What is the simplest thing you can build?
That is a question I constantly have to ask myself. Personally as a web designer, design has always been about managing complexity and presenting simplicity. It’s a process that requires giving up things that are “cool” for the sake of something that is usable and clearly communicable. Anyone can do simple, but can you present simple, beauty and retain 100% usability? Many try and many fail.
When you don’t ask the question
We’ve all seen it in the products we buy. Shoes. They are an article of daily attire that is generally the last thing we put on and the very last thing you notice when looking at someone. Yet, shoe designers go out of their way to create elegant designs but almost implicitly ignoring comfortability and durability.
Modern car dashboards. Test drive any 2011/2012 model vehicle with the works and the dashboard is a tragedy of usability. You’re given screens that you’ll likely spend 15% of your time viewing while in the vehicle. Button labels and purposes aren’t very clear and there are enough buttons on the steering wheel to make a computer keyboard blush. All of these things detract from a simple, usable driving experience.
When you don’t ask the question, what is the simplest thing? The most reasonable response is to add too many things.
The simplest thing is not the final thing
No matter what you’re designing, be they web apps, a chair or a building, they all naturally need to evolve. You can’t be simple forever. But simple can be the foundation on which all other things are built. Adding features should be a response to need and not a response to arbitrary wants.
