Embracing Simplicity

This talk is about ensuring that we add value to a product/experience by embracing the web and its conventions, and the amazing results we can get from just the most basic things - instead of jumping to complicated. In a Progressive Enhancement sense: what can we achieve with just the CORE, without jumping to the ENHANCEMENT?

Video: https://youtu.be/UlzG6-fI00g

Transcript: http://adamsilver.io/articles/embracing-simplicity/

Transcript

1. Embracing simplicity
   by Adam Silver
   

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4. What might this look like?
   

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5. Obsessed with simplicity
   

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8. It’s hard
   Simple is complicated
   Simple is simple
   People
   We love complicated
   

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9. Atul Gawande
   Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
   

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10. Ignorance
    Technology
    Ineptitude
    Brakes – set
    Elevator trim – set
    Autopilot – disconnected
    10-15 years training
    4000 procedures, 6000 drugs
    ?
    Patient’s name
    Area of procedure
    Known allergies
    

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11. 47%
    That’s millions of people
    

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12. Seduced by complexity
    

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13. Contribution
    Effort in != value out
    

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14. Designer A spends an
    hour of their time making
    5 screens because they
    know they need to design
    5 screens. They’re not
    trying to change the
    world, they achieve what
    they set out to do.
    

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15. Designer B takes an entire
    day to make one screen
    because they are
    obsessed with moving
    pixels, but they are stuck.
    They can’t let go.
    

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16. They end up doing less
    because of their own
    insecurities about their
    contribution.
    They create the same
    thing over and over, they
    end up with unfinished
    design(s) or they go right
    back to the beginning.
    

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17. Designer A understands
    that there’s no ‘perfect’.
    

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18. Designer B believes
    ‘perfection’ exists, their
    belief of perfect is jaded
    by their own inability to
    understand the solution to
    the problem.
    In some cases, they are
    making a solution for a
    non existent problem.
    

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19. Designer A thinks
    (differently).
    

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20. Designer B overthinks.
    

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21. Designer A’s contribution
    is greater because they
    think about the necessary.
    

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22. Designer B’s contribution
    is lower because they
    think about the
    unnecessary.
    

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23. Designer B is a blocker.
    To themselves (and the
    rest of their team).
    Designer B relies on what
    they know.
    

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24. Designer A relies on what
    they don’t know.
    Designer A releases early
    to learn. Then goes back to
    improve.
    

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25. Designer B releases late.
    They learn less because
    they believe they have
    perfected something,
    without testing.
    

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26. Designer A works with
    context.
    

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27. Designer B has no context.
    

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28. Designer A learns.
    

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29. Designer B thinks they
    don’t have to learn.
    

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31. “Value only has a value
    when it’s value is
    valued”
    – Bryan Dyson, former CEO of Coca Cola
    

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33. Checkout
    Step 1
    Step 2
    Step 3
    Step 4
    

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34. Checkout
    Step 1
    

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37. 2,000,000
    #winning
    

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38. Technology
    

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39. Article
    Article
    Comments
    Comment
    

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40. “If had to choose between making
    something my problem and the
    user’s problem i’ll choose to make
    it mine every time”
    – Jeremy Keith, Web Developer
    

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41. What can we do with just the basics?
    

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42. Mobile first
    Small screen first
    Essential first
    Essential only
    

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43. “Everything should be made as
    simple as possible, but no simpler”
    – Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
    

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44. Progressive Enhancement…
    ...isn’t a prescription
    ...it’s a strategy
    

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45. Iteration = momentum
    Emotion
    Small steps = small wins
    Small steps = big wins
    

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46. Thank you
    Keep in touch on Twitter
    @adambsilver
    

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