Fighting Complexity in User Interfaces

The first weapon for fighting the villain of complexity is a hatchet. Studies have found that 80% of users use only 20% of software features. Not only are all those unused features a waste of development time, but they frequently detract rather than add value by making the application more difficult to use.

Applications that try to do everything often struggle to do anything well. A successful application is a lean application: one that isolates a single problem and solves it brilliantly. Underdo your competition!

The best way to get a lean streamlined application is by eliminating features. When deciding whether a feature is necessary, the default answer should be “No.” Make features really fight to be included. If it doesn’t help the majority of users accomplish their frequent tasks, then it should probably be left out. Don’t get me wrong, being the one who swings the axe is tough, but when customers wax lyrical later on about how easy the application is to use, you can take all the credit.