# ChronoMind — AI-Powered Contextual Clock & Timer > **Product:** ChronoMind > **Repo:** `learning_ai_clock` > **Version:** 0.1 (MVP) > **Date:** February 2026 > **Author:** Saravana --- ## 1. Origin (Raw Idea) > Build an alarm clock to set a specified date and time and also give a warning maybe with a configured 1 hour to 2 hours before that. For example if the alarm is going to go off in 2 hours, so that the user can remember or take action or let it ring depending on the critical task they are supposed to do during the time. --- ## 2. Vision **ChronoMind** is a context-aware, AI-augmented clock/timer application that understands *why* you set a timer — not just *when*. It provides intelligent pre-warnings, adaptive escalation, routine orchestration, and natural language interaction. It bridges the gap between dumb alarms and full calendar apps by focusing on one thing: **making sure you never miss what matters, and always have time to prepare.** ### The Problem with Current Timers & Clocks | Gap | Current Market | ChronoMind | |-----|---------------|------------| | **No pre-warnings** | Alarm fires once, at the exact time | Configurable cascade: 2h → 1h → 30m → 15m → 5m → NOW | | **No context** | "Alarm at 3:00 PM" — why? | "Meeting with Sarah in 2 hours — prep slides?" | | **No urgency levels** | Every alarm sounds the same | Critical (can't miss) → Important → Casual → Gentle | | **No prep-time awareness** | You set alarm for meeting at 3pm, forget 20min prep | Auto-adds prep buffer: "Start preparing at 2:40 PM" | | **No travel awareness** | Alarm for dentist at 2pm, 30min drive away | "Leave by 1:25 PM (traffic is heavy today)" | | **No chaining** | Timer for pasta, but forget sauce timing | Linked timers: "Boil water → Add pasta → Start sauce at T-3min" | | **No routines** | Set same 5 alarms every morning manually | "Morning routine" = Wake → Meditate (10m) → Exercise (30m) → Shower (15m) → Leave | | **No countdown to events** | Separate app for "days until vacation" | Built-in event countdown with milestone warnings | | **No shared timers** | Can't coordinate with family/team | "Pizza timer" visible to everyone in household | | **No natural language** | Tap through 4 screens to set a timer | "Remind me to call Mom 2 hours before my flight" | | **No adaptive snooze** | Fixed 5/10min snooze | Snooze learns: "You always snooze this one 3 times — should I set it 15min earlier?" | | **No focus integration** | Timer has no concept of deep work | "Block notifications for 90min, warn me 10min before standup" | | **No voice** | Visual-only or basic "Hey Siri" | Full voice control: "What's my next timer?" / "Push everything back 30 minutes" | --- ## 3. Target Platforms | Phase | Platform | Tech Stack | |-------|----------|------------| | **MVP** | Web app (PWA) | Next.js 14, React 18, CSS custom properties | | **v1.1** | macOS menu bar | Tauri or SwiftUI | | **v1.2** | iOS app | SwiftUI (native) | | **v2.0** | Android | Jetpack Compose | | **v2.0** | Windows | Tauri | > **MVP is web-first** — works on any device, installable as PWA with notification support. --- ## 4. Core Concepts ### 4.1 Timer Types | Type | Description | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | **Alarm** | Fires at a specific date/time | "Wake up at 6:30 AM" | | **Countdown** | Fires after a duration | "Timer for 25 minutes" | | **Event Countdown** | Days/hours until a future date | "14 days until vacation" | | **Routine** | Ordered sequence of timed steps | "Morning routine (5 steps, 75 min total)" | | **Linked Timer** | Timer that triggers another timer | "When pasta timer ends, start sauce timer" | | **Recurring** | Repeats on a schedule | "Every weekday at 9:00 AM" | | **Shared** | Visible/controllable by multiple people | "Family dinner timer" | ### 4.2 Urgency Levels Every timer has an urgency level that controls notification behavior: ``` ┌─────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Level │ Behavior │ ├─────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ CRITICAL │ Full screen takeover, persistent sound, vibration, cannot │ │ │ dismiss without acknowledgment. Pre-warnings at 2h, 1h, 30m, │ │ │ 15m, 5m, 1m. Example: flight departure, job interview. │ │ │ │ │ IMPORTANT │ Prominent notification with sound. Pre-warnings at 1h, 30m, │ │ │ 15m, 5m. Snooze allowed (max 3x). Example: team meeting, │ │ │ doctor appointment. │ │ │ │ │ STANDARD │ Normal notification with gentle sound. Pre-warnings at 30m, │ │ │ 5m. Snooze allowed. Example: laundry, cooking timer. │ │ │ │ │ GENTLE │ Silent notification (badge/banner only). Single pre-warning │ │ │ at 15m. Auto-dismiss after 2 minutes. Example: "check on │ │ │ bread in oven", casual reminder. │ │ │ │ │ PASSIVE │ No notification at all — just visible in the app timeline. │ │ │ For event countdowns and tracking. Example: "days until │ │ │ vacation", "months until lease renewal". │ └─────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### 4.3 Pre-Warning Cascade The core differentiator. Every timer can have a **configurable cascade** of pre-warnings before the main alarm fires. ``` Example: Flight at 2:00 PM (CRITICAL) 10:00 AM [-4h] "Flight to NYC in 4 hours. Have you packed?" 11:00 AM [-3h] "Flight in 3 hours. Check-in reminder." 12:00 PM [-2h] "Flight in 2 hours. Start getting ready." 12:30 PM [-90m] "Flight in 90 minutes. Suggested: leave in 45 min." 1:00 PM [-1h] "Flight in 1 HOUR. Leave NOW if driving." 1:30 PM [-30m] "Flight in 30 minutes. You should be at airport." 1:45 PM [-15m] "BOARDING SOON — 15 minutes." 2:00 PM [ 0 ] "FLIGHT TIME — NOW" ``` **Default cascade presets:** | Preset | Warnings At | Best For | |--------|-------------|----------| | **Aggressive** | 4h, 3h, 2h, 90m, 1h, 30m, 15m, 5m, 1m | Flights, once-in-a-lifetime events | | **Standard** | 2h, 1h, 30m, 15m, 5m | Meetings, appointments | | **Light** | 1h, 15m, 5m | Cooking, laundry, casual | | **Minimal** | 15m | Gentle reminders | | **None** | — (fire only) | Simple countdown timers | | **Custom** | User-defined | Any | ### 4.4 Prep Time & Travel Time Timers can optionally include **prep time** and **travel time** that shifts warnings earlier. ``` Example: Dentist at 2:00 PM + Prep time: 15 min (get dressed, grab wallet) + Travel time: 25 min (auto-estimated or manual) + Buffer: 5 min (arrive early) Effective "start preparing" time: 1:15 PM Effective "leave by" time: 1:30 PM Warnings shift to target 1:15 PM for prep, 1:30 PM for departure. ``` **Travel time estimation** (v1.1+): - Manual entry (MVP) - Integration with maps API for real-time traffic estimates (v2) - Learn from past patterns: "You usually take 35 min to get to the office" --- ## 5. Feature Breakdown ### 5.1 MVP (v0.1) — Web PWA | # | Feature | Priority | Description | |---|---------|----------|-------------| | 1 | **Create alarm** | P0 | Set date/time, label, urgency level | | 2 | **Create countdown** | P0 | Set duration, label, urgency level | | 3 | **Pre-warning cascade** | P0 | Configure cascade per timer (presets + custom) | | 4 | **Urgency levels** | P0 | 5 levels controlling notification style | | 5 | **Active timers dashboard** | P0 | See all timers, sorted by "next to fire" | | 6 | **Browser notifications** | P0 | Push notifications via Web Notifications API | | 7 | **Sound alerts** | P0 | Multiple alarm sounds, volume per urgency | | 8 | **Snooze / dismiss** | P0 | Snooze with configurable duration, dismiss with confirmation for CRITICAL | | 9 | **Recurring timers** | P1 | Daily, weekday, weekly, monthly, custom cron | | 10 | **Timer labels + notes** | P1 | Add context: "Call Dr. Smith — phone: 555-1234" | | 11 | **Dark mode** | P1 | Full dark theme (default) | | 12 | **PWA install** | P1 | Installable on mobile/desktop via browser | | 13 | **Local storage** | P1 | All data in IndexedDB — no account needed | | 14 | **Timer history** | P2 | Past timers log with stats | | 15 | **Keyboard shortcuts** | P2 | Quick-create, navigate, snooze | | 16 | **Quick timer** | P0 | One-tap presets: 5m, 15m, 25m (pomodoro), 1h | ### 5.2 v1.0 — Intelligence Layer | # | Feature | Description | |---|---------|-------------| | 17 | **Natural language input** | "Remind me to call Mom at 3pm with 1 hour warning" | | 18 | **Routines** | Create ordered sequences of timed steps | | 19 | **Linked timers** | "When timer A