avra-cadavra/doors-philosophy-validation

Doors Philosophy Validation

Core Validation Questions

For every feature, ask these questions:

1. What doors? - What doors does this feature help users open?
2. When ready? - When are users ready for these doors?
3. Good key? - Is this being a good key (does it unlock doors effectively)?
4. Learning? - Does this enable learning about which doors resonate?

Doors Philosophy Principles

Every Feature Must Open Doors

• Doors to experiences
• Doors to communities
• Doors to people
• Doors to meaning
• Doors to more doors

SPOTS Shows Doors, Not Answers

• Not recommendations → Doors
• Not matches → People who open similar doors
• Not features → Door opening mechanisms
• Not engagement → Doors opened

Validation Checklist

• [ ] What doors does this feature help users open?
• [ ] When are users ready for these doors?
• [ ] Does this respect their door history (authenticity)?
• [ ] Does this adapt to their usage pattern?
• [ ] Is this being a good key?
• [ ] Does this enhance the real world experience (not replace it)?
• [ ] Does this preserve authenticity?
• [ ] Does this work offline?
• [ ] Does this respect privacy?

Examples

✅ GOOD: Door-Opening Feature

/// Event Discovery Service
/// 
/// Opens doors to community events at user's favorite spots.
/// Users discover events → attend events → find communities → find their people.
class EventDiscoveryService {
  // Helps users discover events (doors to communities)
  // Adapts to user's door history
  // Works offline
  // Respects privacy
}

❌ BAD: Not Door-Opening

/// Engagement Optimizer
/// 
/// Increases app usage and time in app.
class EngagementOptimizer {
  // Focuses on metrics, not doors
  // Doesn't open doors to meaningful connections
  // Violates "doors, not badges" philosophy
}

Journey Flow Validation

Ensure features support the journey:

Find YOUR Spots (Doors)
      ↓
Those spots have communities
      ↓
Those communities have events  
      ↓
You find YOUR people
      ↓
You find YOUR life

Reference

• docs/plans/philosophy_implementation/SPOTS_PHILOSOPHY_AND_ARCHITECTURE.md
• docs/plans/philosophy_implementation/DOORS.md