Open the 18-screen app demo Sitemap & information architecture

FINCA: App Master Creative Brief

For an award-winning product design team

New here. Known here.

Status: Draft for review · CDMX home node · Confidential Brand note: Masterbrand = Finca (title case in prose; FINCA reserved for the monogram/lockup). Public descriptor · Finca Society or Finca Club, is an open founder decision; see §0. "Social Club" is retained as the name of the rooms/events layer, not the company ceiling.

One line for the designer: Do not design a generic social app. Design the operating system for becoming known in a city.

0. Naming status (decision in progress)

The company is consolidating from "FINCA Social Club" toward Finca as a masterbrand, with product layers beneath it (Passport, Atlas, Presence, Rooms, Impact). Two descriptors are under consideration for the public-facing brand:

• Finca Society, elevated, platform-grade; risk: can read exclusive/cool, slight tension with the "no pretension" doctrine.
• Finca Club, warm and clear; risk: narrows the brand toward events.

Recommendation: Use Finca as the spoken masterbrand and treat "Society"/"Club" as a descriptor or a premium inner tier (e.g. The Finca Society), not the company name. Design the logo system so the wordmark works with or without a descriptor lockup. Leave the descriptor swappable.

Open flag (must clear before launch spend): "FINCA" is an existing global brand · FINCA International (finca.org), a financial-services/microfinance org operating in many of our expansion markets, plus FINCA-branded banking apps. This is a real trademark / App-Store-naming / brand-confusion risk. The protectable unit is likely "Finca" + a distinctive visual identity + tagline, not the bare word. Counsel to clear classes and priority markets (MX, US, CA, UK, EU).

1. Product vision

Finca is the trusted social layer for becoming known in a new city. Not an events app, not a social network, not a directory, not a private members' club app, the platform that makes belonging operational.

The app moves a member through one emotional journey:

Anonymous → Expected → Introduced → Remembered → Recognized → Regular → Belonging

Every screen should make the user feel one of these: - I am expected. - I can arrive alone. - I will be introduced well. - I will be remembered. - I can find trusted places. - I can become a regular. - I can belong anywhere.

The product optimizes for real-world connection, return behaviour, trust, and social safety, never scrolling, likes, followers, or vanity engagement.

The core behavioural object is not the event. It is the Regular. Design the path from stranger to regular.

2. Strategic positioning

Airbnb unlocked trusted stays. Uber unlocked trusted movement. Finca unlocks trusted belonging.

A multi-sided platform connecting five sides: Members · Hosts · Places/Partners · Cities · Brands/Sponsors.

The wedge is Mexico City; the architecture is built to travel city by city.

3. Target users

• Newcomers, just arrived; want friends, trusted places, orientation.
• Globally mobile professionals, founders, creatives, operators, investors, remote workers; want meaningful circles.
• Locals with a global mindset, want better rooms and more intentional environments.
• Hosts, trusted community builders who run rooms and make introductions.
• Partners, cafés, restaurants, coworking, wellness, hotels, galleries, relocation/legal that want access to a high-quality, globally mobile audience.

4. Behavioural-psychology principles

• Reduce social anxiety. Design reassurance before arrival (the "You're expected" state).
• Create repeated proximity. Friendship forms through low-pressure familiarity, recurring rooms, regular places, overlapping rhythms, familiar faces (the mere-exposure effect).
• Support autonomy. Users choose visibility, how they enter, whether they want intros, what they're seeking.
• Build competence. Always show what to expect, where to go, who greets them, what's next.
• Foster relatedness. Make users feel remembered and connected to people/places that fit.
• Avoid addictive social-media patterns. No endless feed, follower counts, popularity rankings, public likes, open DMs, or creepy live maps. Social by design, private by default.
• Measure second-visit return, not vanity. Curiosity → trust → belonging across visits 1-2-3.

5. Brand & visual direction

Feel: premium but not pretentious · warm but not soft · editorial but not decorative · product-led but not cold · global but locally respectful · human, trusted, intelligent.

