The app’s clunkiness really depends on the dashboard design. Depending on the setup properly customising it can be a big help.

I often hear the argument that everything should be automated, but there always seem to be edge cases in a home that can’t be automated in fully reliable and natural way.

I’m also a big fan of physical controls, especially for lights which I’ve insisted all still have physical (smart enabled) switches. But physical controls can only exist in one place, sometimes it is useful to remotely control something via the app.

I don’t even have any significant automation but opening the dashboard is rare and a failure. Everything has physical switches and voice control, so I’m interacting with the home when I want to interact with the home. The dashboard is mainly when I want to see data or change something not easily done with voice.

I have not been able to get any of my family to install the app or be interested in interacting with it.

While better user account ts seem like an obvious thing to improve, I’ve never had a use for them

Right, I see your point and it makes sense. But at the same time consider this: would you still like all the smart stuff if it was completely automated and you had no access to it? It just works, and you can't make it work a little differently if needed? And I offer an example of something that I can't imagine how it could be automated... I have a smart fan, power and orientation is dependent on where I am and how hot I feel. Easy enough to change that with the app as needed. Remember this is something I can control but would not want to give control to other people in the house.

On top of that what about sensors? Without the app you can't see them so for example no quick glance to check the temperature in multiple rooms and outside.

Also while the app is a bit clunky, it sure beats using that one rather than all of the Philips Hue, LIFX, Yeelight, Xiaomi, Tapo, Kasa, Daikin...

Favourite hw input device?

I use the dashboard for a quick overview of my house, devices that are on, status of my home servers (with the ability to remotely put my desktop to sleep), low battery levels, quick toggles for certain modes (vacation mode, Housecleaners mode, guest mode).

It’s all in what you put on the dashboards that makes them amazing extensions of your house.

I like your solution, quite clever! But in my instance I actually want it to turn off once the print is over. I don't remember the details but I think it's set up so it will turn off after the hot end has cooled down for a few minutes, it's controlled by a plug-in for Octoprint.