"Gimme Something Simple"
"You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead" — Stan Laurel
Ah, simplicity. The holy grail of modern digital life. Every client wants it. Every designer, developer, and strategist rolls their eyes hearing it. “I just need a simple website,” they say. Or, “Could you make a simple app for us? Nothing fancy.” It’s a phrase so innocuous, so wholesome-sounding, that you almost feel bad rolling your eyes at it. Almost.
Let me start by saying this: simplicity is amazing. Simplicity means creating something user-friendly, intuitive, and effective. It means messaging so clear that even your technophobic Uncle Roger could navigate the thing without calling you in a panic. Simplicity put, it’s a chef’s kiss. But—and this is a big but—“simple” does not mean “cheap,” and it most definitely does not mean “easy.”
Let’s take a minute to appreciate what “truly simple” looks like. Here’s a couple of examples:
These websites are about as simple as it gets. One page, bare-bones HTML, brutal honesty, just lines of text and the truth. They load fast, they’re easy to read, and they’re… well, functional.
But here’s the catch: nobody who says they want a “simple website” actually wants this. No client has ever said, “You know what? I’d like my site to look like an angry designer’s minimalist manifesto from 1998.” When people ask for “simple,” what they really mean is, “I want a website that looks better than all my competitors’ sites, works flawlessly, is mobile-friendly, SEO-optimized, and packed with all the features my customers demand. Oh, and ideally, it should launch next week.”
The Uphill Battle of Simplicity
Here’s the truth about simplicity: the most simple-appearing machines are the most intricate under the hood. Want proof? Think of a telescope, or a sports car, or your smartphone. They seem straightforward to use because someone put in an obscene amount of time and effort to make them that way.
The same goes for websites and apps. “Simplicity” for users often means months of painstaking work behind the scenes. It’s simple for a user to type their phone number into a form and see it magically formatted as (208) 765-4321. But behind that simple interaction is a developer who spent hours wrestling with regex patterns, edge cases, and cross-browser compatibility.
It’s simple to write a tagline like “Family Owned Since 1996,” but does that actually tell your users anything? What family? A father and son? Wife and husband? Do these people actually work in the business, or are they just cashing checks? And why should your users care? When you take the “simple” route with your messaging, you’re often doing your audience a disservice. Simplicity takes effort, nuance, and—yes—time and money to get right.
Simplicity Requires a Plan
I’m not here to kill your dreams of a simple, elegant digital presence. I’m here to tell you it’s absolutely possible. But… you’re going to need a plan. Because “simple” means different things to different industries, different audiences, and different use cases. Let’s break it down:
1 — Competitive Analysis
Start by looking at your competitors. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? What’s missing from their digital presence that you could do better? Remember, your “simple” needs to be better than their “fancy,” or why would anyone pick you?
2 — Market Analysis
What does your audience actually need? What are their pain points? What features would solve their problems or make their lives easier? You might think your audience wants a sleek, trendy design, but maybe what they really want is faster load times and clearer product descriptions.
3 — User Audience
Who are your users? No, really, who are they? What do they want to accomplish on your site or app? What frustrates them about your competitors? This is where user research comes in handy. Talk to real people. Gather real data.
4 — Features Roadmap
Once you’ve figured out what your users want, list out all the features you’ll need to deliver. Prioritize them. What’s essential for launch, and what can wait for version 2.0? Remember, simplicity isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about cutting clutter. Focus on the features that truly matter.
5 — Technical Research
Now comes the nerdy part. What tools, frameworks, and platforms will best support your goals? Do you need a CMS for easy content updates? A scalable server setup for future growth? Maybe a third-party API to handle payments or bookings? This is where you make sure your “simple” solution has the technical backbone to handle your ambitions.
The Simple Machine
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” That’s Steve Jobs, folks. And love him or hate him, the man knew a thing or two about simplicity.
The simplest-looking websites and apps are like the tip of an iceberg. The real weight is beneath the surface, in the planning, design, development, and testing. A clean, intuitive user experience takes hours upon hours of work—and it’s not something you can slap together on a shoestring budget.
What Simplicity Really Means
Simplicity isn’t about stripping everything down to the bare minimum. It’s about doing the hard work to make things look easy. It’s about:
- Crafting messaging that resonates with your audience.
- Designing interfaces that feel natural and intuitive.
- Building features that solve real problems without unnecessary complexity.
If you’re serious about creating something simple, here’s the process:
- Define Your Goals: What do you want to achieve with your website or app? Be specific.
- Understand Your Audience: Who are they? What do they need? What frustrates them?
- Prioritize Features: Focus on the essentials. Less is more.
- Invest in Quality: Good design and development aren’t cheap, but they’re worth it.
- Test and Iterate: Simplicity isn’t a one-and-done deal. Keep refining until you get it right.
The Truth About “Simple”
When clients say, “I just want something simple,” what they’re really saying is, “I want something that works well, looks great, and doesn’t stress me out.” And that’s a noble goal! But let’s not kid ourselves. Achieving simplicity takes effort, expertise, and a bit of patience.
So next time you hear yourself saying, “I just want something simple,” stop and ask: what does “simple” really mean for your business, your users, and your goals? Because when simplicity is done right, it’s not just beautiful. It’s powerful.