PRD of WeBuddhist Practice App

🚀 WG ☸️ WeBuddhist WG
1
Owning Group WeBuddhist App Team
Status Complete
GitHub Project WeBuddhist WG · GitHub
Last Updated 2025-09-22

1. Overview

WeBuddhist is a mobile application designed to make authentic Buddhist teachings and practices accessible for daily life. Inspired by the guided, plan-based structure of the YouVersion Bible App, WeBuddhist provides users with structured “Practice Plans” created by vetted Buddhist teachers.

This project solves a key problem for three main user groups:

  1. The Stressed Professional: Offers practical, structured mindfulness and meditation tools to manage stress and anxiety, grounded in an authentic tradition.

  2. The Spiritual Seeker: Provides a deep, reliable resource for engaging with Buddhist philosophy and a variety of practices beyond simple meditation.

  3. The Curious Student: Presents a clear, accessible entry point to learn about Buddhist concepts without the overwhelm of dense texts or unstructured content.

It bridges the gap between secular mindfulness apps (like Calm or Headspace) which lack spiritual depth, and academic resources which can be inaccessible to beginners.

2. Goals & Success Metrics

User Goals

  • To easily find and follow a structured path for Buddhist practice.

  • To build a consistent daily practice habit.

  • To access reliable Buddhist scriptures and teachings in one place.

  • To feel a sense of progress and support in their spiritual journey.

Business Goals

  • Become the leading mobile application for lay Buddhist practitioners in the world.

  • Achieve high user engagement and long-term retention.

  • Build a respected platform for authentic Buddhist teachers to share their wisdom.

Success Metrics (KPIs)

  • Engagement: Daily Active Users (DAU), Monthly Active Users (MAU), average session length.

  • Retention: Day 1, Day 7, and Day 30 user retention rates.

  • Adoption: Rate of new user sign-ups per month.

  • Core Feature Usage: Practice Plan start and completion rates. Percentage of active users utilizing the Scripture Library.

  • Satisfaction: Net Promoter Score (NPS) and App Store ratings.

3. Timeline & Quarterly Milestones

This timeline has been updated to reflect progress from Q1 2025 and outlines the revised plan for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Q1 2025: Research & Foundation (Completed)

  • Milestone 1: Conducted market research and competitive analysis, identifying YouVersion as a key model.
  • Milestone 2: Developed initial data schema and core backend architecture.
  • Milestone 3: Created low-fidelity UI/UX wireframes and user flows (Excalidraw).

Q2 2025: Design & Core Authentication (Completed)

  • Milestone 4: Converted wireframes into high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes (Figma).
  • Milestone 5: Implemented core app shell in Flutter.
  • Milestone 6: Developed and integrated user authentication (sign-up, sign-in, profile management).

Q3 2025: Backend & API Integration (Completed)

  • Milestone 7: Implemented the backend infrastructure for Practice Plans.
  • Milestone 8: Integrated the Scripture Library via API from the WeBuddhist Study Platform
  • Milestone 9: Connected core Practice Plan and Scripture Library features to the Flutter front-end.

Q4 2025: Content Creation & Testing (In Progress)

  • Milestone 10: Develop and deploy “Plan Studio,” the web-based CMS for Plan Creators.
  • Milestone 11: Onboard the first cohort of 5+ Plan Creators to build the initial 15+ Practice Plans using Plan Studio.
  • Milestone 12: Conduct closed Alpha testing with a targeted user group to gather feedback on plans and core features.
  • Milestone 13: Implement feedback and critical bug fixes from Alpha testing for Beta readiness.

Target Launch: Q1 2026 (Public Beta)

4. Scope & Features

This section reflects the updated scope for the Public Beta launch, incorporating the development of the “Plan Studio” CMS.

In Scope (For Public Beta Launch)

Practice Plans

  • User-Facing:

    • A browsable library of Practice Plans, filterable by topic (e.g., “Anxiety,” “Compassion”), duration, and creator.

    • Each plan will consist of daily activities, including a short reading, a guided audio meditation, and a reflection prompt.

    • Progress tracking with daily check-offs and a streak counter to encourage consistency.

    • A simple, private in-app journal for reflection prompts.

  • Creator-Facing (Plan Studio CMS):

    • A web-based portal for approved creators to self-manage their content.

    • Creators can build, edit, and publish their own Practice Plans directly to the app.

    • Includes tools for uploading text, audio files, and managing plan metadata.

Scripture Library

  • A curated collection of foundational Buddhist texts powered by an API from the WeBuddhist Study Platform.

  • Content will span traditions like Theravada (e.g., Dhammapada), Mahayana (e.g., Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra), and introductory Vajrayana.

  • Core functionality including full-text search, bookmarking, and highlighting.

  • Clean, readable formatting with options to adjust font size.

User Onboarding & Profile

  • A simple onboarding flow to help users identify their goals and receive initial plan recommendations.

  • A user profile screen that displays current plan progress and practice streaks.

  • Push notifications for daily practice reminders.

Out of Scope (For Post-Launch Consideration)

  • Advanced Community Features: User-to-user friending, public discussion forums, or live-streamed sessions.

  • Advanced Content Creator Portal Features: While the core “Plan Studio” CMS is in scope, advanced features like creator analytics dashboards, follower systems, or direct monetization tools are not.

  • Buddhist Events Calendar: The feature to search, register for, and get reminders for Buddhist events.

  • Offline Mode: Full offline access to all plans and scriptures.

  • Monetization Features: All content will be free at launch. Subscription or donation models are out of scope for the beta.

5. Dependencies

  • Content Creators: The project is critically dependent on sourcing and securing partnerships with authentic, respected Buddhist teachers and organizations to create the initial library of Practice Plans.

  • Scripture APIs/Sources: Source text dependency with WeBuddhist study platform.

  • Legal Team: Review of content licensing agreements with creators and scripture sources, as well as final review of the app’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

  • App Store Approvals: The launch timeline is dependent on the approval processes of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

6. Acceptance Criteria

The project will be considered “done” for the Public Beta launch when the following criteria are met:

  1. A new user can successfully download the app, create an account, and complete the onboarding process.

  2. A user can browse the library of Practice Plans, start a plan, and view the content for each day.

  3. All core components of a daily plan are functional: text is readable, audio meditation plays correctly, and a journal entry can be saved.

  4. A user’s progress (completed days, current streak) is accurately tracked and displayed on their profile.

  5. A user can successfully search the Scripture Library for a term, open a text, and use the bookmarking feature.

  6. The application is stable, has no critical or blocking bugs on supported iOS and Android devices, and has been approved for listing on both major app stores.