What Business Really Craves: Simplicity
Photo: chamomile/morguefile
Think of it as option fatigue. Why fumble with one of five remotes in your chip-slicked hands when you can press one button, and voilà, it works! Simplicity is the latest buzz in management and design. With the need to work faster and better, who has the time for owners’ manuals?
Thus a new premium is being accorded to ease of use. The iPod nano nails it. So do Rocio Romero’s spartan, up-in-four-days prefab homes and Jura Capresso’s one-button espresso makers. Complexity has become a hazard in pushing products. The new trend is to strip things down to their basics and make products intuitive. In 2005, less was more.