorly (Our Opportunity)
- β No personalization (random quotes)
- β No community features
- β No spiritual journey tracking
- β No organization/church integration
- β Heavy ads in free tier
- β Notification/app content mismatch
Sanctiv Advantages
- β AI-powered personalization
- β Companion accountability
- β Multi-tenant church integration
- β Holistic spiritual tracking
- β No ads model
- β Content consistency guaranteed
Document Status: Ready for Review Next Steps:
- Review with product stakeholder
- Prioritize epics for sprint planning
- Create detailed stories for Epic 1