Simple Doesn’t (Necessarily) Mean Less Features

I’ve been listening to a lot of Jason Fried lately, and he has a lot of good things to say about web app design. But while “less features” are often mentioned in the same breath as “simple,” I’m not sure this is valid. There’s a correlation between less features and simple, but the causation isn’t that straightforward.

Thought 1: Less features do not automatically equal a simpler app
Don’t get me wrong, less features can go a long way in making an app simpler to use.

Less features CAN make something simpler. This is by and large true—less options, less choice, simpler to use. But I stress the CAN part… Sure, ask a shoddy programmer to remove features, and the UI will probably benefit. But, there’s a lot more going on than the decision to add or slash a feature. Compare any number of to do lists—they all essentially offer the same feature set, but some are easier to work with than others. Why? Rhythm, contrast, narration, behaviors, beauty, etc. Less features + good design + good copy + contextual behaviors + (you get the idea)… makes something simpler. Simpler apps aren’t simpler just because they have less features.

Thought 2: Removing features is not a prerequisite for creating a simpler app.
Can you keep features—loads of them—and still pull off a really simple app? To me, this is the holy grail of web and software applications. Basecamp is great for now, if only because complex was so bad. But, as Jason himself says, the pendulum will swing back—and that’s when it gets really interesting. People will be accustomed to tools that are really simple to work with, but they’ll want more features, without sacrificing ease of use. Sure, some trade-offs will need to be made in some instances—I look at that as a design centered view (vs. a customer driven view) where decisions are made in the best interest of the people using the system—“do I cram everything in there that everyone wants, or do I help people out by deciding what is needed and what stays out?” But for the features that are added or remain, it’s going to take some skilled UI designers to tame that level of complexity…

Where is this all going?
So, these are some of the (random) thoughts I’m having…

• As simple apps mature how will they add in more features (notice I didn’t say get more complex)?

• How long will it take for established (and overly complex!) Enterprise apps simplify the user interface (and manage to weave in some new Web2.0 ideas)? Microsoft is doing this with Office 12, but this isn’t happening (at least not quickly enough) across the board…

And/or…

• As programming gets easier, where anyone with a computer can write an app that solves their needs, will we see more and more situated software? (versus the “one – or a few – apps to rule them all”)

Curious times ahead…