Building a Programmer-Friendly MVP: The Story of PS Caffe

Introduction Imagine you're building a coffee delivery app tailored for programmers—a place called Problem Solvers Caffe (PS Caffe). It's not just another app. It’s a focused experiment for a niche audience, where coffee meets code. This is our MVP journey. What is PS Caffe? PS Caffe is a fictional online coffee delivery service made for developers and problem solvers. The aim is to create an MVP (Minimal Viable Product) to test the market—not to scale fast. Just enough features to serve 200–300 users smoothly. Why MVP? An MVP helps you: Validate the idea with real users Collect feedback quickly Stay lean and flexible for future upgrades There are two types of prototypes: Visual Prototype (UI only, no backend) Workable Prototype (fully functional with limited features) We’re building the second type: a Workable Prototype that actually delivers coffee! Functional Requirements Here’s what our MVP must include: ✅ Authentication (Simple & Extendable) Email & password-based local login Hashed passwords Email verification Password reset Ability to block users Extendable to OAuth2 in the future ✅ Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Admin: Full access to manage data and users Manager: View products, sales, inventory Chef: See queued orders Delivery Man: Update order status User: Browse products, order, and review ✅ User Features Place and track orders Leave reviews (only after a successful delivery) View existing reviews ✅ Admin Features Sales dashboard Inventory management Live order tracking (Status updates like “Processing”, “Out for delivery”, etc.) Non-Functional Requirements These ensure the app performs well regardless of its features: Security: Protect user data and actions Reliability: Maintain order integrity and consistent user experience Maintainability: Easy to fix bugs and add new features Usability: Simple, intuitive, and user-friendly interface Final Thoughts PS Caffe is more than an app—it’s a problem-solving mindset wrapped in coffee. This MVP allows us to explore real-world needs in a focused way, and serves as a blueprint for scalable, maintainable applications. Whether you're launching your own MVP or just learning the ropes, always remember: Start small. Think big. Build smart.

Apr 19, 2025 - 08:53

Building a Programmer-Friendly MVP: The Story of PS Caffe

Introduction
Imagine you're building a coffee delivery app tailored for programmers—a place called Problem Solvers Caffe (PS Caffe). It's not just another app. It’s a focused experiment for a niche audience, where coffee meets code. This is our MVP journey.

What is PS Caffe?
PS Caffe is a fictional online coffee delivery service made for developers and problem solvers. The aim is to create an MVP (Minimal Viable Product) to test the market—not to scale fast. Just enough features to serve 200–300 users smoothly.

Why MVP?
An MVP helps you:

Validate the idea with real users
Collect feedback quickly
Stay lean and flexible for future upgrades

There are two types of prototypes:

Visual Prototype (UI only, no backend)
Workable Prototype (fully functional with limited features)

We’re building the second type: a Workable Prototype that actually delivers coffee!

Functional Requirements
Here’s what our MVP must include:

✅ Authentication (Simple & Extendable)

Email & password-based local login
Hashed passwords
Email verification
Password reset
Ability to block users
Extendable to OAuth2 in the future

✅ Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Admin: Full access to manage data and users
Manager: View products, sales, inventory
Chef: See queued orders
Delivery Man: Update order status
User: Browse products, order, and review

✅ User Features

Place and track orders
Leave reviews (only after a successful delivery)
View existing reviews

✅ Admin Features

Sales dashboard
Inventory management
Live order tracking (Status updates like “Processing”, “Out for delivery”, etc.)

Non-Functional Requirements
These ensure the app performs well regardless of its features:

Security: Protect user data and actions
Reliability: Maintain order integrity and consistent user experience
Maintainability: Easy to fix bugs and add new features
Usability: Simple, intuitive, and user-friendly interface

Final Thoughts
PS Caffe is more than an app—it’s a problem-solving mindset wrapped in coffee. This MVP allows us to explore real-world needs in a focused way, and serves as a blueprint for scalable, maintainable applications.

Whether you're launching your own MVP or just learning the ropes, always remember:

Start small. Think big. Build smart.