normogen/thoughts/research/2026-01-05-RESEARCH-SUMMARY.md

Normogen Research Summary

Date: 2026-01-05
Status: Research Complete, Ready for Implementation Planning

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Executive Summary

The Normogen project has been researched and scoped. The project is currently in the conceptual phase with only a design document (introduction.md). The MVP has been defined and technical research has been completed for mobile health framework integration.

Key Decisions:

1. MVP Scope: Authentication + Basic Health Tracking (weight, height, manual entry)
2. Phase 2: Mobile app with Apple HealthKit & Google Health Connect integration
3. Available Health Data: 50+ data types from both mobile platforms

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Research Documents Created

1. Initial Codebase Assessment

File: thoughts/research/2026-01-04-1739-normogen-codebase-documentation.md

Key Findings:

• Project is pre-implementation (only design document exists)
• No source code, configuration, or project structure
• Comprehensive vision in introduction.md

Recommendation:

• Initialize Git repository
• Create project structure
• Begin MVP implementation

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2. MVP Definition

File: thoughts/research/2026-01-04-1840-normogen-mvp-definition.md

MVP Scope (Phase 1):

• Authentication: Register, login, password reset, JWT tokens
• Health Tracking: Manual entry for weight and height
• Multi-person: Support for family members (children, elderly care)
• Visualization: Basic charts for trends
• Platform: Web-only (responsive)

MVP Success Criteria:

• Users can register and login
• Create person profiles
• Add weight/height measurements
• View historical data with charts
• Data persists securely

Out of Scope (Future Phases):

• Lab results, medications, appointments
• Period/pregnancy tracking
• Mobile apps
• Plugin system
• Advanced encryption for data sharing

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3. Mobile Health Frameworks Research

File: thoughts/research/2026-01-05-mobile-health-frameworks-data.md

Comprehensive Data Available (50+ types):

Apple HealthKit (iOS):

• Body: Weight, height, BMI, body fat, lean mass
• Vitals: Heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, SpO2, glucose, respiratory rate
• Activity: Steps, distance, active energy, workouts
• Sleep: Duration, stages (REM, light, deep)
• Nutrition: Calories, macros, vitamins, hydration
• Reproductive: Menstrual flow, ovulation, basal temp
• Medical: Lab results, medications, allergies, conditions
• Apple Watch: ECG, AFib, fall detection

Google Health Connect (Android):

• Body: Weight, height, body fat, BMR, bone mass
• Vitals: Heart rate, HRV, blood pressure, SpO2, temperature
• Activity: Steps, distance, exercise sessions, swimming
• Sleep: Sessions, stages, latency
• Nutrition: Hydration, calories, macros
• Cycle tracking: Menstruation, ovulation, cervical mucus

Common to Both (15 core types): Weight, height, steps, distance, heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, active energy, temperature, glucose, SpO2, respiratory rate, nutrition, exercise, body fat

Integration Complexity:

• iOS (HealthKit): ⭐⭐⭐ Medium
• Android (Health Connect): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Medium-High

Timeline:

• Phase 1 (Manual Entry): 4 weeks
• Phase 2 (Mobile Foundation): 4 weeks
• Phase 3 (Health Framework Integration): 4 weeks
• Phase 4 (Expanded Data Types): 4 weeks

Total to Full Mobile Integration: ~16 weeks

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Updated MVP Definition

Phase 1: Manual Entry (MVP) - 4 weeks

• Web-based authentication
• Manual weight/height entry
• Basic visualization
• Multi-person profiles

Phase 2: Mobile Foundation - 4 weeks

• iOS and Android apps
• Mobile authentication
• Manual data entry on mobile
• Server sync

Phase 3: Health Framework Integration - 4 weeks

• Apple HealthKit integration
• Google Health Connect integration
• Top 5 data types: weight, heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, steps
• Background sync (15-30 min intervals)
• Historical data import (30 days)

Phase 4: Expanded Data Types - 4 weeks

• All 50+ data types
• Exercise tracking
• Nutrition tracking
• Advanced sleep analysis
• Menstrual cycle tracking

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Data Model

MVP (Phase 1)

users (id, email, password_hash, timestamps)
persons (id, user_id, name, birthdate)
health_metrics (id, person_id, metric_type, value, unit, recorded_at)

Phase 2 (Mobile Integration)

-- Enhanced health_metrics
ALTER TABLE health_metrics ADD COLUMN metric_source;
ALTER TABLE health_metrics ADD COLUMN source_device_id;
ALTER TABLE health_metrics ADD COLUMN accuracy;
ALTER TABLE health_metrics ADD COLUMN metadata JSONB;

-- New tables
health_metric_sources (platform, device_name, sync timestamps)
sync_history (import records, conflicts, errors)

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Open Technical Questions (Priority 1)

Blocking for MVP Start:

1. Rust Web Framework

   • Actix vs Axum vs Rocket
   • Need: Performance comparison, ecosystem maturity

2. Database Selection

   • PostgreSQL vs MongoDB vs SQLite
   • Need: Data modeling approach, hosting costs

3. Authentication Library

   • Custom JWT vs existing crates
   • Need: Security audit status

4. Frontend Framework

   • React vs Vue vs Svelte vs plain JS
   • Need: Bundle size, learning curve

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Security & Privacy Requirements

Data Protection:

• Encryption at rest (database level)
• Encryption in transit (TLS 1.3)
• No plaintext passwords (bcrypt/scrypt/Argon2)
• Per-user encryption keys

User Privacy:

• Granular permissions (user chooses what to share)
• Easy data deletion ("nuke option")
• No third-party data sharing
• Transparent data usage

Compliance:

• GDPR (Europe)
• HIPAA (if handling PHI in US)
• CCPA (California)
• App Store & Play Store policies

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Recommended Next Steps

Immediate (This Week):

1. Research Priority 1 questions above
2. Initialize Git repository
3. Choose tech stack based on research

Short-term (Month 1):

4. Create project structure
5. Implement authentication (register, login, JWT)
6. Design database schema
7. Build basic CRUD API for persons and metrics

Medium-term (Month 2):

8. Create web frontend (auth + health tracking)
9. Add chart visualization
10. Test end-to-end flows
11. Deploy MVP

Long-term (Months 3-4):

12. Build mobile apps (iOS + Android)
13. Integrate HealthKit & Health Connect
14. Implement background sync

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File Structure

normogen/
├── introduction.md                              # Project vision
└── thoughts/
    └── research/
        ├── 2026-01-04-1739-normogen-codebase-documentation.md
        ├── 2026-01-04-1840-normogen-mvp-definition.md
        └── 2026-01-05-mobile-health-frameworks-data.md

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Key Takeaways

✅ MVP is clearly defined - Manual health tracking with authentication
✅ Mobile path is clear - HealthKit & Health Connect with 50+ data types
✅ Timeline is realistic - 4 weeks MVP, 16 weeks to full mobile
✅ Technical questions are identified - Ready for research/decision

⚠️ Action needed: Choose Rust framework, database, and frontend stack before starting implementation

🚀 Ready to proceed: All research complete, can begin implementation planning

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Contact & Questions

All research documents are available in thoughts/research/.
Review the three main research documents for detailed findings.

Ready to start implementation? Begin by researching the Priority 1 technical questions above, then proceed with Git initialization and project structure.