Architecture Proposals — Dec 18, 2025

QuranFlow Architecture Proposals

Date: December 18, 2025 Version: 1.0 Purpose: Information architecture redesign proposals based on systematic analysis

Executive Summary

The Problem

QuranFlow's current app architecture causes user disorientation. Students email asking "when does semester start?" despite receiving 5+ emails. They can't find their schedule (buried 5 clicks deep), don't know which week they're on, and miss critical features hidden in hamburger menus. The app fails to answer the three fundamental questions users need: Where am I? What can I do? Where can I go?

The Approach

This document applies the WWDC25 Design Field Guide diagnostic framework to QuranFlow's current state, then develops three distinct architecture proposals based on different organizing principles. Each proposal addresses all 6 P0 critical issues and surfaces currently-hidden features.

Three Proposals at a Glance

Recommendation

Proposal A (Weekly Rhythm) is recommended as the primary direction. It best balances guidance and flexibility, directly addresses the disorientation problem through temporal anchoring, and aligns with the program's actual structure (15-week semesters, weekly submission cycles). Proposals B and C represent valid alternatives if user research reveals different priorities.

Phase 1: Problem Brief

The Disorientation Problem

Core Failure: The app provides no temporal anchoring. Users cannot determine where they are in the semester, what week's content is current, or when time-sensitive events occur. Critical information is either missing entirely (semester start date, current week indicator) or buried in non-discoverable locations (schedule behind 5 clicks, Quran Coach in hamburger menu).

How It Manifests:

• Students email asking "when does semester start?" despite receiving 5+ emails
• Students don't know which week they're on (must calculate from "8 of 15 submissions")
• Students miss live sessions because schedule is hidden and times lack timezone info
• Students never discover critical features (mushaf font, session recordings, their TA's identity)
• Students feel lost in first 2 weeks; some give up entirely

The Weekly Rhythm

What happens each week in the program:

1. Saturday: New weekly lesson unlocks (1-2 videos, 3-5 min each)
2. During week: Watch lesson videos, practice the concept
3. During week: Record submission of assigned passage, submit to Quran Coach
4. Within 48 hours: Receive audio feedback from Quran Coach
5. Throughout week: Attend live sessions (Level Class, QRCs) for practice and Q&A
6. Repeat: For 15 weeks until End of Course Assessment

Critical Path (must complete):

• Watch weekly lesson video(s)
• Submit weekly recording
• Receive and review feedback

Supplementary (valuable but optional):

• Attend Level Class (1 hour, topic deep-dive)
• Attend QRCs (reading circles, real-time feedback)
• Review session recordings if missed

Task Inventory (Core Tasks)

Hidden Features Table

Phase 2: Current State Diagnosis

The 3 Questions Test (Current Home Screen)

Diagnosis: The home screen fails the 3 Questions test. It provides no temporal context (week number, semester progress), offers competing actions without clear hierarchy, and hides critical navigation in a deprecated hamburger pattern.

Tab Worthiness Audit

Current tabs: Home | Lessons | Submissions | Live

Missing from tabs:

• Profile/Account - currently in hamburger, but users need easy access
• Schedule - arguably more important than a dedicated "Live" tab
• Progress/Feedback - core to learning loop but buried

Evaluation: Current tab bar is reasonable at a structural level but fails in execution. The bigger problem is what's missing: schedule, profile, feedback history. The hamburger contains too much critical content.

Hamburger Menu Audit

Diagnosis: 6 of 9 hamburger items should NOT be hidden. The hamburger pattern itself is problematic (deprecated in iOS), but worse, it contains mission-critical features that users never discover.

Current Screen Pain Points

Phase 3: Organizing Principles Exploration

Brainstormed Principles

Analysis and Selection

Rejected: Content-First

• QuranFlow isn't a self-directed library; it's a structured program
• Students need guidance, not browsing freedom
• Would exacerbate disorientation problem

Rejected: Coach-First

• While TA relationship is important, Year 1 interaction is async (submissions → feedback)
• Year 2 is more coach-centric (appointments), but Year 1 is the primary use case
• Could be a sub-theme but not organizing principle

Rejected: Time-First (pure calendar)

• Too focused on scheduling; most students don't need full calendar
• QuranFlow isn't primarily about appointments
• Could overwhelm with information

Selected Principles

1. Rhythm-First (Weekly Rhythm)

• Why selected: Directly matches program structure (weekly lessons, weekly submissions). The 15-week semester is the backbone. Answering "what week am I on" solves the core disorientation problem. Creates natural sense of pace and progress.
• Tension: May feel constraining to catch-up students or those with irregular schedules.

