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Home > For Free > Articles > issue7vol6
Does Simplicity have a Future?
By David Brewster January 2007
Simplicity is over-rated. At least that’s what a leading thinker on product design, Don Norman, wrote last month. He went further, saying “simplicity is a myth whose time has past [sic]”. So are those of us who believe in simplicity kidding ourselves? Is it worth pursuing or a waste of time and energy?
Norman presents a solid case that when it comes to comparing one product against another, most people will opt for the extra buttons and dials. In other words, complexity sells.
And we’ve all done it, haven’t we? We’ve all chosen appliances with extra features – even though we know deep down we probably won’t use them. It’s a bit like choosing the fries instead of an apple at McDonalds even though we know the latter would be better for us.
The problem is that emotion plays a large part in our buying choices. For lots of reasons, including “keeping up with the Jones’s” and the “what-if” factor, logic rarely gets much of a look-in.
So where does that leave simplicity? It’s certainly not out of style.
Wouldn’t you still prefer to deal with companies that are easy to deal with? Rather speak to a real person than a robot?
Wouldn’t you still choose a simple service over one that makes life more complicated. As I write, it is 40°C in Melbourne. I need to do some banking. I could use the internet. Or I could get into my hot car for a hot drive and join a hot queue for fifteen minutes. Mmmm…
And when it comes to actually using those feature-rich products, wouldn’t you prefer to program your video recorder in two minutes rather than twenty?
So simplicity has a place. And complexity does too. As usual, I suspect, the solution to this conundrum lies in striking the right balance. In fact, getting the balance just right can help you cut through the noise and really stand out.
Take Apple’s iPod. In a crowded electronics market, no other single product has dominated its market to the iPod’s extent. It gains new features each year, and they help it keep selling. But it remains a marvel of simplicity to use. The balance is just right.
Beyond technology, there are the classic board games like Scrabble, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit. All have degrees of complexity: enough to keep them interesting. But all are simple to set up and learn as well. The balance is just right. The reward for their designers is longevity.
Then there are our politicians. They all deliver simple messages daily. But simplicity isn’t enough: mostly they don’t get heard. It’s the pollies who have sophisticated, well developed ideas which can be described with simplicity: they are the ones who cut through in the end.
Others have written that ‘Simply Complex’ or ‘Simplexity’ is the way of the future. I’m not sure that it is any more than good old ‘sophistication’. Either way, simplicity still has a place.
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