Closer/seed/questions/DAILY_SINGLE_CHOICE_WEEKDAY_SYSTEM.md

# Daily Single Choice Weekday System v5

This document defines the Closer daily weekday question pack.

This is a special pack. It is not a normal mixed category pack.

## Pack Identity

Recommended pack id:

```text
daily_single_choice_weekly_v1
```

Recommended future file name:

```text
daily_single_choice_weekly_v1.json
```

Current compatibility file name:

```text
daily_fun_multiple_choice_v3.json
```

Use the old file name only while the app code still expects it. The content inside the file must still be single choice.

## Required Counts

This special daily pack uses:

* 500 total questions
* 75 free questions
* 425 premium questions
* 500 single_choice questions
* 4 options per question preferred
* 4 to 6 options allowed

Do not apply the standard 250 question category mix to this pack.

## Required Type

Every question must use:

```json
"type": "single_choice"
```

Single choice means the user picks one best answer.

## Daily Voice Standard

Daily questions should feel like a small couples game moment.

They should sound like two people deciding what to do, eat, watch, laugh about, try, flirt with, or enjoy together today.

Daily questions should be:

* quick
* warm
* concrete
* playful
* fun before merely useful
* easy to answer in under 10 seconds
* relationship focused
* doable in normal life

Daily questions should not sound like:

* therapy homework
* self-help worksheets
* HR wellness surveys
* abstract emotional processing
* generic AI relationship advice
* household admin
* bedtime logistics
* chore planning

If the question sounds like a couples counselor wrote it, rewrite it.

If the question sounds like roommates managing a house, rewrite it.

## Daily Fun Gate

A daily question passes only if it creates at least one of these:

* a smile
* a laugh
* a flirt
* a cute choice
* a tiny date idea
* a playful debate
* a small memory
* a small thing the couple might actually try tonight

Warm is not enough. Concrete is not enough. Useful is not enough.

The daily pack should help couples enjoy each other, not manage the house.

Ask this before approving any daily question:

```text
Would this feel fun, sweet, or playful inside the app tonight?
```

If the honest answer is "useful, but not fun", rewrite it.


## Research-Informed Fun Rules

Recent relationship-question products and articles point to the same pattern: the strongest prompts feel like a game first, then create connection as a side effect. Paired markets quick, fun check-ins and says the relationship should not feel like work. Conversation-card coverage emphasizes that cards give people permission to skip small talk and reveal something interesting. Date-night and couples-question lists work best when they use preferences, memories, flirty choices, funny hypotheticals, tiny adventures, and low-pressure honesty.

Use this as the daily pack standard:

* Game first, insight second.
* A question should create a choice, mini-mission, playful debate, flirt, memory, or laugh.
* Avoid questions that only ask users to manage the relationship better.
* Avoid questions that sound like advice, coaching, therapy, or household planning.
* Ask about wants, favorites, memories, tiny plans, silly preferences, and sweet attention.
* For flirty or spicy prompts, start light, keep it consent-based, and never make the user feel cornered.
* For deeper prompts, make them feel like a game card, not a therapy intake form.

A daily question should answer at least one of these:

* What would be fun to choose right now?
* What would be cute to try tonight?
* What would make us laugh?
* What would make us flirt a little?
* What would help us learn a tiny new thing about each other?
* What would create a small shared memory?

If the answer is only "this would be responsible", reject it. Adults already have bills. The app does not need to become another one.


## Daily Game Mechanics

Every daily question should use at least one clear game mechanic.

Preferred mechanics:

* Would-you-rather style choice
* Fake award
* Tiny mission
* Mini date pick
* Snack draft
* Silly bet
* Guilty-pleasure pick
* Memory pick
* Flirty pick
* Compliment choice
* Photo challenge
* One-song challenge
* Mystery treat
* Cute dare, kept low pressure
* "Choose our vibe" for the next hour

Do not overuse one mechanic. A full weekday should not feel like 70 versions of the same snack question wearing different socks.