2. Task-First (Dashboard Command Center)

• Why selected: Addresses the "what should I do" question head-on. Shows everything at once - no hunting. Empowers users who want visibility and control.
• Tension: Can overwhelm. Requires more cognitive processing to prioritize.

3. Progress-First (Guided Journey)

• Why selected: Maximizes guidance and reduces anxiety. Perfect for students who feel lost. Emphasizes the "journey" narrative.
• Tension: May feel patronizing to advanced users. Hides information behind "you'll see it when you need it" logic.

Phase 4: Architecture Proposals

Proposal A: Weekly Rhythm

4.1 Concept Statement

Organizing Principle: "The app follows my weekly learning cycle."

The Weekly Rhythm architecture organizes everything around the 15-week semester structure and the weekly Lesson → Submit → Feedback → Live cycle. The app always answers "what week am I on?" prominently, and surfaces content relevant to the current week. Past weeks are accessible but de-emphasized. Future weeks are visible as a roadmap.

Why this fits QuranFlow: The program IS a weekly rhythm. Every student follows the same 15-week journey within their level. The disorientation problem stems from the app not reflecting this structure. By making "Week X of 15" the primary anchor, users immediately know where they are and can infer what they should be doing.

Elevator pitch: "QuranFlow's Weekly Rhythm keeps you on track. Always know what week you're on, what's due, and what's next. The app shows you the current week's lesson, your submission status, and upcoming live sessions - all in one glance."

4.2 Tab Bar Design

Hierarchy within each tab:

Today:

• Week header with countdown ("Week 8 of 15 • 3 days left")
• This week's lesson status (watched/unwatched videos)
• This week's submission status (not started / recording / awaiting feedback / feedback ready)
• Today's live sessions (timezone-aware)
• Quick actions: "Continue Lesson" or "Start Recording"

Learn:

• Segmented control: Current Week | All Weeks | Previous Levels
• Current week expanded by default, showing lesson + submission together
• Each week shows: Lesson title, video count, submission status, feedback status
• Tap week → Lesson videos + Recording interface + Feedback (unified)

Schedule:

• Native calendar week view (not Google Calendar link)
• Sessions shown as events with type badges (QRC, Level Class, Office Hours)
• All times in user's timezone with indicator ("Times shown in EST")
• Tap session → Details + Join button + Add to Calendar

Progress:

• Overall stats: "Week 8 of 15 • 7 submissions completed"
• Feedback timeline: Chronological list of all feedback received
• Tap any feedback → Original submission + TA audio + comments
• Achievements (if implemented)

More:

• Profile & Account (prominent)
• My Quran Coach (TA name, photo, about)
• Settings (including Font selection)
• Support (General, Technical, Billing)
• Resources
• Session Recordings archive
• Logout

4.3 Home Screen Design ("Today" Tab)

What the user sees (top to bottom):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ☪ QuranFlow              [Bell] [User]  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│   WEEK 8 OF 15                         │
│   Level 4 • Tajweed Rules              │
│   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━░░░░░░░ 53%             │
│   3 days until Week 9 unlocks          │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│   📚 THIS WEEK'S LESSON                │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │ Extra Stretches & Strong Signs   │  │
│   │ ✓ Video 1/3  ○ Video 2/3  ○ 3/3 │  │
│   │         [Continue Lesson →]      │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                         │
│   🎙 YOUR SUBMISSION                   │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │ ⏳ Awaiting feedback             │  │
│   │ Submitted Dec 16 • ~1 day left   │  │
│   │         [View Submission]        │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                         │
│   📅 TODAY'S SESSIONS                  │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │ 🟢 LIVE NOW                      │  │
│   │ Sisters' QRC with Ust. Radwa     │  │
│   │ Started 10 min ago               │  │
│   │         [Join Session]           │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │ 12:00 PM EST                     │  │
│   │ Level 4 Class with Ust. Radwa    │  │
│   │         [Add to Calendar]        │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
│   Today    Learn   Schedule  Progress  More │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

How it answers the 3 Questions:

Actions available:

• Primary: Context-dependent CTA changes based on status:
  • If lesson unwatched: "Continue Lesson"
  • If lesson done, no submission: "Start Recording"
  • If submission sent: "View Submission"
  • If feedback ready: "View Feedback" (highlighted)
• Secondary: Join live session, Add to calendar
• Navigation: Tab bar, notification bell, profile icon

4.4 Critical Screens

Screen: Learn (Week View)

Purpose: Unified access to lessons and submissions, organized by week.