Reference register: Airbnb product clarity · Stripe system intelligence · Aman restraint · Apple polish · Monocle editorial structure · premium hospitality warmth.

Avoid: generic luxury tropes, overuse of gold, dark members-club cliché, dating-app energy, LinkedIn networking, Instagram feed, Eventbrite utility, Bumble matching, Facebook-group chaos, Yelp reviews, Google-Maps clone, faux-heritage flourishes, busy UI, public popularity metrics.

Palette (deck-canonical)

Gold/brass is an accent, never the whole identity.

Type

• Display / emotional headlines: high-contrast serif · Canela (web stand-in: Cormorant Garamond).
• UI / functional: clean sans · Acumin Pro (web stand-in: Inter).
• Wide letter-spacing only on small labels. No ornate or illegible type.

Logo

Use the approved 04 "Tucked-C" FC monogram (Didone FC, C tucked into/crossing the F inside a thin double-oval frame). Do not invent a new mark, simplify to a generic F/FC, or use older marks. If unavailable while concepting, use a restrained placeholder and leave space for the official mark. EST. 2021.

6. Core product architecture (pillars)

• Finca Passport, portable member identity & access.
• Finca Rooms, curated real-world gatherings, dinners, salons, circles.
• Finca Presence, opt-in check-ins, regulars, known-nearby, city rhythm.
• Finca Atlas, trusted places, directory, perks, city discovery.
• Finca People, people you met, warm intros, familiar faces, the graph.
• Finca Circles, small recurring communities.
• Finca City Companion, warm, restrained AI guidance from Finca's own data.
• Host Tools, backstage operating system for belonging.
• Partner Portal, claimed listings, perks, analytics.

Primary navigation (5 tabs)

Home · Rooms · Atlas · People · Passport. Secondary: Circles, Presence, City Companion, Messages/Warm Intros, Impact, Host Tools, Partner Portal, Profile/Settings. Keep it focused, do not surface every feature at once.

7. Required user flows

Design these end-to-end (low-fi → high-fi):

1. Onboarding / Arrival Style, city, intent, social comfort, arrival style, privacy/presence prefs → a personalized Arrival Style archetype (The Gentle Arriver, Cultural Explorer, Builder, Connector, Restorer, Local Bridge, Global Regular) → recommended first pathway.
2. Home Dashboard, "Your [City] Week": one room, one place, one warm intro, one perk, one circle, one guide/impact, a City Companion prompt.
3. Finca Rooms, feed → energy/intent filters → event detail → Come Alone Mode → RSVP → arrival guide → QR check-in → post-event recap. Energy labels: Come Alone Friendly, First-Timer Friendly, Small Group, Deep Conversation, Founder Heavy, Creative Room, Women-Led, Low-Stimulation, Easy Entry, Members Only, Local Culture, Impact, Dinner for Six.
4. Come Alone Mode, "You're expected. Your host knows you're coming. We'll help with your first hello." Host name/face, arrival window, "I'm here," first-hello prompt, suggested intro, quiet-support option, arrive-privately, pause-intros. One of the most emotionally powerful features.
5. Presence / Regulars, presence settings → place page → manual check-in → Known Nearby → Regulars here → Join the Table → City Rhythm → privacy controls. Modes: Private / Event-only / Manual / Selected places / Host-visible / Accepted-connections / Members-nearby (temporary) / Invisible. "Presence is yours to control. You choose where Finca can remember you." No real-time public tracking, show patterns, not surveillance.
6. People: People You Met, Familiar Faces, Warm Intro Request, intro accepted, suggested follow-up, My Finca People. No follower counts.
7. Warm Intro, select person → reason → context → intro type → sent → accept/decline/ask-host. No cold DMs, only trusted, contextual introductions.
8. Finca Circles, home → detail → apply/join → rhythm → members preview → upcoming → host note. Intimate, not public groups.
9. Dinner for Six, "Find me a table" → intent/availability/city → table forming → host → confirmed → recap. Premium booking flow, not a feed.
10. Finca Passport, card, status, city stamps, perks, Known-Here journey, cities known, referral/invite, privacy. Known-Here levels: New Here → Expected → Introduced → Recognized → Regular → In Circle → City Host → Known Across Cities. Elegant, not childishly gamified.
11. Finca Atlas / Directory, city map → neighbourhood → category filters → trusted place profile → perk → member-loved → regulars-here → save/check-in/intro/book. "Google Maps tells you what exists. Finca tells you where you'll feel known." Three-layer model (baseline data → Finca trust layer → partner monetization).
12. City Companion, warm AI host (name it The Host / City Companion, never "chatbot"). Answers from Finca's curated data only. Output: one room, one place, one intro, one circle, one perk, one local note, one soft-landing suggestion.
13. Host Tools, dashboard, guest list, come-alone guests, suggested intros, arrival notes, check-in, host script, post-event follow-up. Elegant, not operationally heavy.
14. Partner Portal, dashboard, claimed profile, perk manager, hosting interest, analytics, engagement, upgrade, asset library. "We don't just send traffic. We create regulars."
15. Privacy & Safety, privacy settings, presence controls, intro controls, profile visibility, attendance visibility, photo consent, report/block, community code. Social by design. Private by default.

