Simplicity over Complexity?

by KEVIN SILVER :: NOV 21, 2008 :: COMMENTS (0)

I finally finished reading John Maeda's "The Laws of Simplicity." For some reason I had put this book down and it got lost in the stack with only a few chapters left to read. The book is small and to the point: simplicity is not only a quality it is also a strategic foundation.

Maeda's laws are: Reduce, Organize, Time, Learn, Differences, Context, Emotion, Trust, Failure and The One. All of the laws truly resonate and are absolutely applicable to creating meaningful experiences. Which brings us to The One. Maeda’s 10th law is compelling in that it states: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful." There are three keys to the 10th law: Away ("More appears like less by simply moving far, far away."), Open ("Openness simplifies complexity.") and Power ("Use less, gain more.").

The 10th law has me thinking about how we add meaning to the digital experience. Is it about making an emotional connection through reflection? And speaking of Donald Norman, why does he think simplicity is overrated? In his blog post "Simplicity is Highly Overrated," Norman suggests that people want more features within the products they use. It’s the quantity of features that gives ultimate value to a product. He doesn't suggest that things should be hard to use, but that they should be feature rich.

I can relate to this. I have always gravitated towards interfaces that are feature rich and overtly complex, anything that is awash with buttons, knobs and tiny LEDs are great. There was nothing better than driving in a german car from the late 80's at night looking at all of the various buttons lit up, it felt like you had immediate control over your experience.

You don't have to subtract features to make a product simple. It's more important to present the features in a simple and elegant manner. You can remove the complexity and still have a rich meaningful experience. The iPhone, though not perfect on every front, is an example of this, specifically it’s interface. It does a great job of taming complexity without vast reduction. Simplicity and complexity should be balanced. Or as Yoda would say, "Be balanced, simplicity and complexity should. Herh herh herh."

tags: COMPLEXITY, SIMPLICITY, USER EXPERIENCE

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