Core Principle: Marissa is client #1. The entire system exists to reduce her cognitive load and create space for the crowded table. If it doesn't serve her, it doesn't ship.
Three Access Tiers
1. Served User (Default)
Single questions, contextual answers. No system knowledge required. She asks naturally, gets what she needs.
2. Decision Partner
Multi-turn dialogue for logistics and priorities. Input on what matters, not how it works.
3. Systems Administrator
Ideally invisible to her. Kyle handles infrastructure, configuration, and maintenance. She never sees the wiring.
Input Priority
- Voice-first - Lowest friction. Natural speech, hands-free.
- Text secondary - Quick messages when voice isn't appropriate.
- Passive/contextual third - Proactive notifications based on calendar, location, patterns.
Interaction Design
Tone Guidelines
- No "I'm an AI assistant" preamble. Just answer.
- Brief by default - under 15 seconds for voice responses.
- Interruptible. She can cut in, change direction, or bail out.
- Proactive context when relevant. Anticipate based on time, location, recent activity.
Error Handling
- No technical errors exposed. Everything translates to: "Here's what I'll do instead."
- Never dump system state or debugging info.
- If something fails, offer an alternative path or take it to Kyle silently.
Core Capabilities
- Natural language queries - "When is the Legoland trip?"
- Add tasks/reminders via voice/text - No forms, no structured input.
- Daily briefings - Family-focused, context-aware morning summaries.
- Content ownership - Her calendar, her notes, her priorities.
- No infrastructure burden - Everything just works. No updates, no config, no asking her to sync anything.
Open Questions
- Channel choice: Telegram vs. WhatsApp vs. voice device (HomePod/Alexa)?
- Morning briefing automation: What time? What content? How much is too much?
- Kids' access tier: Do they get their own interface? Age-appropriate queries?
- Calendar/list integrations: Which systems? How deep? What's the sync strategy?
Success Metrics
- She uses it daily without thinking about it.
- Zero support requests to Kyle about "how do I..."
- Cognitive load visibly reduced (calmer evenings, fewer "did you remember to..." conversations).
- The crowded table becomes more frequent, less effortful.
The North Star: Marissa's life satisfaction. Everything else is implementation detail.