These principles weren’t just platitudes: they were a manifesto for decision-making.

Product principles are not a list of features, and they are not tied to any one product release. The principles are aligned with the product vision for an entire product line.

“When we design a new component, we want to make sure it addresses all four of those. If we didn’t have a set of principles it would be difficult to agree on things. We want to make sure each piece lives up to it.” — Roy Stanfield, principal interaction designer, Airbnb

Practical principles, not company principles First, don’t try to write company principles. Instead, keep it simple and just write principles to help with the project at hand.

A simple but good example for such an architectural principle is “Buy before build.” It has the following characteristics that make a good principle: Clear: Principles should be like marketing slogans—easy to understand and remember. Provides guidance for decisions: When making a decision, you can easily look to the principle for guidance. In this