How to simplify your design in 20+ easy steps with examples

Companies are constantly striving to create simple and usable products. More features, new technologies, and advanced capabilities, but in a lightweight and easy-to-use format. Most of the time, simplifying things is the hardest thing there is.

What is “simplicity”?

We can define simple as something that is easily understood or done, presenting no difficulty. Simplicity is subjective; things that seem simple to one person will not be perceived the same way by another. Generally, we form our personal opinion as to whether any process is simple or complex in three quick stages:

Removing obstacles in users' path to their goals will help you move towards simplicity. In The Laws of Simplicity, John Maeda It offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design: guidelines for needing less and getting more.

Maeda, a professor at the MIT Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer, explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "enhanced" so that it doesn't always mean something else. The Laws of Simplicity is a great readSo I recommend you read it.

And what about complexity?

Speaking of simplicity, we must mention the opposite end of the spectrum. Like simplicity, the sense of complexity is subjective. With the right training, even space science isn't that difficult. But there are several factors that tend to complicate even the simplest task. These should be avoided in product design as much as possible:

So how can we apply this to product design?

1. Create products with focused value

There's so much software trying to do so much for so many audiences that everyone's trying to be the Swiss Army knife of the industry. If you want your product to be simple, you need to define a core value and identify who it's really for. Not every product should have Facebook integrated.

2. Eliminate everything unnecessary

The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through careful reduction. When in doubt, simply remove it. Secondary information, rarely used controls, and distracting styles. It's as easy as that. Once you start applying this principle, you'll see the results immediately. But be careful what you remove.

“Simplicity is not the absence of disorder; it is a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is, in a way, essentially describing the purpose and place of an object or product. The absence of disorder is merely a product without disorder. That is not simple.” – Jonathan Ive

3. Translate the data into a meaningful format

Most of the products we design daily focus on a large amount of data that the user needs to understand to efficiently perform their daily tasks. When you meet users interested in trends and changes, help them with visual representations instead of a mountain of numbers. You can always display additional information upon request. Try to extract the most meaningful information from the data you have and put it right in front of the user.

4. Supports rapid decision-making

Users bombarded with options have to take time to interpret and decide, giving them the work they don't want. This was explained by the famous Hick's LawHick's Law predicts that the time and effort required to make a decision increase with the number of options. So, if you want your user experience to be simple, you should support quick decision-making as much as possible. Eliminate the need to choose when it's not required; guide and engage the user.

5. Too many options will scare customers away.

Current psychological theory and research affirm the positive affective and motivational consequences of having personal choice. These findings have led to the popular notion that more choices are better, and that human capacity to manage and desire to choose are unlimited. But in reality, research demonstrates the opposite.

The Jam Experiment is one of the most famous experiments in consumer psychology; offering consumers fewer choices can be good for sales. Crucially, the study reveals when offering fewer choices can improve sales.

This experiment seemingly demonstrates that customers presented with fewer options are 10 times more likely to buy compared to those shown many options. It has been a crucial example of choice overload, the idea that presenting customers with too many choices inhibits their purchases.

6. Provide recommendations when multiple options are presented.

When you can't avoid offering options, try to limit them. Provide a recommendation yourself or share statistics on what other customers prefer. Clearly communicate the key difference between the proposed options to the user. This approach is often used on pricing plan pages.

7. Direct users' attention to the appropriate areas.

When you understand your user's journey to achieve their goals, you'll see that at each stage of that journey, certain elements are more relevant and will help them progress toward the final objective. Identify these key areas and draw the user's attention to them.

8. Use color and typography to communicate a content hierarchy.

How many times have you heard, "Users don't read"? And it's true, we're very selective about what we actually remember or delve into. If you've ever accepted a massive User Policy without reading a word, then you know what I mean. There are so many features that can influence the typeface you communicate: font, size, kerning, line spacing, capitalization, and color. Use them to communicate the hierarchy of your content. With the right use of color and typography, you can reflect your product's brand and make it instantly recognizable, much more appealing, and memorable.

9. Organizations help make the system of many seem smaller and more manageable.

Let's do a simple test. In the following illustration, we have two images. Use a stopwatch to measure how long (and how much effort) it will take you to count the number of black dots in each square.

Finished? As you'll see for yourself, counting the jumbled square of dots took much longer and placed a much greater cognitive load on you. Why did we get this result if the squares have an identical number of dots?

Mapping points onto a specific grid helped us visually scan and group them when counting. While working with the disorganized square, we had to go point by point, counting them individually. Also, many of you probably made a calculation error or had to check your result against the image on the left.

Organizing elements not only improves recognition but also makes them easier to remember. When operating any machine, it's crucial to remember the position and function of all the controls. Let's do another short exercise. Just a minute ago, you were counting the dots in two images; now try to remember the position of each dot in two squares. For most people, remembering a disorganized structure is nearly impossible.

10. Content related to the group

Often, an easy way to simplify a complex page is to start grouping components. At that point, users are dealing with a few groups instead of a multitude of unrelated components. Adding borders (creating common regions) around an element or group of elements is an easy way to create separation from surrounding elements. There are several grouping principles in Gestalt psychology that help elements feel related: proximity, similarity, continuity, closure, and connection.