Also: City Switcher, First 72 Hours plan, and the Living City Map (the "open-the-app / Uber-map moment", rooms soon, tables forming, regulars hubs, go-alone places; signals, not a live people map).

8. The "innovation frontier" (separate MVP from advanced)

Design the future clearly so investors see the moat, but label what's MVP vs. advanced.

• The Belonging Graph, rooms, people met, intros, check-ins, repeat visits, circles, host interactions, places, perks, return behaviour, comfort prefs. Privacy-first, consent-based, never creepy. This is the moat.
• Rhythm-based matching, match on shared places/times/rooms/comfort, not profiles. "Designed serendipity," with consent.
• Presence without surveillance, opt-in, explainable, deletable, invisible mode.
• Living City Map, the signature interface.
• Host Intelligence System, make every host great, not just the naturals.
• City Companion: Finca-data-only AI host.
• Dinner for Six engine, small-group matching as an ownable ritual.
• Dynamic Belonging Pathways, the app adapts to behaviour (no return → softer room; many café saves → coffee table; repeated overlap → warm intro; high engagement → host/scout).
• Trust-based partner ranking: Finca trust signals, not star reviews.
• Cross-city portable identity, design Passport as a cross-city object from day one.

Moonshot framing: The core object is the Regular. Design the app around helping people become regulars.

9. Deliverables requested

A. Product strategy, vision, core jobs, personas, behavioural principles, feature hierarchy, MVP vs. future. B. UX architecture, sitemap, nav model, user flows, onboarding, member/host/partner/cross-city journeys. C. Wireframes, low-fi for all core screens. D. High-fidelity screens (30): Welcome · Onboarding · Arrival Style result · Home · Rooms Feed · Event Detail · Come Alone Mode · QR/Arrival Check-in · Post-Event Recap · Presence Settings · Trusted Place Page · Known Nearby · Join the Table · People You Met · Warm Intro · Circles · Dinner for Six · Passport · Known-Here Journey · Atlas · Trusted Place Profile · City Companion · Host Briefing · Suggested Introductions · Partner Dashboard · Passport Perk · Privacy Settings · Profile · City Switcher · First 72 Hours. E. Prototype, clickable Figma of the primary emotional journey: new user → onboarding → Come Alone Mode → RSVP → arrival → host intro → recap → warm intro → Passport progress → trusted place → regulars → circle. F. Design system, colors, type, spacing, grid, buttons, cards, tags, icons, nav, modals, forms, states, empty/privacy states, notifications, partner badges, Passport components, city stamps, presence components. G. Investor demo board, restrained, product-grade overview (App · Rooms/Come Alone · Presence/Regulars · People · Passport · Atlas · Host Tools · Partner Portal). No poster-style overdesign. H. App Store screenshots: 8-screen set (headlines in §11). I. Product Hunt assets, hero image, GIF storyboard, short demo flow.