What user sees:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ← Learn                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Current Week] [All Weeks] [Past Levels]│
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ WEEK 8 ─────────────────────────────── │
│ Extra Stretches & Strong Signs          │
│                                         │
│ 📹 LESSON                              │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ [thumb] Video 1: Introduction   ✓│    │
│ │ [thumb] Video 2: Practice       ○│    │
│ │ [thumb] Video 3: Examples       ○│    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ 🎙 SUBMISSION                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ Status: Awaiting Feedback        │    │
│ │ Submitted: Dec 16, 2025          │    │
│ │ [Play My Recording] [View Status]│    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ 📝 FEEDBACK                            │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ Not yet received                 │    │
│ │ Expected by Dec 18               │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────  │
│ WEEK 7 (Completed) ▼                   │
│ WEEK 6 (Completed) ▼                   │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

What they can do:

• Watch lesson videos (with progress tracking per video)
• Start/view submission
• View feedback when ready
• Expand past weeks to review
• Switch to "All Weeks" for semester overview
• Switch to "Past Levels" for archive

Connection: Tapping any video goes to video player. Tapping submission goes to recording flow. Tapping feedback goes to feedback detail with TA audio.

Screen: Schedule

Purpose: See all live sessions in a calendar format with timezone clarity.

What user sees:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Schedule                    [Filter ▼]  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Times shown in Eastern Time (EST)       │
│ [Change timezone]                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ◀ Dec 15-21, 2025                    ▶ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ FRIDAY, DEC 20                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ 6:00 AM   Sisters' QRC          │    │
│ │ QRC       Ust. Radwa      [→]   │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ 12:00 PM  Sisters' QRC          │    │
│ │ QRC       Ust. Radwa      [→]   │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ SATURDAY, DEC 21                        │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ 10:00 AM  Level 4 Class         │    │
│ │ CLASS     Ust. Radwa      [→]   │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ No more sessions this week              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

What they can do:

• View week-by-week schedule
• Filter by session type (QRC, Level Class, All)
• Tap session → Details modal with:
  • Full description
  • Zoom join button (when available)
  • Add to Calendar button
  • RSVP toggle (optional feature)
• Navigate between weeks
• Change timezone setting

Screen: Feedback Detail

Purpose: Unified view of a submission with its feedback, solving the split-location problem.

What user sees:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ← Week 7 Feedback                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ YOUR SUBMISSION                         │
│ Dec 9, 2025 • Week 7                    │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ [▶] 0:00 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 0:45   │    │
│ │     Your recording               │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────  │
│                                         │
│ TA FEEDBACK                             │
│ From: Ust. Yasmine White                │
│ Received: Dec 10, 2025                  │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ [▶] 0:00 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 2:15   │    │
│ │     Audio feedback               │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                                         │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────  │
│                                         │
│ FOLLOW-UP                               │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────┐    │
│ │ Ask a question about this       │    │
│ │ feedback...                      │    │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘    │
│ [Send Question]                         │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

What they can do:

• Play their original submission
• Play TA's audio feedback
• Ask follow-up question (with working text input)
• Navigate back to Progress for full history

4.5 User Flows

Flow A: First-time student orientation

1. Student opens app after receiving placement notification
2. Sees Today tab with:
   • "WEEK 1 OF 15" header (or pre-semester countdown if before start)
   • Welcome message: "Welcome to Level 4! Let's get started."
   • Onboarding card: "Set up your reading experience" → Font selection
   • "Your Quran Coach is Ust. Yasmine White" with photo
   • First week's lesson card (unlocks on Saturday)
3. Student taps "Set up your reading experience"
   • Modal presents font options with preview
   • Student selects mushaf font
   • Confirmation: "Perfect! You're all set."
4. Student explores tabs:
   • Learn: Sees Week 1 content (locked until Saturday)
   • Schedule: Sees orientation session and first week's live classes
   • Progress: Empty but shows "Your journey begins Week 1"
   • More: Can access profile, see TA info, find support

Why this works for Weekly Rhythm: The temporal anchor ("Week 1 of 15") is immediate. Even before classes start, student knows exactly where they are. Font selection is surfaced in onboarding rather than hidden.

Flow B: Submit weekly recording

Starting point: Student on Today tab, has watched lesson

1. Today tab shows: "📚 Lesson Complete ✓" and "🎙 Submission: Not started"
2. Student taps "Start Recording"
3. Recording screen appears with:
   • Quranic text in mushaf font (default)
   • "Recite the following ayat, applying Super Stretches"
   • Recording indicator and Start button
4. Student records (visualizer shows audio levels)
5. Review screen:
   • Playback with waveform
   • "Happy with your recording?"
   • Re-record option
6. Student taps Submit
   • Confirmation dialog: "Submit to Ust. Yasmine White? You have 1 submission remaining this week."
   • Student confirms
7. Success screen: "Submitted! Expect feedback within 48 hours."
8. Back to Today: Card now shows "⏳ Awaiting feedback • Submitted just now"

Tap count: 4 taps (Start Recording → Record → Review → Submit → Confirm)

Why this works for Weekly Rhythm: The flow is accessible from the weekly context. Student always sees submission in relation to the current week.

