Plan an RSS app around the reading workflow

Describe the essential session

Write a short scenario: a reader opens the app during a commute, scans three sources, saves one article, and returns to it later. That scenario exposes more useful requirements than a long feature list. Consider whether the app needs offline text, synchronized read state, adjustable type, or just a lightweight chronological list.

Separate subscription management from content display. A subscription points to a feed; the interface decides how entries are grouped, read, and saved. That distinction makes it easier to change the interface without losing the user's sources. The RSS Best Practices Profile provides interoperability guidance for feed documents, while your acceptance criteria should describe the human experience.

Evaluate five concrete tasks

• Subscribe: add a known feed and confirm its name and source before accepting it.
• Read: open a long entry and inspect headings, lists, images, links, and text scaling.
• Resume: close and reopen the app; check what happens to saved items and reading position.
• Recover: disconnect the network and inspect whether the app explains stale or unavailable content.
• Leave: export subscriptions where supported and verify that the file identifies the original feed addresses.

Keep privacy choices visible

A purely local app and a synchronized service have different operational requirements. Document where subscriptions, saved articles, and reading history are stored. If a service fetches feeds on a user's behalf, determine how it handles private feed URLs before adding them. An address containing an access token deserves the same care as any other secret.

For a prototype, begin with public feeds and a small set of sample entries. Include a missing image, an unusually long headline, a duplicate item, and a corrected article. These cases reveal whether the interface remains readable when real publishing data is untidy.

Define success before implementation

Create a one-page acceptance sheet with the five tasks above, the expected behavior, and a pass or fail column. Test with someone who did not design the app. Watch whether they understand the difference between saving an article and following its publication. A reliable reading experience is a stronger foundation than adding social features or automated summaries before basic navigation works.