The success of the Apple iPod should serve us all as a reminder of this fact: Simple is good.
And in case we forget, there’s this excellent article by Andreas Pfeiffer who formulates it very succinctly using 10 simple rules. Here are some examples:
10 fundamental rules for the age of user experience technology:
1) More features isn’t better, it’s worse.
Feature overload is becoming a real issue. The last thing a customer wants is confusion-and what’s more confusing than comparing technical specifications, unless you are en expert? Only nerds get a kick out of reading feature lists. (I know – I’m one of them.)
2) You can’t make things easier by adding to them.
Simplicity means getting something done in a minimum number of simple steps. Practically anything could be simpler – but you don’t get there by adding features.
3) Confusion is the ultimate deal-breaker.
Confuse a customer, and you lose him. And nothing confuses more easily than complex features and unintuitive functionalities.
Which reminds me of the time Mark Twain wrote a letter saying:
I apologize for writing you a long letter but I didn’t have time to write a short one.
And then there’s this wonderful quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes:
I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.
And that is what we must seek in business: We must seek complexity and then try to discover the simplicity beyond complexity. If you only know enough about your product to present it in a complicated way – one that makes everybody think you must be really clever – then you’re not ready to sell it.
When you can present it in a way that makes everybody realize they’re as clever as you are, then you’re good to go. And that’s when you can create breakaway hits like the iPod.
Amen!!
And thanks for pointing out the article by Andreas Pfeiffer!
Have you ever read Jame Gleick’s book Faster? He has a lot of interesting observations about the relationship between speed and the complexity of life and technology. There is a wikipedia entry for him, FYI.
Positive Sharing is always a worthwhile visit! Thanks Alex
Not only have I read Faster – I’ve reviewed it right here. Great book.
And thanks for the nice words. If I may say it – it’s always a pleasure to read your comments.