Flow C: Find and join a live session

Starting point: Student on any screen

1. Student taps Schedule tab
2. Sees this week's sessions with:
   • Timezone indicator at top: "Times shown in Eastern Time (EST)"
   • Today's sessions highlighted
   • Session card shows: Time, Name, Type badge, Instructor
3. Student finds "Sisters' QRC" at 12:00 PM
4. Taps session card → Detail modal:
   • Session name and description
   • "Starts in 45 minutes"
   • [Join Session] button (grayed out until 5 min before)
   • [Add to Calendar] button
   • RSVP toggle
5. Student taps Add to Calendar
   • System share sheet with .ics file
   • Event added to personal calendar
6. When session starts: Join button becomes active
7. Student taps Join → Opens Zoom

Tap count: 3 taps (Schedule tab → Session card → Join)

Why this works for Weekly Rhythm: Schedule is a primary tab, not buried. Times are in user's timezone with clear indicator.

Flow D: Check feedback and ask follow-up

Starting point: Student receives push notification "Feedback ready for Week 7"

1. Notification includes deep link → Tapping opens Feedback Detail directly
2. Alternatively from app: Today tab shows "📝 Feedback Ready!" card
3. Student taps card → Feedback Detail screen
4. Sees:
   • Their original submission with playback
   • TA's audio feedback with playback
   • Follow-up text input
5. Student plays feedback (audio plays, can adjust speed)
6. Student types follow-up question (working text input, not broken)
7. Taps Send Question
   • Confirmation: "Question sent to Ust. Yasmine White"
   • Notification will alert TA

Tap count: 2-3 taps from notification; 3 taps from app

Why this works for Weekly Rhythm: Feedback is surfaced in the Today view when ready. The detail screen unifies submission + feedback (not split across locations).

4.6 Surfacing Strategy

4.7 Trade-off Analysis

This architecture optimizes for:

• Temporal orientation (always know the week)
• Weekly workflow alignment (lesson → submit → feedback grouped)
• Schedule accessibility (primary tab)
• Progressive disclosure (current week emphasized, past accessible)
• Habit formation (same weekly rhythm)

This architecture sacrifices:

• Free exploration (structure pushes toward current week)
• Dashboard-at-a-glance (information spread across tabs)
• Extreme flexibility (catch-up requires navigating to past weeks)

Best for users who:

• Follow the program week-by-week
• Want clear guidance on what to do
• Appreciate structure and routine
• Are at risk of feeling lost without temporal anchors

Risk:

• Students significantly behind may feel shame seeing "Week 8" when they're on Week 5
• May feel repetitive if student is already oriented
• Tab bar with 5 items is at the iOS maximum

Key decision points:

1. Unified Learn tab vs. separate Lessons/Submissions: Unification reduces taps and cognitive load but changes the mental model from "two activities" to "one flow"
2. Schedule as primary tab: High prominence for a feature some use rarely; but solves the #2 problem (5 clicks → 1 tap)
3. Week number as primary header: Makes orientation impossible to avoid but consumes screen real estate

Proposal B: Dashboard Command Center

4.1 Concept Statement

Organizing Principle: "The app shows me everything at once."

The Dashboard Command Center architecture puts all critical information on a single, scannable home screen. No hunting. No tabs to explore. Users see their lesson status, submission status, feedback status, upcoming sessions, and key stats in one view. Other tabs exist for drill-down but the home screen is the control center.

Why this fits QuranFlow: Many users want full visibility rather than being guided through steps. They want to assess their situation quickly: "Do I have a lesson to watch? A submission to send? Feedback to review? When's my next session?" This architecture respects user agency by presenting information without hiding it behind tabs.

Elevator pitch: "QuranFlow's Dashboard shows you everything in one place. Lesson, submission, feedback, sessions, progress - all visible without scrolling. Always know exactly where you stand."

