DAD: Digital Appliance Design Principles

1. One Job, Done Well Each app should solve one specific problem. No more, no less. Simplicity wins. 2. Outcomes Over Features Focus on the result the user needs—a clean PDF, a clear summary—not on how many buttons or features you can add. 3. Fewer Steps, More Value Every extra click is friction. Make actions one-tap whenever possible. Auto-fill the boring stuff. 4. Stand Alone, Work Together Each app should function perfectly by itself, but also complement the others if needed. Think tools in a toolbox, not features in a suite. 5. Design Great Outputs The magic is in the output. Make PDFs look polished, readable, and easy to share offline or slap on a fridge. 6. Less Input, More Output Don’t make users do more work to get less. The app should turn minimal data into maximum clarity. 7. Customization, but Not Too Much A little personalization goes a long way—headers, colors, recurring schedules—but avoid turning it into a design tool. 8. Stay Print-Friendly Not everything lives online. Make sure your PDFs don’t fall apart when printed—clean layouts, minimal ink usage. 9. Immediate Wins Users should get value in under 90 seconds. Show them something useful, fast. 10. Share Without Friction: Whether someone uses the app or not, they should be able to open and understand the output. Sharing should feel effortless.