Overview

Tether is a cross-platform note-taking application that enables college students to unify handwritten and typed content within a single organized workspace. This document outlines functional requirements, user flows, and technical specifications for the minimum viable product (MVP).

Problem Statement

User research conducted with three university students revealed that existing note-taking tools force users into fragmented workflows. Students reported using an average of 2-3 applications simultaneously (e.g., Notion for organization, Notability for handwriting, Google Docs for collaboration), resulting in:

• Lost or misplaced notes due to inconsistent file structures across platforms

• Inability to access handwritten content on mobile devices

• Manual reformatting when transferring content between tools

User Requirements

High Priority

Unified Input — Switch between typing and handwriting within a single note without creating separate content blocks.Source: User Interview 1, 3

Nested Organization — Organize notes using a hierarchical folder structure with at least 3 nesting levels. Source: User Interview 2

Medium Priority

Cross-Device Access — Access and edit notes across desktop and mobile devices with automatic sync. Source: User Interview 1

Low Priority

Handwriting Search — Search handwritten content using text recognition. Source: Competitive Analysis

Functional Specifications

4.1 Note Editor

The note editor shall support two input modes:

1. Type Mode — Standard text input with formatting options (bold, italic, headers H1-H3, bulleted lists, numbered lists)

2. Draw Mode — Freeform stylus/finger input with pressure sensitivity support on compatible devices

Mode switching shall occur via a toggle button positioned in the toolbar or through a two-finger tap gesture. Content created in either mode shall render inline, maintaining document flow without visual separation.

4.2 Organization System

Notes shall be organized using the following hierarchy:

Workspace
└── Folder (Level 1)
    └── Subfolder (Level 2)
        └── Subfolder (Level 3)
            └── Note

Users shall be able to drag and drop notes between folders. Moving a folder shall move all contained subfolders and notes.

5. User Flow: Create New Note

[Home Screen] 
    → User taps "+" button
    → [New Note Screen] appears with cursor active in title field
    → User enters title (optional, defaults to "Untitled Note")
    → User selects input mode (Type/Draw)
    → User creates content
    → Note auto-saves every 30 seconds and on app background
    → [Home Screen] displays new note in "Recent" section

6. Design Constraints

• Platform: iOS 16+, macOS 13+ (native SwiftUI)

• Design System: Apple Human Interface Guidelines

• Sync: CloudKit for cross-device synchronization

• Offline: Full offline editing capability with conflict resolution on reconnect

7. Success Metrics

Appendix A: Research Methodology

User research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with three participants:

• Participant 1: Senior, Business major, heavy Notion user

• Participant 2: Junior, Engineering major, OneNote + physical notebook user

• Participant 3: Sophomore, Design major, Notability + Google Docs user

Interview questions focused on current note-taking behaviors, tool selection rationale, and pain points. Responses were synthesized using affinity mapping, revealing three primary themes: Fragmented Workflows, Organizational Breakdown, and Limited Access.