4.2 Tab Bar Design

Hierarchy within each tab:

Home (Dashboard):

• Dense information display
• Status cards: Lesson, Submission, Feedback (each with state + action)
• Upcoming sessions (next 24-48 hours)
• Week/Level indicator
• Quick stats (progress percentage)

Lessons:

• Week-by-week list
• Each week: Video thumbnails, watch status, topic
• Filter: Current level / Past levels
• No submission content here (that's in Feedback)

Feedback:

• Replaces both "Submissions" tab and hidden feedback archives
• Two views: "Pending" (submissions awaiting feedback) and "History" (all feedback)
• Each entry links submission recording + TA feedback + follow-up thread
• Chronological, not filtered by complex date selectors

Live:

• Schedule calendar view (not wall of text)
• Recordings archive below
• Timezone prominent
• Session details on tap

Profile:

• Full account info (name, email, level, billing, subscription)
• My Quran Coach section with TA info
• Settings (font, notifications, display)
• Support
• Learning achievements

4.3 Home Screen Design

What the user sees (dense dashboard):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Level 4 • Week 8 of 15        [≡] [👤] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 53% COMPLETE                        │ │
│ │ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━░░░░░░░░░░░░░         │ │
│ │ 8 lessons • 7 submissions • 7 feedbk│ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌───────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌────────┐ │
│ │ 📚 LESSON │ │ 🎙 SUBMIT │ │📝 FEEDBK│ │
│ │           │ │           │ │        │ │
│ │  2 of 3   │ │ Awaiting  │ │ 1 NEW  │ │
│ │  videos   │ │ feedback  │ │        │ │
│ │           │ │           │ │        │ │
│ │[Continue] │ │  [View]   │ │ [Read] │ │
│ └───────────┘ └───────────┘ └────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📅 COMING UP                           │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🟢 NOW: Sisters' QRC • Ust. Radwa   │ │
│ │       [Join]                        │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Today 12pm: Level 4 Class (EST)     │ │
│ │       [Add to Cal]                  │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Tomorrow 6am: QRC (EST)             │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 💬 ANNOUNCEMENTS                        │
│ New semester dates posted - check email │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
│   Home   Lessons  Feedback   Live  Profile│
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

How it answers the 3 Questions:

Actions available:

• Primary: Three equal-weight cards for lesson/submission/feedback
• Secondary: Join/Add to Calendar for sessions
• Navigation: Tab bar; notification bell implicit in Feedback card showing "1 NEW"

4.4 Critical Screens

Screen: Feedback (Unified History)

Purpose: All submissions and feedback in one place, solving the split-location problem.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Feedback                    [Pending|All]│
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PENDING (1)                             │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Week 8 • Dec 16                     │ │
│ │ ⏳ Awaiting feedback                │ │
│ │ Submitted 2 days ago                │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ HISTORY                                 │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Week 7 • Dec 10              ⭐ NEW │ │
│ │ ✓ Feedback received                 │ │
│ │ Tap to listen                       │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Week 6 • Dec 3                      │ │
│ │ ✓ Feedback received                 │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Week 5 • Nov 26                     │ │
│ │ ✓ Feedback received                 │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                         │
│ [Load earlier weeks...]                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

What they can do:

• Toggle between Pending submissions and full History
• Tap any entry to see submission + feedback detail
• Scroll chronologically (no complex date filters)
• See "NEW" badge on unread feedback

Screen: Live (Schedule + Recordings)

Purpose: All synchronous content - upcoming sessions AND past recordings.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Live                    [Schedule|Recordings]│
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ All times in EST [Change]               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ TODAY - FRIDAY                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 6:00 AM   Sisters' QRC     🟢 LIVE │ │
│ │           [Join Now]                │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 12:00 PM  Level 4 Class             │ │
│ │           [Details]                 │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SATURDAY                                │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 10:00 AM  Level 4 Class             │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SUNDAY                                  │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 2:00 PM   Sisters' QRC              │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Toggle to "Recordings" shows:

• Recent session recordings
• Organized by week
• Play directly in app

Screen: Profile (Full Account Hub)

Purpose: Everything about the user's account and settings.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ← Profile                               │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│         [Photo]                         │
│         Sarah Ahmed                     │
│         Level 4 Student                 │
│         Week 8 of 15                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ MY QURAN COACH                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ [Photo] Ust. Yasmine White          │ │
│ │ Your assigned instructor            │ │
│ │ [Send Message]                      │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ACCOUNT                                 │
│   Personal Information            →    │
│   Subscription & Billing          →    │
│   Learning History                →    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SETTINGS                                │
│   Quranic Font Style              →    │
│   Notifications                   →    │
│   Display                         →    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SUPPORT                                 │
│   Help Center                     →    │
│   Contact Support                 →    │
│   FAQ                             →    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Log Out]                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

4.5 User Flows

Flow A: First-time student orientation

1. Student opens app → sees Dashboard Home
2. Immediately sees: "Level 4 • Week 1 of 15" + 0% progress
3. Setup prompt card: "Welcome! Let's personalize your experience"
   • Tap → Quick setup: Font selection, notification preferences
4. Dashboard shows:
   • Lesson card: "Week 1 • Unlocks Saturday"
   • Submission card: "Complete lesson first"
   • Feedback card: "No feedback yet"
   • Coming Up: Orientation session
5. Student taps Profile tab → Sees their Quran Coach prominently

Why this works for Dashboard: Everything visible immediately. No need to explore tabs to understand the app.