### Option Quality Standard

Daily options should be:

* vivid enough to picture
* short enough to tap quickly
* similar in effort
* similar in emotional weight
* tied to the prompt
* fun, sweet, flirty, silly, or date-like

Avoid vague options like:

* Something sweet
* A cute moment
* More connection
* Better communication
* Quality time

Avoid weird domestic options like:

* The good blanket saved
* A clean counter
* A bedtime plan
* Dishes handled
* The laundry moved

Better option style:

* A two-song kitchen dance
* A dessert walk
* A ridiculous fake award
* A flirty text from across the room
* A corner-store snack hunt
* A couch movie trailer voice

## Prefer These Daily Option Types

Use options like:

* snacks
* tiny dates
* silly bets
* inside jokes
* couch games
* music picks
* mini adventures
* playful compliments
* low-pressure flirting
* cozy but fun moments
* small surprises
* dramatic fake awards
* guilty-pleasure shows
* cute photos
* dessert runs
* short walks with a purpose

## Avoid These Daily Option Types

Avoid options centered on:

* bills
* laundry
* dishes
* clean counters
* errands
* appointments
* calendars
* bedtime planning
* household maintenance
* saved blankets
* clinical reassurance phrasing

These can exist in real relationships. They should not dominate the daily fun pack.

Do not rebrand chores as romance unless the question clearly makes the moment playful.

## Banned Daily Tone Words

Avoid these in daily questions:

* reset
* process
* mental load
* emotional load
* autopilot
* pressure
* soft landing
* relationship dynamic
* name the mood
* emotional processing
* communication style
* conflict framework

These words push the pack toward therapy voice.

## Good Daily Examples

Good:

```text
What tiny date move sounds best tonight?
```

Options:

* Dessert on the couch
* A two-song kitchen dance
* A short walk with snacks
* A ridiculous movie pick

Good:

```text
Which tiny win should we celebrate like it matters?
```

Options:

* Find a new dessert spot
* Try a ridiculous soda combo
* Pick tomorrow's fun song
* Build a tiny snack board

Good:

```text
Before phones win, what should we do for fun?
```

Options:

* Pick a ridiculous snack
* Watch one guilty-pleasure clip
* Trade dramatic compliments
* Choose tomorrow's tiny date

Good:

```text
What small surprise would make you smile tonight?
```

Options:

* A favorite drink
* A flirty text from the next room
* A mystery snack
* A song picked just for us

## Bad Daily Examples

Bad:

```text
Which reset would help us avoid autopilot?
```

Why it fails:

* therapy coded
* abstract
* not game-like
* sounds generated

Bad:

```text
Before phones win, what would make the night nicer?
```

Bad options:

* A clean counter
* A quick shoulder rub
* A simple bedtime plan
* The good blanket saved

Why it fails:

* too much household admin
* not playful enough
* one option is weirdly phrased
* it does not feel like a couples game

Bad:

```text
What would help us process the emotional load of the week?
```

Why it fails:

* too clinical
* too heavy for daily
* sounds like a worksheet

## Weekday Lineup

### Monday: Mood Check Monday

Purpose: pick what kind of day the relationship needs.

Vibe: gentle, sweet, simple, start of week, still fun.

Use prompts about:

* cozy mini dates
* easy snacks
* low-effort laughs
* tiny playful care
* feeling picked on purpose
* one cute thing after a long day

Avoid making Monday a housework recovery plan.

Example:

```text
What tiny thing would make Monday feel more like us?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_monday_mood_check
```

### Tuesday: Tiny Win Tuesday

Purpose: pick one small win to enjoy together.

Vibe: low effort, practical only if cute, playful, doable.

Use prompts about:

* a new snack
* a tiny date plan
* a silly reward
* choosing something together
* a small fun challenge

Avoid bills, appointments, laundry, dishes, errands, and calendar cleanup.

Example:

```text
Which tiny win should we celebrate like it matters?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_tuesday_tiny_win
```

### Wednesday: Real One Wednesday

Purpose: pick the most honest answer.

Vibe: simple, grounded, lightly meaningful, not therapy.

Use prompts about:

* real preferences
* small truths
* what sounds best tonight
* what would feel nice
* what the couple actually wants

Options must be complete answers. Do not use sentence fragments like "When I need reassurance".

Example:

```text
What would make tonight feel more like us?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_wednesday_real_one
```

### Thursday: Laugh It Off Thursday

Purpose: pick something silly or low pressure.

Vibe: weird, funny, tired-week energy.

Use prompts about:

* fake awards
* dumb games
* weird snacks
* dramatic bits
* couch games
* inside jokes

Example:

```text
What ridiculous little thing would improve our night?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_thursday_laugh
```

### Friday: Flirty Friday

Purpose: pick something playful, sweet, or date-like.

Vibe: compliments, attraction, flirting, fun.

