Utility apps grow by default. Someone who resizes images also wants to crop them, then add text, then apply filters, and soon the app is a worse version of a full editor. For Quick Image PDF Resizer we kept a written decision log instead. This post shares it, lightly edited.
The one-sentence purpose
Every request gets checked against that sentence. If it helps the job, it is a candidate. If it changes the job, it needs a real discussion.
The decision log
| Request | Decision | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Resize to an exact file size | Yes | The core job: upload limits are usually in kilobytes |
| Convert HEIC to JPG | Yes | Format compatibility is part of "the right format" |
| Merge and split PDFs | Yes | Forms often need pages combined or removed |
| Simple crop | Later | Helps the job, but only once resize is polished |
| Filters and colour tweaks | No | Editing, not preparing a file |
| Text and stickers | No | A different app entirely |
| Cloud folders and accounts | No | Breaks "on the device" |
| Edit text inside PDFs | No | Hard to do well; heavier tools exist |
Requests we heard
- Filters and colour adjustments
- Text and stickers
- Cloud folders and accounts
- Editing text inside PDFs
What shipped
- Resize and compress
- Convert formats
- Merge, split and extract PDF pages
- Everything processed on the device
How a request moves through the log
- Request arrivesReview, email or our own wish
- Check the sentenceHelps the job, or changes it?
- Log a decisionYes, later or no, with one reason
- Revisit rarelyOnly with new evidence
Why write it down at all
Saying no is easy when you are tired and hard when a request is reasonable. A written log takes the decision away from whoever happens to be in the conversation, and the one-line reasons stop the same debate recurring every few weeks.
A short app is easy to explain in one sentence. That sentence is also the store listing.
The log is not permanent
A few items have moved from "later" to "yes" when enough people needed them for the core job. Each move was a decision, not a drift, and the app still does what its name says.