ends, start timer B" | | 20 | **Prep time** | Add preparation buffer before any timer | | 21 | **Adaptive snooze** | Learn snooze patterns, suggest earlier alarm | | 22 | **Focus mode** | Block notifications, only allow CRITICAL through | | 23 | **Event countdowns** | "132 days until wedding" with milestone warnings | | 24 | **Categories / tags** | Work, Personal, Health, Cooking, etc. | | 25 | **Statistics** | How many timers set, snooze rate, on-time rate | ### 5.3 v2.0 — Platform Expansion | # | Feature | Description | |---|---------|-------------| | 26 | **Shared timers** | Family/team timers visible to invited users | | 27 | **Calendar sync** | Import from Google/Apple/Outlook calendars | | 28 | **Travel time (live)** | Maps API integration for real-time estimates | | 29 | **Voice control** | "What's my next alarm?" / "Push everything back 30 minutes" | | 30 | **Native apps** | macOS menu bar, iOS, Android, Windows | | 31 | **Watch complications** | Apple Watch, Wear OS | | 32 | **Widgets** | iOS/Android home screen widgets | | 33 | **API** | REST API for programmatic timer management | | 34 | **Zapier / webhooks** | Timer events trigger external actions | | 35 | **AI suggestions** | "You have a gap between 2-3pm, want to schedule focus time?" | --- ## 6. Routines (Deep Dive) Routines are a killer feature that no current timer app does well. A routine is an **ordered sequence of timed activities** with transitions. ### Example: Morning Routine ``` Morning Routine Total: 1h 35m Step 1: Wake Up + Hydrate 5 min 6:00 - 6:05 Step 2: Meditation 15 min 6:05 - 6:20 Step 3: Exercise 30 min 6:20 - 6:50 Step 4: Shower + Get Ready 20 min 6:50 - 7:10 Step 5: Breakfast 15 min 7:10 - 7:25 Step 6: Commute Buffer 10 min 7:25 - 7:35 Notification at each step transition "Skip step" and "Extend +5min" buttons on each notification Tracks actual vs planned duration over time ``` ### Example: Cooking Routine (Linked Timers) ``` Thanksgiving Dinner Prep (work backwards from 6:00 PM serve time) 2:00 PM Turkey in oven (4 hours) 4:30 PM Start mashed potatoes (45 min) 5:00 PM Start gravy (30 min) 5:15 PM Rolls in oven (25 min) 5:30 PM Set table (15 min) 5:45 PM Turkey resting (15 min, auto-started when turkey timer ends) 6:00 PM Serve! All timers visible in one timeline view with progress bars. ``` ### Example: Pomodoro Focus Session ``` Focus Session: "Write PRD" Round 1: 25 min work -> 5 min break Round 2: 25 min work -> 5 min break Round 3: 25 min work -> 5 min break Round 4: 25 min work -> 15 min long break Total: 2h 10m Focus mode active (only CRITICAL timers break through) Track completed rounds, interruptions ``` --- ## 7. User Interface ### 7.1 Design Principles | Principle | Rationale | |-----------|-----------| | **Glanceable** | See time-to-next-alarm in < 1 second | | **One-tap creation** | Quick timer presets always visible | | **Dark-first** | Alarm apps are used in bed, at night | | **Information density** | Power users want to see all timers at once | | **Accessible** | Large touch targets, high contrast, screen reader support | | **Beautiful sounds** | Alarm sounds that don't trigger anxiety | ### 7.2 Key Screens ``` SCREEN MAP Dashboard Create Routines (Home) Timer - Clock - Alarm - Templates - Next up - Countdown - Active - Timeline - Event - History - Quick - Routine presets - NL input Focus History Settings Mode & Stats - Pomodoro - Past - Sounds - Custom timers - Defaults - DND sync - Streaks - Theme - Insights - Backup - Import ``` ### 7.3 Dashboard Layout ``` ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ChronoMind Settings │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ │ 10:42:38 AM │ │ Thursday, Feb 27 │ │ │ │ -- NEXT UP --------------------------------------------------------│ │ | [IMPORTANT] Team Standup in 1h 18m │ │ | Pre-warning in 18 min - Prep: review tickets (15 min) │ │ ------------------------------------------------------------------ │ │ │ │ -- QUICK TIMER --------------------------------------------------- │ │ | [ 5m ] [ 15m ] [ 25m ] [ 1h ] [ Custom ] [ NL Input ] │ │ ------------------------------------------------------------------ │ │ │ │ -- TIMELINE ------------------------------------------------------ │ │ | | │ │ | 12:00 PM [IMPORTANT] Team Standup ............. in 1h 18m | │ │ | Pre-warning at 11:00 AM (in 18m) | │ │ | | │ │ | 2:00 PM [STANDARD] Dentist Appointment ....... in 3h 18m | │ │ | Leave by 1:30 PM (25 min drive) | │ │ | | │ │ | 5:00 PM [GENTLE] Pick up dry cleaning ........ in 6h 18m | │ │ | | │ │ | 6:30 PM [STANDARD] Pasta timer (linked) ...... in 7h 48m | │ │ | -> Sauce timer starts when this ends | │ │ | | │ │ | -- Tomorrow -------------------------------------------------- | │ │ | 6:00 AM Morning Routine (1h 35m) ............ in 19h 18m | │ │ | 9:00 AM [IMPORTANT] Sprint Planning ......... in 22h 18m | │ │ | | │ │ | -- Event Countdowns ------------------------------------------ | │ │ | [PASSIVE] Vacation in 47 days | │ │ | [PASSIVE] Lease renewal in 132 days | │ │ | | │ │ ------------------------------------------------------------------ │ │ │ │ -- ACTIVE ROUTINES ---------------------------------------------- │ │ | Morning Routine Weekdays at 6:00 AM [Edit] | │ │ | Pomodoro Focus On-demand [Start] | │ │ | Wind Down Daily at 9:30 PM [Edit] | │ │ ------------------------------------------------------------------ │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` --- ## 8. Technical Architecture (MVP) ### 8.1 Stack | Layer | Technology | Rationale | |-------|-----------|-----------| | **Framework** | Next.js 14 (Pages Router) | Fast, SSR for landing, PWA-friendly | | **UI** | React 18 + CSS custom properties | No Tailwind — clean vanilla CSS like MindLyst web | | **State** | Zustand | Lightweight, persists to IndexedDB | | **Storage** | IndexedDB (via idb) | Offline-first, no backend needed for MVP | | **Notifications** | Web Notifications API + Service Worker | Works when app is backgrounded (PWA) | | **Audio** | Web Audio API | Low-latency alarm sounds | | **Time** | date-fns | Lightweight date manipulation | | **PWA** | next-pwa | Service worker, offline support, installable | | **Testing** | Vitest + Playwright | Unit + E2E | ### 8.2 Data Model ```typescript interface Timer { id: string; // UUID type: 'alarm' | 'countdown' | 'event' | 'routine_step'; label: string; notes?: string; urgency: 'critical' | 'important' | 'standard' | 'gentle' | 'passive'; // When it fires targetTime: Date; // For alarms: specific datetime duration?: number; // For countdowns: milliseconds startedAt?: Date; // For countdowns: when started // Pre-warning cascade cascade: CascadePreset | number[]; // Preset name or custom minutes array preWarnings: PreWarning[]; // Computed from cascade // Optional enhancements prepTime?: number; // Minutes of preparation time travelTime?: number; // Minutes of travel time location?: string; // For travel time estimation // Recurrence recurrence?: RecurrenceRule; // Linking linkedTimerId?: string; // Timer to start when this one fires routineId?: string; // Parent routine routineStep?: number; // Step index in routine // State status: 'active' | 'paused' | 'fired' | 'dismissed' | 'snoozed'; snoozedUntil?: Date; snoozeCount: number; firedAt?: Date; dismissedAt?: Date; acknowledgedAt?: Date; // For CRITICAL: must explicitly acknowledge // Metadata category?: string; tags: string[]; createdAt: Date; updatedAt: Date; } interface PreWarning { minutesBefore: number; message: string; firedAt?: Date; status: 'pending' | 'fired' | 'skipped'; } interface Routine { id: string; name: string; steps: RoutineStep[]; totalDuration: number; // Computed sum schedule?: RecurrenceRule; // When this routine runs status: 'template' | 'active' | 'completed'; startedAt?: Date; currentStep: number; } interface RoutineStep { label: string; duration: number; // Minutes notes?: string; sound?: string; // Transition sound skippable: boolean; extendable: boolean; // Allow +5min } type CascadePreset = 'aggressive' | 'standard' | 'light' | 'minimal' | 'none'; interface RecurrenceRule { frequency: 'daily' | 'weekdays' | 'weekends' | 'weekly' | 'monthly' | 'custom'; daysOfWeek?: number[]; // 0=Sun, 6=Sat interval?: number; // Every N days/weeks/months endDate?: Date; } ``` ### 8.3 Notification Architecture ``` Timer Engine (runs in Service Worker) Timer Store --> Scheduler --> Notification (IndexedDB) (checks every Dispatcher 30 seconds) | ┌───────────────────┤ | | Web Push In-App Alert (backgrounded) (foregrounded) - OS banner - Full-screen (CRITICAL) - Sound - Toast (others) - Badge - Sound - Vibration ``` **Key challenge:** Browser Service Workers can be killed by the OS. Mitigation: - Schedule next-fire via `setTimeout` with periodic checks every 30s - Use `navigator.serviceWorker` for background notifications - Fallback: `setInterval` poll in active tab - Critical timers register OS-level alarms where supported (native app) ### 8.4 Project Structure ``` learning_ai_clock/ ├── docs/ │ ├── raw_idea.md # Original idea │ └── PRD.md # This document ├── web/ # Next.js 14 web app │ ├── src/ │ │ ├── pages/ # Pages Router │ │ │ ├── index.tsx # Landing page │ │ │ ├── app.tsx # Main app (dashboard) │ │ │ ├── create.tsx # Create timer │ │ │ ├── routines.tsx # Routines │ │ │ ├── focus.tsx # Focus / pomodoro │ │ │ ├── history.tsx # Timer history │ │ │ └── settings.tsx # Settings │ │ ├── components/ │ │ │ ├── Clock.tsx # Large analog/digital clock │ │ │ ├── TimerCard.tsx # Individual timer display │ │ │ ├── Timeline.tsx # Vertical timeline of upcoming │ │ │ ├── QuickTimer.tsx # One-tap preset buttons │ │ │ ├── CascadeEditor.tsx# Pre-warning cascade config │ │ │ ├── RoutineEditor.tsx# Routine step editor │ │ │ ├── AlarmOverlay.tsx # Full-screen alarm (CRITICAL) │ │ │ └── NLInput.tsx # Natural language input │ │ ├── lib/ │ │ │ ├── timer-engine.ts # Core scheduling logic │ │ │ ├── store.ts # Zustand store + IndexedDB │ │ │ ├── notifications.ts # Web Notifications wrapper │ │ │ ├── sounds.ts # Web Audio API sounds │ │ │ ├── cascade.ts # Pre-warning cascade logic │ │ │ ├── recurrence.ts # Recurrence rule engine │ │ │ └── nl-parser.ts # Natural language time parser │ │ └── styles/ │ │ └── globals.css # Full design system │ ├── public/ │ │ ├── sounds/ # Alarm sound files │ │ └── icons/ # PWA icons │ ├── package.json │ └── next.config.js ├── .gitignore └── README.md ``` --- ## 9. Design System ### 9.1 Color Palette (Dark Theme) | Token | Hex | Use | |-------|-----|-----| | `--cm-bg` | `#0A0B0F` | Page background | | `--cm-surface` | `#12141D` | Cards, panels | | `--cm-surface-hover` | `#1A1D2A` | Hover states | | `--cm-border` | `#2A2D3A` | Borders | | `--cm-text` | `#E8ECF4` | Primary text | | `--cm-text-secondary` | `#8A92A6` | Secondary text | | `--cm-text-muted` | `#5A6178` | Timestamps, hints | | `--cm-critical` | `#FF4757` | Critical urgency | | `--cm-important` | `#FF9F43` | Important urgency | | `--cm-standard` | `#FECA57` | Standard urgency | | `--cm-gentle` | `#2ED573` | Gentle urgency | | `--cm-passive` | `#5B8DEE` | Passive/info | | `--cm-accent` | `#5B8DEE` | Primary accent, links | | `--cm-accent-glow` | `#5B8DEE33` | Glow effects on timers | ### 9.2 Typography | Token | Font | Weight | Use | |-------|------|--------|-----| | `--cm-font-display` | Space Grotesk | 700 | Clock face, timer digits | | `--cm-font-body` | Inter | 400/500/600 | Body text, labels | | `--cm-font-mono` | JetBrains Mono | 400 | Countdown digits, time displays | ### 9.3 Clock Face Digits The main clock display uses a large, beautiful monospaced font with a subtle glow effect: ```css .clock-display { font-family: var(--cm-font-mono); font-size: 4rem; font-variant-numeric: tabular-nums; letter-spacing: 0.05em; color: var(--cm-text); text-shadow: 0 0 30px var(--cm-accent-glow); } ``` --- ## 10. Competitive Analysis | Feature | iOS Clock | Google Clock | Alarmy | Due | Toggl Track | **ChronoMind** | |---------|----------|-------------|--------|-----|-------------|----------------| | Basic alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | **Yes** | | Countdown timer | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | **Yes** | | Pre-warnings | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes (core)** | | Urgency levels | No | No | Partial | No | No | **Yes** | | Cascade config | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Routines | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Linked timers | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Prep time | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Travel time | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Focus / pomodoro | No | No | No | No | Yes | **Yes** | | Event countdowns | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Natural language | Siri | Google | No | No | No | **Yes** | | Shared timers | No | No | No | No | Yes (team) | **Yes (v2)** | | Adaptive snooze | No | No | No | No | No | **Yes (v1)** | | Web PWA | No | No | No | No | Yes | **Yes** | | Offline-first | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | No | **Yes** | | Free | Yes | Yes | Freemium | $7 | Freemium | **Yes** | **ChronoMind's moat:** No existing app combines pre-warning cascades + routines + linked timers + urgency levels + focus mode in a single, beautiful, offline-first web app. Most clock apps are feature-frozen utility apps from the early smartphone era. --- ## 11. Monetization (Future — v2+) ChronoMind is **free and open-source** for personal use. Potential future revenue: | Tier | Price | Features | |------|-------|----------| | **Free** | $0 | All MVP features, unlimited timers, local storage | | **Pro** | $4/mo | Cloud sync, shared timers, calendar integration, custom sounds | | **Team** | $8/user/mo | Team timers, admin dashboard, API access, webhooks | --- ## 12. Success Metrics (MVP) | Metric | Target | How to Measure | |--------|--------|----------------| | **PWA installs** | 100 in first month | Service worker registration | | **Daily active users** | 50 | IndexedDB activity timestamp | | **Timers created/week** | 500+ | In-app analytics | | **Pre-warning engagement** | >60% of timers use cascade | Default-on, track opt-out | | **Routine usage** | >20% of users create a routine | Feature adoption tracking | | **Snooze rate** | <30% (means alarms are well-timed) | Snooze event tracking | --- ## 13. Development Phases ### Phase 1: MVP (2 weeks) | Week | Deliverable | |------|------------| | Week 1 | Project setup, data model, timer engine, dashboard UI, create timer flow | | Week 2 | Pre-warning cascade, notifications, sounds, PWA, quick timers, dark theme | ### Phase 2: Intelligence (2 weeks) | Week | Deliverable | |------|------------| | Week 3 | Routines, linked timers, focus/pomodoro mode | | Week 4 | Natural language input, recurring timers, prep time, history + stats | ### Phase 3: Platform (4 weeks) | Week | Deliverable | |------|------------| | Week 5-6 | macOS menu bar app (Tauri/SwiftUI), cloud sync (optional) | | Week 7-8 | iOS native app, shared timers, calendar sync | --- ## 14. Open Questions | # | Question | Decision Needed | |---|----------|----------------| | 1 | Should MVP include cloud sync or be 100% local? | **Decision: local-only MVP, cloud in v1.1** | | 2 | Natural language parsing: local regex or LLM API? | **Decision: local regex MVP, optional LLM v2** | | 3 | Should the main clock be analog, digital, or both? | **Decision: digital primary, analog option** | | 4 | PWA notification reliability — is it good enough? | **Test: if <90% delivery, prioritize native** | | 5 | Should routines support branching (if/else steps)? | **Decision: linear-only MVP, branching v2** | --- ## 15. Appendix: Naming | Option | Pros | Cons | |--------|------|------| | **ChronoMind** | Unique, conveys "smart time" | Slightly long | | **PreWarn** | Describes core feature | Too narrow | | **TimeShift** | Cool, implies flexibility | Vague | | **CascadeTimer** | Describes cascade feature | Too technical | | **Nudge** | Friendly, approachable | Generic | **Working name: ChronoMind** — subject to change. --- ## 16. Summary ChronoMind fills a real gap: the space between "dumb alarm" and "full calendar app." Every phone has a clock app, but none of them answer the question *"how do I make sure I'm prepared for what's coming?"* **Three core innovations:** 1. **Pre-warning cascade** — configurable escalation so you're never surprised 2. **Routines** — timed sequences that guide you through multi-step activities 3. **Urgency-aware intelligence** — the app understands that a flight and a laundry timer are fundamentally different The MVP is achievable in 2 weeks as a web PWA with no backend dependency.