Start with the booking.
People arrive with a message they want to put on a screen. They need to choose a location, prepare their content, and book.
Each extra decision creates another opportunity to leave. The product needs to make the next step clear.
Remove the impressive distraction.
The early product offered AI style transforms. They produced attractive images, but added choices and waiting time to the booking flow.
We removed the style system. Content moderation and image reframing remained because they addressed practical constraints.
Moderation helps assess material intended for public screens. Reframing helps a single image fit different screen proportions.
Change the system when the trade-off changes.
The platform later moved from Firestore and Next.js to Postgres and SvelteKit. The migration followed a change in implementation cost.
The published migration account covers the data move, operational checks, and decisions that needed human review.
The lesson applies beyond the stack: revisit a decision when its constraints change. Keep the evidence that explains the choice.
What I took from it.
A capability is not a reason to add a feature. The feature must improve the task the customer came to complete.
The most useful AI work often happens away from the headline. It removes an obstacle without asking for another decision.