11. Break down huge tasks into smaller steps; try a one-column layout.

Almost every product has different types of forms. It's a way to capture user information. Sometimes, even after removing everything unnecessary, they can become enormous. Such forms can be very discouraging for the user to complete. So, what we can do is break down that huge task into a series of smaller ones. Suddenly, it seems much easier to carry out the entire process. Completing a small subtask gives the user a boost of endorphins and a sense of satisfaction to continue.

When designing forms, use a single-column layout instead of multiple columns. A single-column layout is much easier to complete. This way, the user doesn't need to think about what to fill out next; they can simply scroll down the page in a straight line.

12. Be transparent when communicating the process and the status of the system.

Uncertainty makes us anxious and should be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, at any time, unless it's obvious, the user should be able to see where they are in the process, where they've come from, and what comes next. Maintaining a summary of previously provided information is also a good idea; it reduces the burden on the user's memory and eliminates the need to revisit previous steps.

13. Do the calculations for your user.

The human brain is bad at crude arithmetic involving numbers. Evolutionary pressures have favored brains optimized for object recognition over arithmetic operations. Try leveraging the system to perform all the calculations instead of the user.

14. Hiding complexity through gradual disclosure

Progressive disclosure is a design pattern used in UX design to facilitate the interpretation of user interfaces. It involves sequencing information and actions across multiple screens to avoid overwhelming the user or hiding irrelevant information until it becomes relevant. Progressive disclosure follows the typical notion of moving from the abstract to the specific, including the sequencing of user behaviors or interactions. A good example of progressive disclosure is the nested wrist navigation in iOS.

15. Rely on commonly accepted patterns and interactions

Users spend most of their time on other products. This means that users prefer your site to function the same way as all the other sites they already know, and they come with specific expectations about how your product should look and behave. This statement holds true for any physical or digital product, from a social network to your refrigerator, and reflects the consumer mindset. That doesn't mean you should stop innovating, but rather evaluate whether a departure from traditional ways of presenting navigation or controls justifies a shift in the user's mental model.

16. Design a simplified experience for the first time

The primary goal of any design should be to connect users with the value the product offers as quickly as possible. Think about that for a moment. Anything that comes between a user and the person actually operating a system is a barrier unless it serves a functional need. The first experience is crucial for any process; humans are very quick to form an opinion about a product and will immediately abandon it if they are not satisfied.

Even the simplest task is challenging if you try to do it for the first time. Sometimes, additional training is required before we can operate the product. In digital design, I suggest forgetting a manual approach; the user expects the product to be simple enough to understand, and they expect help on demand, or when something goes wrong. Provide contextual help instead of overwhelming the user upfront with learning materials, and design for empty states.

17. Take into account the ergonomics and the circumstances in which the product will be used.

Simplicity, as we've already defined it, refers to the ease with which the product can actually be used, thanks to its ergonomics. Ergonomics is the process of designing or organizing workplaces, products, and systems to suit the people who operate them. Most people think it has something to do with seats or the design of car controls and instruments, and it does… but it's much more than that. Ergonomics applies to the design of anything that involves people, including digital products.

In 1954, psychologist Paul Fitts, examining the human motor system, showed that the time required to move toward a goal depends on the distance to it and is inversely related to its size. Therefore, ensure that commonly used items are large and place them within easy reach of users.

18. Supports autosuggestion and online editing

Eliminate all unnecessary interactions, views, and steps in each process. There is an optimal speed at which the user should operate the system, known as the "flow state." Do not disrupt this flow with pop-up windows. For all actions/values ​​that can be changed later, support inline editing whenever possible. Use auto-suggested values ​​when a large number of values ​​are available.

19. Use Smart Defaults to reduce cognitive load

Smart defaults are implemented selections that provide answers to your questions. This helps users complete forms faster. Completing forms requires people to analyze them, formulate a response, and then enter their answer into the provided field. When defining relevant defaults, designers must understand the users and the context in which they will use a product. This is only possible with in-depth research and testing to learn from users and adjust defaults based on historical data and usage patterns. Always set the default option that the vast majority of users (say, 90–95 percent) would choose if explicit options were required.

20. Prevent errors

Error messages cause significant stress and leave users feeling like they've made a mistake or fallen short of the task. Ensure automatic verification of entered data and provide alerts or reminders for inappropriate data entries to reduce errors. Eliminate or revise error-prone conditions and offer users a confirmation option before they commit to the action. Destructive and irreversible actions should be protected with a force function to ensure users are aware of the impact their choice will have.

21. Design for accessibility

As a designer, your goal is to champion accessibility, ensuring your product is accessible to the broadest possible audience without exclusion. There are over a billion people worldwide living with a disability. Don't rely solely on color to convey information. Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background, support keyboard navigation, and so on. Accessibility isn't limited to a specific user group with certain abilities; designing for accessibility improves the experience for everyone using the product.

Conclusion

Designing products that are simple to use and understand is not easy, but it is a path to follow, and there are quick ways to move towards simplicity.

Written by Taras Bakusevych, original article at: https://uxplanet.org/how-to-simplify-your-design-69d97fde11b9 

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