Design principles.
Eight principles every Aceve screen is judged against — written for Anna, Lars, Kim and Saara, the people whose livelihood depends on this software working on a Tuesday morning on a cold job site. They are the floor, not the ceiling.
The eight principles
Respect the user's time
Every second on a screen is a second not spent on the job. Design to be done quickly.
Be predictable
The same action does the same thing every time. Surprise is the enemy of trust.
Work on the worst day
Bad signal, cold hands, a phone in a basement — design for that, not the demo.
Say it plainly
Use the words our users use. No jargon, no hype, no fine print.
Show your work
When the software (or AI) makes a suggestion, show where it came from and let the human decide.
Introduce change gently
Build the new on the familiar. Always offer a way back.
One family, many trades
Consistent where it builds trust; specialised where the craft demands it.
Earn autonomy
Suggest, then draft, then — only with permission — act.
How they're used
Principles that nobody applies are decoration.
In design reviews
Every review names the principle a decision serves — or violates. "It looks better" is not an argument; "it breaks Be predictable for Lars" is. The trust and ethics checklist turns the principles into pass/fail questions for every PR.
In trade-offs
When principles collide — a faster flow that is less predictable, a smarter default that hides its reasoning — the tie-breaker is trust: choose the option a sceptical tradesperson would still rely on next month. The five pillars explain why.