Feature Roadmap

Development Status Overview

• Current Progress: 40% complete (as of 3 weeks into development)
• Target Launch: March 1st, 2025
• Development Approach: Greenfield development with focus on AI-powered features
• Team: Small, lean team ($300K annual salary costs)

Launch Timeline

Phase 1: Early Access Launch (March 1, 2025)

Status: Target launch date

Core Features (MVP)

1. Smart Calendar

   • Custody schedule management
   • Automatic sync between co-parents
   • Appointments and events tracking

2. Secure Messaging

   • Organized co-parenting communication
   • Searchable message history
   • Privacy controls

3. Document Vault

   • Secure document storage
   • Receipt management
   • Agreement archival

4. Basic Expense Tracking

   • Track and categorize expenses
   • Reimbursement requests
   • Basic reporting

AI Features (Differentiators)

1. OtterSnap (Priority 1)

   • Photo capture of documents/moments
   • AI conversion to actionable items
   • Automatic scheduling and notifications

2. OtterMic (Priority 2)

   • Voice-powered task management
   • Create events via voice
   • Set reminders and log notes

3. PupUp® (Priority 3)

   • Child achievement recognition
   • Personalized congratulatory messages
   • Age-appropriate suggestions

4. OtterChat (Priority 4)

   • Communication assistance
   • Tone optimization
   • Conflict de-escalation suggestions

Phase 2: Post-Launch Enhancements (Q2 2025)

Enhanced Features

1. Advanced Analytics

   • Usage patterns and insights
   • Co-parenting effectiveness metrics
   • Child activity tracking

2. Payment Integration (Dwolla-powered)

   • Direct expense reimbursement
   • Automated payment processing
   • Transaction history

3. Multi-Child Support

   • Separate tracking per child
   • Individual schedules and expenses
   • Child-specific AI insights

4. Extended Storage

   • Increased document capacity
   • Photo and video storage
   • Cloud backup integration

Phase 3: Platform Expansion (Q3-Q4 2025)

Enterprise & Legal Features

1. Multi-Co-Parent Support

   • Extended family coordination
   • Stepparent integration
   • Guardian access controls

2. Legal Templates

   • Custody agreement templates
   • Court-ready reports
   • Legal documentation export

3. API Access

   • Third-party integrations
   • Legal software connectivity
   • Court system integration

4. Custom Categories

   • Personalized expense categories
   • Custom event types
   • Tailored workflows

Advanced AI Capabilities

1. Predictive Scheduling

   • Pattern recognition for events
   • Automatic suggestion of recurring items
   • Conflict avoidance recommendations

2. Sentiment Analysis

   • Communication tone monitoring
   • Relationship health indicators
   • Intervention suggestions

3. Document Intelligence

   • Automatic form filling
   • Legal document parsing
   • Compliance checking

Feature Prioritization Framework

Eisenhower Matrix for AI Startup Context

                           EISENHOWER MATRIX - OUROTTERS FEATURES
    
                     URGENT                    |               NOT URGENT
                                              |
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                                         │                                         │
    │        QUADRANT 1: DO FIRST            │       QUADRANT 2: SCHEDULE             │
  I │         (Ship for MVP)                  │        (Post-MVP Growth)                │ I
  M │                                         │                                         │ M
  P │  🔥 OtterSnap (AI docs/moments)         │  💡 OtterChat (AI communication)       │ P
  O │  📅 Smart Calendar (custody sched)      │  🎉 PupUp® (achievement recognition)   │ O
  R │  💬 Secure Messaging (comms platform)  │  💳 Payment Integration (Dwolla)       │ R
  T │                                         │  🔍 OtterMic (voice tasks)              │ T
  A │                                         │                                         │ A
  N │  TARGET: March 1, 2025 Launch          │  TARGET: Q2-Q3 2025                    │ N
  T │                                         │                                         │ T
    ├─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┤
    │                                         │                                         │
    │       QUADRANT 3: DELEGATE              │       QUADRANT 4: ELIMINATE            │
    │     (Use Existing Solutions)            │        (Future Consideration)          │
    │                                         │                                         │
    │  📁 Document Vault (cloud storage)      │  👥 Multi-Co-Parent Support            │
    │  💰 Basic Expense Tracking (APIs)       │  📋 Legal Templates                    │
    │                                         │  📊 Advanced Analytics                 │
    │                                         │  🔮 Predictive Scheduling              │
    │                                         │  📈 Sentiment Analysis                 │
    │  TARGET: Minimize dev effort           │  TARGET: Post-PMF only                 │
    │                                         │                                         │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┘
                   NOT IMPORTANT              |               NOT IMPORTANT

