Why Life Can’t Be Simpler

The most natural implementation of any feature request is additive, attempting to leave all other elements of the design in place and simply inserting one new component: a new button in a UI or a new parameter to a function. As this process is repeated, the simplicity of a system is lost and complexity takes its place. This pattern is often particu... See more

Simplicity is the world view of the child or uninformed adult, fully engaged in his own experience and happily unaware of what lies beneath the surface of immediate reality.

Complexity characterizes the ordinary adult world view. It is characterized by an awareness of complex systems in nature and society but an inability to discern clarifying patte... See more

Why do we assume that simple is good? Because with physical products, we have to feel we can dominate them. As you bring order to complexity, you find a way to make the product defer to you. Simplicity isn’t just a visual style. It’s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly

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As a result, design principles are either misused, misinterpreted, or even abandoned because complex statements are hard to comprehend, apply, and remember. The 'Don't Make Me Think' principle by Steve Krug is straightforward and easy to remember. In order to speed up and simplify their design processes, Salesforce and Airbnb have developed in-hous... See more