Simplessity » Archives for December, 2005

Jason Fried has this to say about big text vs small text:

And then there?s the positive side effect of big text: less text. The bigger the text the less you write and nearly every corporate website could use less words. Better words are more important than less words, of course, but less words would be a great start.

Jason also points out that like anything moderation is the key - don't over do it.

The IT-Director has a good article called: Keeping it simple, not so stupid.

The leap of faith to expect customers to pay a premium for excellent design is rarely taken, but when it is, the results can be staggering, and explosive success can come from apparently nowhere. The sweet spot of excellent design is providing something that precisely fulfils a customer need and does not burden them with extra unnecessary features on top.

Larry Hooper wrote an article called Keeping it simple in his Security: Under the Radar column for CRN:

Indeed, some 58 percent of small businesses rate IT security as one of their top spending priorities for next year, according to recent CRN research.

But what will they be buying? In a word, simplicity.

The biggest deterrent to selling security in the small-business space is that it can be too overwhelming for the small-business owner who has to deal with running his business day to day.

David Heinemeir Hanson the inventor of the Ruby on Rails framework, has this to say about achieving simplicity:

I've found that the only way to achieve even mediocre simplicity is by solving real problems.

Good article on A List Apart called Power to the People:

Relentlessly simple solutions to complex design problems can be the difference between an average experience and a great one. D. Keith Robinson reminds web designers and developers that ease of use is more important than technological sophistication.

Evhead of blogger fame has posted 10 rules for web startups, and rule #1:

Focus on the smallest possible problem you could solve that would potentially be useful. Most companies start out trying to do too many things, which makes life difficult and turns you into a me-too. Focusing on a small niche has so many advantages: With much less work, you can be the best at what you do. Small things, like a microscopic world, almost always turn out to be bigger than you think when you zoom in...

Business week recently interviewed Jason Fried of 37Signals:

BW: What's the advantage of offering software with fewer features, given that rivals might be able to convince customers their software is better because it does more?

JF: No one can really beat us on the low end. It's just what you need, and nothing you don't. You're always going to have more people on the low end who just need a few things. Every additional thing you add to a product, you're reducing your market size, not increasing it. The more stuff you add to a product, the more people you end up upsetting, and the more people you end up alienating.

Fast Company magazine has an article on simplicity called keep it simple.

Time famine is a well documented trend that's driving a plethora of innovations.

As simple as a paperclip.

Who would have thought that there are so many different designs for the nut cracker. I found this simple nut cracker from modlivin on design*sponge.

It solves the nut cracking problem, it looks cool, it's not hard to figure out how it works by looking at it - but it's probably harder to use than the kind where you squeeze. Twisting is typically harder to do than squeezing.

Simplessity is a place where simple rules. Things are easy to use, straight-forward, and user friendly.

This blog will showcase products, websites, and coverage of simplicity in the media, and on blogs.