DEATH BY
A THOUSAND
PAPER CUTS

USER EXPERIENCE AND COMPLEXITY

Transcript at bit.ly/ux-complexity-ruhr

HÖMMA

Transcript at bit.ly/ux-complexity-ruhr

Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F079042-0001 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Stefan.straub / CC-BY-SA 4.0

MY CAREER IN
COMPLEXITY

“Complex things will require complexity.
It is the job of the designer to manage that complexity with skill and grace.”
— Don Norman

COMPLEXITY
IS RELATIVE

MAGIC
vs
FULL CONTROL

COMPLEXITY
MEANS $$$

WE LOVE
CONSISTENCY

BUILD A CAR

MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY IS HARD WORK

“What’s the most ignored paradox in software development? Every time you add something you take something away.” 
— Jason Fried

MODULAR
vs
UNIFIED

“Making the easy things easy,
and the hard things possible” 

DECISIONS
as
CONSTRAINTS

“Features that are simple in isolation
can become a contagion.” — Jon Bolt

GETTING TO
THE BOTTOM
OF IT ALL

“[…] a solution can only be as good as your understanding of the problem you’re addressing.”
— Paul Adams

RUTHLESS PRIORITIZATION

“Any feature that doesn’t help solve problems for your audience should be thought of as a distraction, an unnecessary obstacle that undermines the value of your product.” — Jon Bolt

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

BUT...
THE CLIENT...

CONCLUSION

  • Complexity is a qualitative concept that depends on its context
  • Complex products are generally perceived as superior and therefore more valuable
  • Consistency helps mitigate complexity in interfaces
  • Unlike our code, experiences can only be designed as a whole
  • Complexity and scope are two sides of the same coin
  • Just like scope, complexity needs to be actively managed on all levels, from the inherent complexity of a feature to the complexity of the entire (brand) experience
  • We cannot sensibly scope or design for an acceptable level of complexity without a clear product vision

“That's an exciting design challenge:
make it look powerful while also making it easy to use. And attractive. And affordable. And functional. And environmentally appropriate. Accessible to all.” — Don Norman

FEDDICH

Transcript at bit.ly/ux-complexity-ruhr

@troubalex

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