Session 0001 - Phase 0: Landing Page & AI Demo

Date: 2025-12-17 Duration: 3 hours Story Points: 8 SP Session Rating: 4.5/5

Session Objectives

• Complete napkin session with Sheri Dudley
• Research competitive landscape
• Create landing page with Astro + Tailwind
• Implement AI demo using Gemini API

Work Completed

Feature 1: Napkin Session & Discovery (2 SP)

What Changed:

• Met with Sheri Dudley and Tray Turner at Waffle House
• Defined core concept: "What would you say at their memorial?" delivered while alive
• Identified use cases: birthdays, retirements, anniversaries, memorials
• Established product tiers: digital basic, digital booklet, printed book

Key Quote:

"We want you to know all the things people love and would say about you when you're still here to receive it—versus when you are dead and cannot hear it anymore."

Files Created:

• docs/20251217-napkin-session.md - Full session transcript and summary
• docs/PXL_20251217_215846839.jpg - Napkin sketch

Feature 2: Competitive Analysis (2 SP)

What Changed:

• Researched 6 competitors: Newlywords, Kith & Kin, Fondfolio, Storyworth, LifeOnRecord, Tribute Technology
• Identified market gaps: no AI-assisted prompts, expensive premium options, death-focused positioning
• Defined key differentiators: living tribute positioning, AI prompts, QR code events, simpler pricing

Files Created:

• docs/proposal.md - Full proposal with competitive analysis and pricing

Technical Details: Pricing tiers established based on competitive analysis:

• Digital Basic: $19
• Digital Booklet: $39
• Printed Book: $69-99
• Premium Book: $149+

Feature 3: Landing Page (2 SP)

What Changed:

• Created Astro + Tailwind 4 static site
• Warm gold/rose color palette to match celebratory theme
• Hero section with dual CTAs (Try It Now, Get Notified)
• How It Works section (3 steps)
• AI-Powered Writing Help section
• QR Code feature highlight
• Use Cases grid
• Quote section
• Email signup form

Files Modified:

• src/pages/index.astro - Main landing page
• src/layouts/Layout.astro - Base layout
• src/styles/global.css - Custom Tailwind theme

Technical Details:

• Astro 5.x with Tailwind CSS 4
• Custom color palette using @theme directive
• Responsive design with mobile-first approach
• Netlify adapter for SSR

Feature 4: AI Demo - Try It Now (2 SP)

What Changed:

• Interactive React component with multi-step form
• Questions adapt based on relationship type
• Gemini API integration for tribute generation
• Loading state and error handling
• Result display with edit/retry options

Files Created:

• src/components/TryItDemo.tsx - React interactive demo
• src/pages/api/generate-tribute.ts - Gemini API endpoint

Technical Details:

• 5-step questionnaire: name, relationship, duration, occasion, memory + lesson
• Contextual prompts based on relationship (coworker vs friend vs family)
• Gemini 1.5 Flash for cost-effective generation (~$0.01/call)
• Server-side API route for secure key handling

Architecture Decisions

Decision: Gemini over Claude for Demo

Problem: Need cost-effective AI for landing page demo Solution: Use Google's free tier Gemini API Rationale: $0 cost during validation phase, can switch to Claude for production Files: src/pages/api/generate-tribute.ts

Decision: Server-Side Rendering for API

Problem: Need secure API key handling Solution: Netlify adapter with server output mode Rationale: API keys never exposed to client, server functions handle AI calls Files: astro.config.mjs

Security Considerations

• Google API key stored in .env (gitignored)
• Server-side API route prevents key exposure
• No user data persisted in demo mode
• Rate limiting should be added before production

Testing

Manual Testing:

• Landing page responsive on mobile/tablet/desktop
• AI demo flow completes successfully
• Tribute generation produces coherent output
• Error states display correctly

Next Steps

• Deploy to Netlify
• Add GOOGLE_API_KEY to Netlify environment variables
• Share with Sheri for feedback
• If validated, begin Phase 1: Auth + Create Book flow

Session Metrics

Story Point Breakdown

Session Rating: 4.5/5

• Productivity: 5/5 - Completed all Phase 0 objectives in single session
• Quality: 4/5 - Clean code, good UX, needs testing
• Impact: 5/5 - Ready to validate with Sheri
• Learning: 4/5 - Gemini API integration, Astro 5 patterns
• Flow: 4/5 - Smooth except for Netlify adapter setup

Commits

(pending) - Initial landing page with AI demo

File Changes Summary

Modified: 0 files Added: 12 files Deleted: 0 files

Links

• Repository: https://github.com/ubiquitouszero/sheri-tribute-book
• Napkin Session: docs/20251217-napkin-session.md
• Proposal: docs/proposal.md

Generated with Claude Code Co-Authored-By: Claude noreply@anthropic.com