Design for Simplexity

Simplexitydesign should always be a simple

expression of purpose

design for

Clas

sica

l Sty

les

•Ornamental•Decorative

1900

Mod

erni

sm

•Purist•International Style•Minimalism•Leveraged Industrial revolution•Absence of decorations•Simplification of forms

Less is more

Post

mod

erni

sm19

75

•Fusion of forms•Mixing classical and modern forms

Less is bore

Historical context of design disciplines

Architecture, industrial design, communication design

Neo

Mod

ern

1995

•Steel and Glass•Intelligent buildings•Revival of older styles

less is more

Farnsworth House One-room weekend retreat designed and built by German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe,

less is bore

Wu HallPrinceton University, New Jersey, deigned by Robert Venturi

A genius minimalist. Dieter Rams

“Simplicity is hopelessly subtle, and many of its defining characteristics are implicit (that it hides in simplicity)”

Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.

Simplicity is about standing for the core values

complexity

“we live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities”

Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and writer

Things that seem complicated can be preposterously simple; things that seem simple can be dizzyingly complex.

Complex cogs, gears, springs and flywheels

of a watch

10 Hrs, 10 Min

To yield a single, simple piece of

information

Helps in accurately rotating hour and

minute hands

Google search experience is simple…Google in not!

we love complexities

1. Content VS controls

No games would sell if they are simple…No games would sell if the gaming console is made complex.

Similarly, no one wants to ride a sports bike on a straight road either. Bike still require simpler cotrols

We were all excited to replace paper with plastic…which made our lives simpler ….but then!

Multiple cardsMultiple bankssurchargeloyalty pointsPayment cycles

Multiple pins

fraudsCall centers

theftoverspend

2. Simplicity comes at the price of complexity

3. Complexity is required for business because to drive sales

Even when you sell washing machines like these once!!!

People are NOT willing to pay for a product that looks less capable ….

At the same time not willing to compromise on controls

So, if Simplicity and Complexity needs to co-exist. We need a way to strike the right balance

Simplexity

Ways to achieve simplexityThis can be tricky when you design for digital experiences…

complexity

simplicity

Poorly products and services

Start here Usable with little differentiation

Should not be difficult

GamificationMisalignment with the purpose

Genius designThis is difficult

delight

Utility and function

Possible possibilities…Move it farEliminate ThoughtfullyManage choices by organizationAllow scarcity and ConstraintsMake information visualRecognize patternsDesign for SpeedInstant gratificationMake it humanMake it humorous

Move it farMore appears like less by simply moving it far

Eliminate thoughtfullyUpgrade the value of a product by simplifying it and not downgrade – ‘don’t make it bore’

Managing choices by organizationParadox of choices require better organization of choices or provide no choices (“Plug it in and get a completely random mix of your music library) –ipod shuffle and radio example for giving no choice

Design for Speed Savings in time feel like simplicity

Progress Display . Style Deception

Facebook graph search

Instant gratification

scarcity vs. abundance

Allow scarcity & Constraints

Pattern recognition

Recognition over recall

Recognize Patterns

Make it humane

Vs

Vs

Make it visual

exploratory

Design for context

Consider these two signs

Make it humorous

Consider these two signs

Happy weekend