Flow B: Submit weekly recording

1. Home dashboard: Submission card shows "Ready to submit"
2. Tap card → Recording screen with Quranic text
3. Record → Review → Submit with confirmation
4. Return to Home: Card now shows "⏳ Awaiting feedback"

Tap count: 4 taps (Card → Record → Review → Submit)

Flow C: Find and join a live session

1. Home dashboard: "Coming Up" section shows next sessions
2. Or tap Live tab for full schedule
3. Timezone visible at top of schedule
4. Tap session → Details + Join button

Tap count: 1-2 taps (from Home or Live tab)

Flow D: Check feedback and ask follow-up

1. Home dashboard: Feedback card shows "1 NEW"
2. Tap card → Feedback tab opens to that entry
3. Tap entry → Detail view with submission + TA audio + follow-up
4. Type and send follow-up question

Tap count: 3 taps

4.6 Surfacing Strategy

4.7 Trade-off Analysis

This architecture optimizes for:

• At-a-glance visibility (everything on Home)
• User agency (see everything, choose what to act on)
• Information density (power users love this)
• Reduced tab-switching (Home has what you need)

This architecture sacrifices:

• Guided experience (can be overwhelming for new users)
• Simplicity (dense dashboard requires cognitive processing)
• Progressive disclosure (everything shown at once)

Best for users who:

• Want full visibility and control
• Are comfortable with information density
• Prefer to assess and choose rather than be guided
• Return to the app frequently and want quick status checks

Risk:

• New/overwhelmed users may find dashboard intimidating
• Dense design requires careful visual hierarchy to avoid "wall of information"
• Everything shown means nothing emphasized

Key decision points:

1. Dashboard density: Three status cards is the minimum; more would overwhelm. Each card must have clear visual state.
2. Feedback tab unifying submissions: Major departure from current model; requires careful labeling ("Feedback" might sound like "give feedback")
3. Profile as primary tab: Elevates account management but uses tab bar real estate; could be hamburger item instead

Proposal C: Guided Journey

4.1 Concept Statement

Organizing Principle: "The app tells me exactly what to do next."

The Guided Journey architecture minimizes choice and maximizes guidance. The "Now" tab shows one thing: the current task. Users don't see their full schedule, all their lessons, or complete history unless they explicitly go looking. The app actively guides: "Watch this video" → "Now record" → "Submitted! Check back for feedback."

Why this fits QuranFlow: Many QuranFlow students are overwhelmed. They're adults with busy lives, possibly returning to Islamic learning after years away. They don't want to figure out an app; they want to be told what to do. This architecture is for them.

Elevator pitch: "QuranFlow guides you every step of the way. Open the app, see your next task, do it. No decisions, no overwhelm. Just follow the path."

4.2 Tab Bar Design

Note: 4 tabs (not 5) to emphasize simplicity.

Hierarchy within each tab:

Now:

• Single hero card with current task
• Clear action button
• "Up next" preview (1 item)
• Minimal other content

Progress:

• Visual journey map (Week 1 → Week 15)
• Current position highlighted
• Completed weeks with achievements
• Stats and streaks

Library:

• Lessons (by week)
• Submissions (by week)
• Feedback (by week)
• Session recordings
• Resources

Connect:

• Upcoming sessions (next 48 hours)
• My Quran Coach
• Community board
• Support

4.3 Home Screen Design ("Now" Tab)

What the user sees (single focus):

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ☪ QuranFlow                      [👤]  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│         Week 8 of 15                    │
│         ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ● ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○   │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   │      YOUR NEXT STEP             │  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   │      📚 Watch Lesson Video      │  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   │      Video 2 of 3:              │  │
│   │      Practice Stretches         │  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   │      12 minutes                 │  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   │      ┌─────────────────────┐   │  │
│   │      │    Watch Now →      │   │  │
│   │      └─────────────────────┘   │  │
│   │                                 │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   UP NEXT                               │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐  │
│   │ 🎙 Record your submission       │  │
│   │ After you finish the lesson     │  │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   📅 Don't forget                       │
│   Level 4 Class today at 12pm EST       │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
│     Now     Progress    Library   Connect │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

State changes based on progress:

How it answers the 3 Questions:

