Secrets of Simplicity

When somebody starts on the UX field the first word comes to his head is simplicity, but simplicity is not going to make the user happy. UX is more than simplicity and i cant denied it simplicity is an important part on the User Experience day by day.

Here are some quotes to remember and think about simplicity:

Less is More – Mies Van Der Rohe
Simplicity is not the answer – Donald Norman
Efficiency, Effectiveness and Satisfaction – ISO Definition
Perfection is archived not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing more to take away – Antoine de Saint Exupery
Everything should be as simple as possible but not simpler – Albert Einstein

What Albert really says was:

Make the irreducible basic elements and simple as few possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience – Albert Einstein

So, the main points when you try to simplify something are:

Remove features: Get rid some less used features.
Hide Features: Put some features away from the visible area.
Group Features: Logical groups and important things easy to find.
Displace Features: Move features to an alternative screen or pop-up screen.

In conclusion:

Complexity is never eliminated, merely reduced and displaced.
Simplicity is and experience it happens in the user’s head.

I get some of these thoughts from the presentation below, please read it, is very helpful and will allow you to understand more deeply what simplicity means.

Secrets of Simplicity: rules for being simple and usable (Giles Colborne)

View more presentations from cxpartners.

{Happy Coding}