Simplicity.
We live in an ever more complicated world, and our instinctive response to external complication leads to internal complication in order to be able to manage the external.
Having ‘Simplicity’ as a driving goal, something to be strived for, has the potential to offer rewards from internal savings made by the reduction in ‘friction. It also delivers benefits to customers, making it easier, and more exciting to do business with you than an alternative.
These benefits translate into cost savings and revenue increases for the business, and added value for customers, a virtuous cycle.
It does not matter if you run the corner sandwich shop, or a multinational corporation, the challenge is the same, just the size of it varies.
Apple under Steve Jobs made Simplicity more than just a goal, it was the glue that held the culture together. Simplicity became, as Jobs said, the ultimate sophistication.
Mark Twain in writing a letter to his wife wrote ‘I have written you a long letter, because I did not have the time to write a short one.‘ This captures the essence of simplicity: it is hard, even for experts to achieve.
The power, as well as the challenge, is in the simplicity
Header Photo: courtesy Flikr and Jeannie Tseng.