A working reference already exists: a 27-screen interactive HTML prototype and a Figma file with the design system (variables + type styles + Home screen started). Use these as the source of truth for content and tone.

10. Design quality bar

Beautiful but functional · premium but useful · warm but disciplined · human but scalable · social but private · curated but not elitist · intelligent but not creepy · global but locally respectful.

11. Tone of voice

Calm, warm, confident. Use: You're expected. · Come alone. We'll introduce you. · Rooms worth entering. · Warm intros, not cold DMs. · Become a regular. · Your city rhythm. · Trusted places, not random reviews. · Known nearby. · Your Passport to the city. · Social by design. Private by default.

Avoid: networking jargon, "exclusive elite" language, growth-hack copy, over-spiritual language, corporate SaaS, dating-app language, "find your tribe."

12. MVP vs. future

MVP / launch: onboarding · home · rooms · RSVP · Come Alone Mode · manual check-in · People You Met · Warm Intro · Passport · Atlas (basic) · presence settings · host briefing · partner profile/perk.

Future: AI City Companion · auto check-ins · advanced matching · cross-city Passport · partner analytics · host marketplace · Dinner-for-Six automation · city stamps · concierge marketplace · corporate/HR relocation layer.

13. Strategic outcome

The design must make investors, members, and partners understand: Finca is not merely a social club, it is the trusted social infrastructure for becoming known in a new city. It can acquire members through real-world rooms, capture trust + behaviour data, personalize introductions, drive repeat attendance, turn places into regulars-hubs, monetize partners, scale hosts, and expand city by city.

Open the app in a new city and immediately feel: I know where to go. I know who will welcome me. I know what room I'm entering. I can meet people without awkwardness. I know where people like me become regulars. I can belong here.

Finca: New here. Known here.

FINCA: Technical Build Spec

Manual OS → internal tools → PWA → native (only after proof)

Don't start as a full native app. Start as a manual operating system, become a PWA/private beta, go native only once behaviour is proven. New here. Known here.

Companion: FINCA_Build_Roadmap (business/ops sequence) · FINCA_Execution_OS_Pack §2 (CRM fields) · FINCA_Product_Demo.html (the 18 PWA screens, already designed). This doc is the engineering layer.

Build sequence (don't skip stages)

1. Manual OS (Day 0–60), prove behaviour with no app. Airtable/Supabase table · Tally/Typeform · WhatsApp Business · Stripe payment links · Notion/Softr/Glide member portal · Mailchimp/Beehiiv · Make/Zapier. Run waitlist, onboarding, RSVP, Come Alone Mode, check-in, recaps, warm intros, perks, Passport status, Atlas, host briefings, partner reporting · by hand.
2. Technical foundation (Month 2–3), proper backend on Supabase (Postgres + Auth + Storage + Edge Functions + Row Level Security).
3. Internal ops dashboard first (Month 2–3) · Retool (or custom admin). Make the team powerful before the member app is pretty.
4. PWA / private beta (Month 3–6), lightweight, installable, fast to iterate. Native only later.

Recommended stack

Avoid Bubble for the long-term core (privacy, maps, event logic, partner dashboards, cross-city identity outgrow it), prototype only.

Core data model (Supabase / Postgres, the start of the Belonging Graph)

Condensed; full field lists in build tickets. Tables:

