Norman & Spolsky - Simplicity is Out

guanxi writes ""As simple as possible, and no simpler", you might have heard a few time, or KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). No more! The new hot trend is complexity: '[I]f you think simplicity means ... "does one thing and does it well," then I applaud your integrity but you can't go that far' says Joel Spolsky. 'Why are Yahoo! and MSN such complex-looking places? Because their systems are easier to use [than Google]' explains Donald Norman, who also also tells us that Simplicity Is Highly Overrated. Are they trying to make a subtler point, are they just consultants making a splash, or complexity the Next Big Thing in design?" From the 'highly overrated' article: "After touring the store my two friendly guides and I stopped outside to where two new automobiles were on display: two brand new Korean SUVs. Complexity again. I'm old enough to remember when a steering wheel was just a steering wheel, the rear view mirror just a mirror. These steering wheels were also complex control structures with multiple buttons and controls including two sets of loudness controls, one for music and one for the telephone (and I'm not even mentioning the multiple stalks on the steering column). The rear view mirror had two controls, one to illuminate the compass the other simply labeled "mirror," which lit a small red light when depressed. A rear view mirror with an on-off switch? The salesperson didn't know what it did either."

Comments

Sadly, they weren't joking.

[Kadin2048]

I thought it was sarcasm at first, too; then I realized they were serious. It's a little hard to take the article seriously after that.

Let's just look at their home pages: Yahoo's, which has no less than 12 panes, including one that's just a graphical advertisement -- oh, yeah, there's a search box around there somewhere, too; Google's, which is a logo and a search box. (Google's also manages to convey to me that today must be Edvard Munch's birthday.)

If Yahoo is the answer to 'ease of use,' somebody is asking the wrong question.

Re:Sadly, they weren't joking.

[Uncle_Al]

I think you completely missed the point.

No, I think, sadly you did.

They are suggesting that Google works so well and is so incredibly simple from the end users perspective, because of how much complexity went into the back end.

Don Norman is actually suggesting that Googles front page is so simple because, in the end, it is a one-trick-pony. He describes the hard work needed if you actually want to do something besides searching for a query.

Best summarized by this quote:

Is Google simple? No. Google is deceptive. It hides all the complexity by simply showing one search box on the main page. The main difference, is that if you want to do anything else, the other search engines let you do it from their home pages, whereas Google makes you search through other, much more complex pages.

Re:Sadly, they weren't joking.

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Or maybe google knows that:

1. Most people are here to search
2. If you want something else, then ask google for it! mail + I'm feeling lucky goes to gmail, and a street address gives links to google maps
3. Clutter hides all those links - much better to have a 'simple' interface to them.

Re:Swimming against the tide

[Nevyn]

"The salesperson didn't know what it did either."

I think that sums it up nicely. So everyone wants complex things that they have no idea what it does?

While, I do agree that Norman is on crack ... the on/off button on the rear view mirror has been around for a while (my "new" car, that I bought used this year, has one). The mirror has an optical sensor and dims the view when someone is tailgating with their huge SUV lights beaming straight into your car.

Older cars have the mechanical switch, which uses two mirrors but: 1) I hate those mechanical things, as I can always see outline in the other mirror. 2) The on/off one works automatically, so when someone isn't beaming a light show into the back of my car I can see everything perfectly. 3) Even when toggled the mechanical ones are often still too bright or too dim (as they basically just have two settings), the auto. one has a lot of range so it's only unusable when someone is right on your tail (and even then you can happily look right at it).

My only complaint is that it automatically comes on whenever the car is turned on (IMO it should remember the setting). But given that it's so much better than the toggle switch, I just leave it on now anyway ... and I might have turned it off and left it off, I can somewhat forgive them. I would seriously consider not buying another car if it didn't have one, it's that nice. However this is one of the simplest things in my car (esp. due to the one by default mode), and if I had to manually tweak a knob or something I would have killed it by now.

I'm Confused

[Thabenksta]

Wasn't Joel just complaining about how complex Vista's power button is, because it gives you too many choices?

I don't get this guy.

These dudes are stuck back in the day where you're product had to be marketable to everyone. Different strokes people.