Why Making Things Simple Is Actually Hard

Simplicity in design, code, and communication represents one of the most challenging yet valuable skills to develop. While complexity often happens naturally, simplicity requires deliberate effort and sometimes painful decisions about what to eliminate.

The Complexity Trap We Fall Into

Complexity accumulates almost imperceptibly. A feature added here, an option there, explanatory text to clarify confusing interactions—each decision might seem reasonable in isolation. Product teams often add elements to solve immediate problems without considering the cumulative effect on the overall experience. Before long, what began as an elegant solution becomes an overwhelming jumble.

This pattern appears across disciplines—software interfaces with countless settings, documents bloated with unnecessary information, or physical products with features users never discover. The root problem isn't lack of skill but rather the natural tendency to solve problems through addition rather than subtraction.

What Simplicity Actually Means

True simplicity isn't about making things basic or incomplete. Rather, it's about finding the essence of what matters and eliminating everything else. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry captured this perfectly: "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

Achieving this requires a deep understanding of problems and user needs. You can't simplify effectively without first comprehending complexity. The goal isn't minimalism for its own sake but creating focused solutions that allow people to accomplish tasks with minimal cognitive overhead.

Making Hard Choices That Matter

Simplicity demands difficult decisions and trade-offs:

• Saying no to features that seem useful but aren't essential

• Removing options that benefit some users but confuse many

• Creating sensible defaults rather than endless customization

• Designing clear paths rather than unlimited flexibility

These choices inevitably generate resistance. Stakeholders advocate for their priorities, power users request specialized features, and there's always a compelling case for just one more addition. Maintaining simplicity means having the confidence to push back against these pressures when appropriate.

Starting With Simple Foundations

The best approach to simplicity begins before the first line of code or sketch on a canvas. It starts with clearly defining what problem you're solving and for whom. This clarity helps filter decisions throughout the development process, making it easier to identify what's truly essential.

When adding complexity becomes necessary, do so in layers. Create a core experience that works for most users while allowing advanced functionality to be discovered as needed. This progressive disclosure approach maintains simplicity for the majority while accommodating specialized needs.

The Discipline That Makes Difference

Maintaining simplicity requires ongoing vigilance. Features accumulate, explanations expand, and interfaces grow more cluttered without consistent effort to counteract these tendencies. Building regular reviews focused specifically on simplification into your process helps prevent this drift toward complexity.

Remember that simplicity often feels uncomfortable initially—both to creators accustomed to complexity and to users familiar with existing solutions. Resist the urge to add explanation or options in response to this discomfort. Given time, well-designed simplicity becomes intuitive, while shortcuts to apparent simplicity through overwhelming documentation or settings ultimately create more confusion.

The pursuit of simplicity isn't easy, but the results justify the effort. Products that distill experiences to their essence connect more deeply with users while proving more adaptable to changing needs—making simplicity not just an aesthetic preference but a practical approach to creating lasting value.