Quadrant 1: Urgent & Important (Do First - Ship for MVP)

Critical for March 1, 2025 launch & immediate competitive advantage

1. OtterSnap - AI document/moment capture

   • Core differentiator from competitors
   • Immediate value demonstration
   • Showcase AI capabilities to users/investors

2. Smart Calendar - Custody scheduling

   • Essential co-parenting need
   • User retention driver
   • Foundation for other features

3. Secure Messaging - Communication platform

   • Basic functionality requirement
   • Data collection for AI training
   • User engagement baseline

Quadrant 2: Important but Not Urgent (Schedule - Post-MVP)

Build after launch validation, focus on growth & differentiation

1. OtterChat - Communication assistance

   • Significant AI differentiator
   • Requires user data for training
   • High impact on user satisfaction

2. PupUp® - Achievement recognition

   • Emotional engagement driver
   • Network effects potential
   • Premium feature for conversion

3. Payment Integration (Dwolla)

   • Revenue enablement
   • Platform stickiness
   • Enterprise readiness

Quadrant 3: Urgent but Not Important (Delegate/Automate)

Necessary but not differentiating - use existing solutions

1. Document Vault - File storage

   • Use standard cloud storage APIs
   • Focus on AI features that process documents
   • Minimize custom development

2. Basic Expense Tracking

   • Leverage existing financial APIs
   • Simple categorization only
   • Save development for AI-enhanced features

Quadrant 4: Neither Urgent nor Important (Eliminate for Now)

Future considerations after market validation

1. Multi-Co-Parent Support

   • Complex edge case
   • Minimal initial market
   • Post-traction feature

2. Legal Templates

   • Regulatory complexity
   • Partnership opportunity instead
   • Enterprise sales requirement

3. Advanced Analytics

   • Requires significant user base
   • Data science resource intensive
   • Post-PMF optimization

AI Startup Priority Rationale

Focus on AI-First Features:

• OtterSnap demonstrates immediate AI value
• Data collection starts early for model improvement
• Competitive moat through unique AI capabilities

Validate Market Fit Fast:

• Core functionality (calendar/messaging) proves basic utility
• AI features prove differentiation
• Early user feedback shapes AI development

Resource Optimization:

• Leverage existing solutions for commodity features
• Invest engineering in AI differentiators
• Delay complex enterprise features until traction

Investor Appeal:

• AI features showcase technical capability
• Clear differentiation story
• Measurable AI impact metrics

Success Metrics by Phase

Phase 1 (Launch)

• User Growth: 10,000 users in Year 1
• Retention: 70% monthly active users
• Feature Adoption: 80% use core features, 50% use AI features

Phase 2 (Enhancement)

• Revenue: $1.2M annual recurring revenue
• Conversion: 60% free-to-paid conversion
• Engagement: 85% feature adoption across platform

Phase 3 (Expansion)

• Scale: 150,000 users by Year 3
• Market Share: 5-10% of co-parenting app market
• Enterprise: 25% of revenue from Family tier

Technical Milestones

Development Velocity Targets

• Weekly Progress: Maintain 13% completion rate (40% in 3 weeks)
• Quality Assurance: Continuous testing and user feedback integration
• Performance: Enterprise-grade security and reliability

Integration Roadmap

1. Payment Systems: Dwolla integration for Phase 2
2. Legal Platforms: Court system APIs for Phase 3
3. Calendar Systems: Google/Apple calendar sync
4. Cloud Services: AWS/Azure for scalability

Risk Mitigation

Development Risks

• Timeline Pressure: Buffer built into launch timeline
• Technical Debt: Greenfield approach minimizes legacy issues
• Team Capacity: Lean team with clear role definitions

Market Risks

• Competition: AI features provide differentiation
• User Adoption: Early access program for validation
• Regulatory: Legal compliance built into feature design

Last updated: Based on current development progress and market analysis (2025-07-01)