Enhancement: Improve Currency Selector with Search, Favorites, and Organization

[DevinByteX]

💱 Feature Description

Enhance the currency selector component to provide a more polished, user-friendly experience with better organization, search capabilities, and quick access to frequently used currencies. The current implementation is functional but lacks advanced features that would improve the user experience, especially for users who frequently switch between multiple currencies.

📊 Current Implementation

The app currently has:

• ✅ 40+ supported currencies with proper symbols
• ✅ Basic currency selector modal with scroll view
• ✅ Visual indicator for currently selected currency
• ✅ Currency name and symbol display
• ❌ No search/filter functionality
• ❌ No favorites or recent currencies
• ❌ Limited visual organization
• ❌ No keyboard shortcuts or quick access
• ❌ Modal-only interface (no alternative access methods)

Current component: app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/index.tsx

✨ Proposed Improvements

1. Search & Filter Functionality

• Search by Name: Search currency names (e.g., "Dollar", "Euro", "Rupee")
• Search by Symbol: Search by currency symbol (e.g., "$", "€", "£")
• Search by Code: Search by ISO 4217 code (e.g., "USD", "EUR", "GBP")
• Real-time Filtering: Results update as user types
• Search History: Keep track of recently searched currencies
• Keyboard Support: Auto-focus search input when modal opens

2. Currency Organization

• Favorites/Pinned Currencies: Users can mark frequently used currencies
• Recent Currencies: Show last 5-10 used currencies at top
• Grouped Display:
  • Top currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, etc.)
  • Regional grouping (Asia, Europe, Americas, Africa, Middle East)
  • Alphabetical organization
• Category Selection: Quick tabs/buttons to jump to regions
• Smart Suggestions: Based on device locale suggest relevant currencies

3. Enhanced Visual Design

• Better Modal Layout:
  • Header with search input
  • Quick access tabs for major currency groups
  • Main currency list
  • Selected indicator styling
• Flag Icons (Optional): Add country flags next to currencies (might require additional dependency)
• Visual Grouping: Headers for currency groups/regions
• Color Coding: Highlight frequently used currencies
• Typography: Clearer hierarchy with currency name, symbol, and code
• Responsive Design: Better spacing on different screen sizes

4. Quick Access Features

• Top Currencies Bar: Pre-selected common currencies in quick-access row
• Recent Currencies: 1-tap access to recently used currencies
• Favorites Management: Context menu to add/remove favorites
• Long-press Actions: Quick actions like "Copy Symbol" or "Mark as Favorite"
• Swipe Gestures: Swipe to add to favorites

5. User Preferences

• Save Favorite Currencies: Persist user's selected favorites
• Default Currency: Set preferred default currency
• Sort Order: User preference for how currencies are sorted
• Region Preference: Auto-suggest currencies based on user's region
• Currency History: Remember recently used currencies

6. Accessibility Improvements

• Better Keyboard Navigation: Tab through currencies, Enter to select
• Screen Reader Support: Proper labels and announcements
• Touch Target Size: Ensure touch targets are at least 44x44 pt
• Contrast: Ensure sufficient color contrast for readability
• ARIA Labels: Proper semantic structure

🛠️ Technical Implementation

New Components to Create

// app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/CurrencySearchInput.tsx
// app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/CurrencyQuickAccess.tsx
// app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/CurrencyGroupHeader.tsx
// app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/CurrencyListItem.tsx
// app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/FavoritesManager.tsx

Modified Files

• app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/index.tsx - Main component refactor
• app/configs/constants.ts - Add currency metadata (regions, flags, etc.)
• app/context/types.ts - Add favorite currencies and preferences
• app/context/AppContext.tsx - Store favorite/recent currencies
• app/hooks/asyncStorageHooks.ts - Persist currency preferences

New Types

interface CurrencyMetadata {
  currencyId: string;
  currencyName: string;
  currencySign: string;
  region: 'North America' | 'Europe' | 'Asia' | 'Africa' | 'Middle East' | 'Oceania';
  flagCode?: string; // ISO country code for flag
  isPopular?: boolean; // Top currencies
}

interface CurrencyPreferences {
  favorites: string[]; // Currency IDs
  recentlyUsed: string[]; // Ordered list
  sortBy: 'popular' | 'name' | 'region' | 'recent';
  defaultCurrency: string;
  autoDetectRegion: boolean;
}

Dependencies (Potential)

{
  "react-native-flags": "^2.0.0"  // Optional: for country flags
}

📁 Proposed File Structure

app/
  components/
    StyledCurrencySelector/
      index.tsx                      // Main refactored component
      CurrencySearchInput.tsx       // Search input component
      CurrencyQuickAccess.tsx       // Favorites/Recent section
      CurrencyGroupHeader.tsx       // Region/Group headers
      CurrencyListItem.tsx          // Individual currency item
      FavoritesManager.tsx          // Manage favorites modal
      styles.ts                      // Shared styles
  configs/
    currencyMetadata.ts             // Enhanced currency data
  hooks/
    useCurrencyPreferences.ts       // Manage currency preferences
    useCurrencySearch.ts            // Search logic

🎨 UI/UX Design

Enhanced Modal Layout

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│  💱 Select Currency                 │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│  [🔍 Search currencies...        ] │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ⭐ Favorites: [USD] [EUR] [GBP] [JPY]
│  🕐 Recent:    [INR] [AUD]         │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Quick Regions:                     │
│  [All] [Americas] [Europe] [Asia]  │
│                [Africa] [ME] [Oceania]
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│  🌍 POPULAR CURRENCIES              │
│  ├─ [✓] US Dollar        $  USD    │
│  ├─ [ ] Euro             €  EUR    │
│  ├─ [ ] British Pound    £  GBP    │
│  └─ [ ] Japanese Yen     ¥  JPY    │
│                                     │
│  🌏 ASIA                            │
│  ├─ [ ] Indian Rupee     ₹  INR    │
│  ├─ [ ] Chinese Yuan     ¥  CNY    │
│  └─ [ ] Thai Baht        ฿  THB    │
│                                     │
│  ... more regions ...               │
│                                     │
│  [Done]           [★ Add Favorite] │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

📱 Platform-Specific Considerations

• iOS: Native keyboard behavior for search input
• Android: Material design for search input
• Both: Smooth scrolling performance with 40+ items
• Accessibility: Test with VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android)

🧪 Testing Requirements

• Search works for names, symbols, and codes
• Favorites persist after app restart
• Recent currencies list updates correctly
• Regional grouping displays properly
• Modal opens/closes smoothly
• Performance is smooth with 40+ currencies
• Keyboard navigation works on both platforms
• Touch targets are accessible (min 44x44 pt)
• Screen reader announces all elements correctly
• Search highlighting doesn't break on special characters

🔄 Related Files

• app/components/StyledCurrencySelector/index.tsx
• app/configs/constants.ts
• app/screens/TipScreens/HomeTipScreen.tsx
• app/context/AppContext.tsx
• app/context/types.ts

📊 Success Criteria

• Search functionality reduces currency finding time by 50%
• Favorites and recent currencies accessible with 1 tap
• Modal feels responsive and smooth
• At least 95% of intended workflows completed successfully
• Accessibility requirements met (WCAG AA level)
• Works correctly on devices with 100+ currencies
• User preferences persist reliably
• No performance degradation compared to current version
• Works seamlessly with all app themes

💡 Future Enhancements

• Currency converter integration
• Live exchange rates display
• Cryptocurrency support (BTC, ETH, etc.)
• Custom currency support
• Currency comparison view
• Historical exchange rate trends

🏷️ Labels

enhancement, ui/ux, feature, low-priority