Comments on: Minimalism, Simplicity, and our Complex Needs

By: Shang Lee

Shang Lee — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:46:21 +0000

Even in investment, Warren Buffett has a quote on simplicity.

“There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”

By: DT

DT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:08:53 +0000

Hi fecsx, that is an interesting angle and makes perfect sense. Thanks for adding to the discussion!

Hi kanupriya, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

By: kanupriya

kanupriya — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:55:41 +0000

great discussion… love the way u get to knw d answers to so many difficult ques. and that too in such simple ways.. :) thnx

By: fecsx

fecsx — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:26:31 +0000

i really like this post and the replies.. this is the search for grail:F
simplicity assumes understanding user profiles, researching the true interaction, asking whys, evaluating, seeing the whole story, etc.
to make things easy, simple and beautifully fit.. i think in a way it’s best to learn from nature, where such things have always been there.. apart from biomorph or mimicry, the philosophy of the connectedness is what lies there. when such understanding is achieved in a project thats when the simply cool, right on the spot things can happen.. as if they’ve always been there.

By: DT

DT — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:03:55 +0000

Hi Adam, Thanks for your comments. You wrote:

For me, simplicity or minimalism in product design is inherently related (and relative) to the intended use of the object, and not tied to the object itself. At the highest level, I believe that the function of design should be to make it easier to live a life in accordance with a set of values (whose / what values is a topic for another time…) and the success / effectiveness of a design should be measured along those lines.

If I may add, simplicity of a design should be inspired by the intended use of an object. Just anchoring simplicity with a products its intended use could likely result in a product that has only one function and thus limited in its offering. Hi Dave, thanks for sharing, and I agree Simplicity should not mean "incomplete". That is a good quotable quote if I may say! Hey Prajakta, indeed, it is this clarification of this confusion that I am trying to achieve. I hope you befitted from it and thanks for the link! I will check it out the next time I'm at the bookstore.