4.4 Critical Screens

Screen: Progress (Journey Visualization)

Purpose: Show the journey from Week 1 to Week 15, motivating continuation.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Journey                            │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│   LEVEL 4: TAJWEED RULES               │
│                                         │
│   Week 1  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 2  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 3  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 4  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 5  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 6  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 7  ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━           │
│   Week 8  ● ━━━━━━━━░░░░░░░░  IN PROGRESS│
│   Week 9  ○ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░           │
│   ...                                   │
│   Week 15 ○ EOC Assessment             │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   🏆 ACHIEVEMENTS                       │
│   ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐              │
│   │ 7📝 │ │ 5🔥 │ │ ⭐  │              │
│   │subs │ │streak│ │     │              │
│   └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘              │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│   📊 STATS                              │
│   7 submissions • 7 feedbacks received  │
│   Average response: 1.5 days            │
│   [View All Feedback →]                 │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

What they can do:

• See visual representation of their 15-week journey
• Tap any completed week to review that week's content
• View achievements for motivation
• Access all feedback from stats section

Screen: Library (All Content)

Purpose: Access everything when the user wants to go beyond the guided path.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Library                     [Search 🔍] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ [Lessons] [Submissions] [Feedback] [Recordings]│
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ CURRENT LEVEL: LEVEL 4                  │
│                                         │
│ Week 8 - Extra Stretches          →    │
│   2 of 3 videos watched                 │
│                                         │
│ Week 7 - Strong Signs             ✓    │
│   Completed                             │
│                                         │
│ Week 6 - Madd Rules              ✓    │
│   Completed                             │
│                                         │
│ ...                                     │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ PREVIOUS LEVELS                         │
│ Level 3                            →    │
│ Level 2                            →    │
│ Level 1                            →    │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Screen: Connect

Purpose: All human connection - live sessions, TA, community.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Connect                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                         │
│ MY QURAN COACH                          │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ [Photo]                             │ │
│ │ Ust. Yasmine White                  │ │
│ │ Your guide through Level 4          │ │
│ │ [Ask a Question]                    │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ UPCOMING SESSIONS (EST)                 │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 🟢 NOW: Sisters' QRC                │ │
│ │ [Join]                              │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Today 12pm: Level 4 Class           │ │
│ │ [Add to Calendar]                   │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                         │
│ [See Full Schedule →]                   │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ COMMUNITY                               │
│ [View Conversations →]                  │
│                                         │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SUPPORT                                 │
│ [Help Center] [Contact Support]         │
│                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

4.5 User Flows

Flow A: First-time student orientation

1. Student opens app → Guided onboarding overlay
2. Step 1: "Welcome to QuranFlow! Let's set you up."
3. Step 2: "Choose your Quranic text style" → Font selection (required)
4. Step 3: "Meet your Quran Coach" → Shows TA with photo and intro
5. Step 4: "You're in Week 1 of Level 4" → Shows the journey map
6. Onboarding complete → Now tab shows "Your semester starts Saturday!"

Why this works for Guided Journey: User is literally guided through setup. No choices except font. The app tells them exactly what's happening.

Flow B: Submit weekly recording

1. Now tab shows: "Record Your Submission" (after lesson completed)
2. Tap "Record Now" → Recording screen
3. Record → Review → Submit
4. Now tab updates: "Waiting for Feedback - Check back in ~48 hours"

Tap count: 3 taps (Now card → Record → Submit)

Flow C: Find and join a live session

1. Connect tab → Shows upcoming sessions with timezone
2. Now tab also shows "Don't forget: Live session today"
3. Tap session → Join directly

Tap count: 2 taps

Flow D: Check feedback and ask follow-up

1. Now tab shows: "Review Your Feedback!" (when ready)
2. Tap card → Feedback detail with submission + TA audio
3. Ask question using text input

Tap count: 2 taps

4.6 Surfacing Strategy

4.7 Trade-off Analysis

This architecture optimizes for:

• Minimal cognitive load (one task at a time)
• Clear guidance (no decisions required)
• Reduced anxiety (app tells you what to do)
• Beginner-friendly (no figuring out)
• Journey/progress narrative (motivating visual)

This architecture sacrifices:

• Power user needs (have to dig for full information)
• At-a-glance status (only see current task)
• Flexibility (can't easily browse around)
• Schedule visibility (not a primary surface)

Best for users who:

• Feel overwhelmed by choices
• Are new to online learning
• Have limited time and just want to "do the next thing"
• Are motivated by progress visualization
• Trust the program to guide them

Risk:

• Power users may feel patronized
• "Waiting for feedback" state leaves user with nothing to do
• Schedule less accessible than other proposals
• 4 tabs means some things (like settings) are deeper