Use prompts about:

* compliments
* tiny date moves
* playful teasing
* low-pressure flirting
* sweet attention
* romantic but not explicit choices

Keep it consent-based and non-pushy.

Example:

```text
What kind of flirting from me still works best?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_friday_flirty
```

### Saturday: Side Quest Saturday

Purpose: pick a tiny adventure or date idea.

Vibe: playful, outside the routine, doable.

Use prompts about:

* coffee runs
* dessert trips
* photo walks
* thrift-store bets
* mini missions
* trying something new
* tiny adventures

Example:

```text
What kind of mini-adventure sounds most like us today?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_saturday_side_quest
```

### Sunday: Slow Burn Sunday

Purpose: pick a warm intimacy or closeness answer.

Vibe: affectionate, cozy, lightly flirty, never pushy.

Use prompts about:

* closeness
* compliments
* slow kisses
* cuddly date ideas
* sweet teasing
* low-pressure affection

Avoid making Sunday a relationship checkup.

Example:

```text
What kind of closeness would feel best tonight?
```

Required tag:

```text
daily_sunday_slow_burn
```

## Required Tags

Each question must include exactly one new weekday tag:

* daily_monday_mood_check
* daily_tuesday_tiny_win
* daily_wednesday_real_one
* daily_thursday_laugh
* daily_friday_flirty
* daily_saturday_side_quest
* daily_sunday_slow_burn

If the app code still uses older mode tags, include the compatibility tag too, but only one new weekday tag.

## Production Review Loop

Do not write or rewrite all 500 questions in one blind pass.

For each weekday:

1. Write or rewrite 20 questions.
2. Read all 20 out loud.
3. Mark weak questions with reasons.
4. Fix only the marked questions.
5. Review the fixed set again.
6. Continue only when at least 18 of 20 pass.
7. Continue only when at least 16 of 20 feel fun, playful, sweet, flirty, silly, or date-like.
8. Expand in batches of 20 to 30.
9. Repeat mark, fix, review after each batch.
10. Move to the next weekday only after the current weekday passes.

## Marking Reasons

Use these reasons when marking weak daily questions:

* therapy_voice
* wellness_voice
* household_admin
* not_fun
* abstract_prompt
* awkward_split_phrase
* repeated_stem
* option_mismatch
* fragment_options
* too_generic
* weird_option
* weak_weekday_fit
* filler_question


## Research Notes Used for This Guide

These sources informed the daily fun rules. Do not copy their question lists. Use the patterns.

* Paired positions successful daily couple content as quick, fun check-ins, quizzes, and games that fit busy couples and should not feel like work: https://www.paired.com/
* The Gottman Institute Love Maps material shows that useful relationship questions often ask concrete knowledge about a partner, like hobbies, favorite evenings, memories, and current stressors. For Closer daily content, keep the concrete knowledge but make it lighter and game-like: https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-sound-relationship-house-build-love-maps/
* Teen Vogue's couples questions show common high-performing buckets: ideal Friday night, vacation choices, date-night preferences, comfort shows, songs, random rants, first kisses, and flirty connection prompts: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/145-questions-for-couples-that-are-always-worth-asking
* Coverage of conversation-card games shows that cards work because they create permission to ask interesting, weird, vulnerable, or intimate questions without making the moment awkward: https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/feb/23/conversation-starters-card-games
* GQ's review of Esther Perel's card game highlights a useful game pattern: one card sets the tone, another creates the story prompt, and the player has choice. Adapt that idea into Closer by making each question feel like a small playable moment: https://www.gq.com/story/esther-perel-card-game
* Verywell Mind's spicy question guide stresses light flirty openers, starting slow, respecting boundaries, and matching the setting. Slow Burn Sunday and Flirty Friday should follow that rule: https://www.verywellmind.com/spicy-conversation-starters-8737188
* Research on couples and digital games suggests shared play can support connection and affection, especially when game mechanics allow small expressions of care. Daily questions should lean into playful shared action: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.09509

## Final Production Gate

Before shipping:

1. Run schema and count validation.
2. Run duplicate question checks.
3. Run duplicate option-list checks.
4. Check repeated openers and repeated option text.
5. Read 10 random questions from each weekday.
6. Mark anything therapy-coded, boring, weird, logistical, or not fun.
7. Fix the marked items.
8. Run a second random sample from each weekday.
9. Ship only when the second sample passes cleanly.

The final sample must include no weird domestic options like "The good blanket saved" and no chore-heavy answer sets.