Limiting User Choice Is A Feature
Think about your experience at a restaurant with too many options. The owner thinks they are giving you the ability to have anything you want and you are thinking, “oy, vey, can’t you just give me a few well curated options? Yet the restaurant owners, chefs and waiters know every item on the menu by heart and wonder, “What’s the big deal? Just choose what you like!”
Like bad restaurant menus, bad software design was reinforced through a decade+ of building apps in a Windows era where we technologists were trained by the ever expanding menu options in every Microsoft product. We all created mini Cheesecake Factories.
-Mark Suster in How to Avoid a Common Product Mistake Many Teams Make
Over the holidays, I enjoyed sushi with a former team member at Ru San’s. This is just one of half a dozen pages in their menu. Yes, that is a “Golf Lovers” sushi option at the bottom.
Simplification of product design (which I’ve written about before) is required to succeed as a startup today. That is one of the biggest fundamental shifts that has taken place since we began AccelerEyes. The emphasis on design is huge and you cannot win without great design.
Advanced features are still important. Just hide them. Advanced users can click an advanced button to get to those features. Keep the surface of the product simple and useful so things just work for most customers. They’ll be grateful!
What are your thoughts on simplifying product design?