Key decision points:

1. Single-task focus: Bold choice that may frustrate some users who want to see more
2. 4 tabs instead of 5: Emphasizes simplicity but makes some content deeper
3. Connect tab grouping: Putting TA, sessions, community, and support together is conceptual but may not match user mental model

Phase 5: Evaluation and Comparison

Validation Checklist Results

Comparison Matrix

Detailed Comparison: Addressing Core Problems

Recommendation

Primary Recommendation: Proposal A (Weekly Rhythm)

Rationale:

1. Best fit for the actual problem: The disorientation problem is fundamentally about temporal context. Students don't know what week they're on or when things happen. Weekly Rhythm makes time the organizing principle, directly addressing the core issue.

2. Matches program structure: QuranFlow IS a weekly program. 15 weeks, weekly lessons, weekly submissions. The architecture should reflect the program's nature.

3. Balances guidance and flexibility:

   • Guidance: Current week emphasized, status cards show what to do
   • Flexibility: All weeks accessible, schedule prominent, not overly prescriptive

4. Unified Learn tab solves split-content problem: Grouping lesson + submission + feedback by week (rather than across tabs) mirrors how students think: "What do I need to do for Week 8?"

5. Schedule as primary tab: The #2 complaint (5 clicks to find schedule) becomes 1 tap.

6. Passes all validation tests: Unlike Proposal C, it passes the "return test" (full status visible on return).

When to consider alternatives:

• Choose Proposal B (Dashboard) if user research reveals that power users are the primary audience, or if students explicitly request "show me everything at once."

• Choose Proposal C (Guided Journey) if the student population skews toward overwhelming anxiety, or if the program decides to be more prescriptive about the learning path.

Implementation note: Elements from B and C could be incorporated into A:

• Dashboard-style density for returning users (progressive disclosure)
• Journey visualization from C could be added to Progress tab in A
• Single-task focus from C could be an optional "Focus Mode" in A

Appendix: Reference Material Synthesis

From User Capability Map

Priority [Core] Tasks (must be addressed in any architecture):

• Know what week I'm on
• Know when semester starts
• Access this week's lesson
• Watch instruction videos
• View Quranic text in proper font
• Record and submit recitation
• Know when feedback is ready
• Listen to TA feedback
• See weekly schedule with timezone
• Join live sessions
• Get support

Disorientation Manifestations:

• "When does semester start?" → No in-app date/countdown
• "What week am I on?" → No explicit week indicator
• "When are my live classes?" → Schedule hidden; Live tab unusable
• "How do I get help?" → Support hidden in hamburger
• "What do I do first?" → No onboarding flow
• "Where is my feedback?" → Split locations, hard to find

From Usability Audit

6 P0 (Critical) Issues:

1. Video playback failure → CDN/streaming fix
2. Missing submission history → Build history view
3. Broken notifications → Add context, deep links
4. Non-standard Quranic font → Default to mushaf, onboarding
5. Inadequate profile → Complete redesign
6. No timezone on live sessions → Show user timezone

Current Screen Inventory: Home, Lessons, Submissions, Live (tabs) + 12 other screens via hamburger/navigation

From WWDC25 Field Guide

The 3 Critical Questions:

1. Where am I? (Context)
2. What can I do? (Action)
3. Where can I go? (Navigation)

Tab Worthiness Test:

• Is it a destination? → YES = tab-worthy
• Is it an action? → NO, move to toolbar
• Is it a subset? → NO, merge into parent

The Squint Test:

• Blur your eyes
• Can you identify the most important element?
• If not, visual hierarchy needs work

From Program Description

The Weekly Cycle:

1. Saturday: Lesson unlocks
2. During week: Watch videos, practice
3. During week: Record and submit
4. Within 48 hours: Receive feedback
5. Throughout week: Attend live sessions
6. Repeat for 15 weeks

Key Program Elements:

• 4 levels in Year 1 (Essentials)
• 15 weeks per level
• Assigned Quran Coach (TA)
• Weekly submissions (max 2 per week)
• Live sessions: Level Classes + QRCs
• Gender-separated QRCs (starting Sept 2025)

Process Checklist

• Phase 1 complete: Problem brief written
• Phase 2 complete: Diagnostic tests applied
• Phase 3 complete: Organizing principles explored, 3 selected
• Phase 4 complete: All 3 proposals fully developed
• Phase 5 complete: Evaluation and comparison done
• Design philosophy referenced throughout
• All [Core] tasks addressed in every proposal
• All hidden features have a home in every proposal
• Trade-offs honestly articulated

End of Document