Less is More

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication — Leonardo Da Vinci

Simplicity is a philosophy that is championed by many successful people and companies.It doesn’t matter whether we are designing a product or designing our life, simplicity always works.

But what exactly do we mean by simplicity?

Dictionary defines simplicity as ‘the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded’

Simplicity doesn't mean that we have to make things dumb, instead simplicity is the way to declutter and untangle things or in other words strip things down to their essential, or core purpose, it is to get to the most fundamental, simplified version of the object.

How can we achieve simplicity in design?

Here are some fundamental techniques that one can follow in order to achieve this,

• Understand the core of what our customer needs truly and align everything to this core value.Users top three main goals are your top three priorities. They are the ones that need our undivided attention and focus, and we need to avoid the remaining at all cost.There maybe numerous occasions where our colleagues, stakeholders, and team members may want us to add other features, we need to politely refuse them.We need to focus on our customer needs, and not on what others tell us.It is easy to get carried away and add more and more, however remember the key to good design is to subtract, not add.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done. Innovation is saying no to a thousand things.” — Steve Jobs

• Hide anything that the user does not use frequently.
• Organize information in the way that it makes sense to the user. Apply Gestalts laws.
• Reduce and erase anything that does not add value to the customer, or is redundant. Remove the obvious and add the meaningful.
• Standardise and create consistency, ensure that all the features and components come together in a balanced way and the speak one language.

Finally, remember that simplicity is not easy in fact it needs a lot of our time, focus and attention. Simplicity can only be achieved when we understand the core of what we are designing.