It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions. – Steve Jobs
So simple yet so beautiful
Not long ago, a tweet became viral along the lines of praising 'a top tier feature' of Apple: copying the verification code you get from messages when signing up in apps or websites.
If you are on Twitter, you probably know what I'm talking about. Apparently it touched a nerve for some Android users, sparking a quarrel between users, which diffused even more the tweet.
Anyway, this is not the topic of today's post.
Today's topic is about making people's life easier. And how simplicity is a key aspect when developing product. As the saying goes: KISS (Keep it simple, stupid!).
Simplicity can take many forms. But undoubtedly, one of them is to make people's life easier. That's why the previously mentioned tweet resonated with so many people.
Beginnings are hard, but don't overcomplicate it
Simplicity is especially important when you are first starting to develop your product.
You don't want to overwhelm yourself or potential customers with too many features. Learning how to use and interact with a new app or website is tedious. It requires time and effort. This, as you may guest, is also important when it comes to your user interface. You want to make sure that everything is easy to understand and use. Don't make your users work hard to figure out how to use your product.
Have you noticed how over the years a lot of websites, apps, e-commerces... tend to look the same?
It is not by chance. It's because they want to profit from familiarity.
When you are first starting out, it's important to focus on one or two main features and make sure they are executed well. As you continue to develop your product, you can then add on additional features or innovate with the user interface. Very often, reinventing the wheel is not worth it. But If you really want to innovate, seek for effortless and spontaneous interactions.
If you get them, you are profiting from the most obvious way of adding value to your product.
There is no one-size fits it all
As we said, you do not want to reinvent the wheel at the beginning. But that doesn't mean that there is no room for improvement. To do so, make sure you are constantly testing your product.
It's important to constantly test your product to make sure it is meeting your users' needs, and notice when and under which circumstances it is not happening. You want to make sure that you are getting feedback from your users and making changes based on that feedback.
You also want to make sure that your product is constantly evolving and improving. Remember? Building a product is an everlasting process. You can use different methods for testing your product, such as user feedback surveys, focus groups, or interviews. You can also use analytics to track how users are using your product. The choice is all yours. The important thing is to keep an eye on your users and get the data. This will help you to identify any areas that need improvement and develop products that meet your user's needs.
Aim for simplicity in your communications too
Simplicity especially applies to communication: with your customers, with your partners, with your clients... Mark Twain once said, “I didn't have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one”. Less is more, however complicated it may get.
Take the time to write 'short letters'.
The bottom line is that communication is especially important when it comes to product development. There are a lot of moving parts, and it's important that everyone is aware of any changes or updates that are happening; what is happening and why. You also want to make sure that everyone knows what the goals are for the product and what the priorities are, so everyone is addressing them properly. And you need to keep your communication simple for that.
It's not only more efficient and saves everyone time; it's crucial to make sure everyone is on the same page. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for you to get feedback from your employees. And if you know that the customers' feedback is useful, it will not surprise you that employee's feedback is a valuable source of information.
Strive for constantly communicating in a simple way. Your team will thank you. Your clients will thank you. Your future self will thank you.