1. users, id · name · email · phone · city · neighborhood · language · newcomer/local/visitor · arrival_date · profession · interests · social_comfort · arrival_style · privacy_mode · consent_status · created_at
2. member_profiles, user_id · bio · intent · preferred_room_types · preferred_neighborhoods · intro_preferences · visibility_settings · regular_status · passport_level
3. rooms, id · title · room_type · datetime · venue_id · host_id · capacity · description · energy_tags · first_timer_friendly · come_alone_friendly · local_bridge · price · sponsor_id · status
4. rsvps, id · room_id · user_id · status · coming_alone · arrival_window · intro_request · dietary · checked_in · no_show · payment_status
5. checkins, id · user_id · room_id · venue_id · type · timestamp · privacy_level
6. hosts, id · user_id · city · host_level · room_types · score · notes · training_status
7. host_notes, id · host_id · room_id · user_id · note_type · content · visibility
8. venues/partners, id · name · category · neighborhood · address · contact · partner_status · trust_tags · perk · qr_code · renewal_status
9. partner_redemptions, id · user_id · venue_id · perk_id · timestamp · source · value
10. warm_intros, id · requester_id · recipient_id · host_id · reason · status · consent_a · consent_b · sent_at · follow_up_status
11. passport_activity, id · user_id · activity_type · city · room_id · venue_id · intro_id · weight · timestamp
12. feedback, id · user_id · room_id · host_id · venue_id · felt_welcomed · come_alone_again · intro_quality · comments · safety_flag
13. proof_library, id · type · quote · user_id? · partner_id? · room_id · permission_status · media_url · created_at

RLS on every table; consent + visibility are columns, not afterthoughts. (See the Finca Data Promise: OS Pack §24.14.)

Key workflows (build as Edge Functions / automations)

1. Waitlist → member, join → onboard → Arrival Style → CRM tag → first-room rec → invite → RSVP.
2. RSVP → Come Alone Mode: RSVP → "coming alone" → comfort questions → host dashboard flag → pre-arrival guide → host greeting notes.
3. Check-in, arrive → QR/host check-in → attendance saved → Passport updates → host sees who's present → post-event flow fires.
4. Post-event recap, event ends → member recap → mark people met → request intro → next-room rec → feedback form.
5. Warm intro, request → consent check (both sides) → host sends contextual intro → 7-day follow-up tracked. No open DMs.
6. Partner perk, open Trusted Place → save/redeem → QR/NFC logs redemption → partner dashboard updates → monthly report generated.
7. Regular status, attend → return within 45 days → accept intro / visit partner place → internal Regular score updates → next belonging pathway surfaced.

Version roadmap (build only what's proven)

Don't build yet: full native app · AI City Companion · open social feed · public profiles · DMs · follower counts · public live location · complex membership tiers · corporate portal · marketplace · advanced recsys · multi-city infra.

The three magic moments (center the build on these)

1. "I'm coming alone." → "You're expected. Your host knows you're coming. We'll help with your first hello."
2. After the room → "You met three people. Want a warm intro to Ana? Your next room is Thursday's Creative Table. You're one step closer to being known in CDMX."
3. At a partner place → "You're at a Finca Trusted Place. Save it, use your perk, or tell us if this could become one of your regular spots." (This is where Atlas becomes commercial.)

Team by stage

• Manual MVP: founder/CEO · partnerships lead · city/event operator · designer · no-code builder · ops assistant.
• PWA: product lead · UX/UI · full-stack or FlutterFlow builder · Supabase/back-end dev · QA · privacy/legal advisor.
• Platform (later): CTO · full-stack · mobile eng · data/analytics · lifecycle marketer · trust & safety · city ops.

Keep internal: product vision · room quality · host standard · member trust · partner relationships · data/privacy principles · brand voice · city playbook. Outsource: first PWA build · landing page · visual polish · no-code setup · design assets · analytics setup · QA. Keep one technical advisor close to stop you building the wrong thing.

The exact build order

1. Waitlist → 2. CRM → 3. Partner tracker → 4. Host tracker → 5. Run first rooms manually → 6. Track return + intros → 7. Internal ops dashboard → 8. Manual Passport + Atlas → 9. PWA around proven workflows → 10. Host tools → 11. Partner portal → 12. Living City Map → 13. Cross-city Passport → 14. AI City Companion (last).

Build only what behaviour has already proven. The app productizes what's working, it doesn't go looking for it.

Finca: New here. Known here.