mal/PRODUCT.md

MAL - Anime Streaming & Watchlist Service

Product Purpose

Personal anime streaming service with watchlist management for me and my friends. Simple, functional, easy to navigate.

Users

• Primary: Me (owner)
• Secondary: Close friends with access
• Technical comfort: Medium - comfortable with self-hosted services

Brand Tone

• Practical: No fluff, just works
• Clean: Minimal aesthetic, functional over decorative
• Personal: Built for us, not for distribution

Design Principles

1. Easy to maneuver - Clear navigation, predictable patterns
2. Content-first - Anime artwork and details take precedence
3. Fast interactions - HTMX for snappy partial updates
4. Dark theme default - Easy on eyes for long viewing sessions

Anti-References

• No anime list sites (MyAnimeList, AniList clones)
• No generic SaaS dashboards
• No "AI slop" aesthetics - gradient text, glassmorphism, hero metrics

Register

Product - Design serves the utility, not the reverse.

Technical Stack

• Go backend (HTMX for interactivity)
• Tailwind CSS
• No JavaScript framework - vanilla JS only