Complexity is easy; simplicity is hard

December 1, 2005

Post Author

Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was a founding instructor at Pragmatic Institute, a role he held for more than 15 years before he left to start Under10 Playbook. In his return to Pragmatic Institute, Steve supports the complete learning path for product teams, ensuring they are fully armed for success. Over the course of his career, Steve has helped thousands of companies and tens of thousands of product professionals implement product management processes. He has worked in the high-tech arena since 1981, rising through the ranks from product manager to chief marketing officer. Steve has experience in technical, sales and marketing management positions at companies that specialize in both hardware and software. In addition, he is an author, speaker and advisor on product strategy and product management.

View all posts

Google understands that simplicity is both sacred and central to its competitive advantage. Mayer is a specialist in artificial intelligence, not design, but she hits on the secret to her home page’s success: “It gives you what you want, when you want it, rather than everything you could ever want, even when you don’t.”

That, says Joe Duffy, founder of the award-winning Minneapolis design firm Duffy & Partners and author of Brand Apart, is a pretty good definition of good design. He quotes a famous line from the eminent designer Milton Glaser: “Less isn’t more; just enough is more.” Just enough, says Duffy, contains an aesthetic component that differentiates one experience from another.

It’s just that holding the line on what constitutes “just enough” is harder than it looks.

Read more in The Beauty of Simplicity.

Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was a founding instructor at Pragmatic Institute, a role he held for more than 15 years before he left to start Under10 Playbook. In his return to Pragmatic Institute, Steve supports the complete learning path for product teams, ensuring they are fully armed for success. Over the course of his career, Steve has helped thousands of companies and tens of thousands of product professionals implement product management processes. He has worked in the high-tech arena since 1981, rising through the ranks from product manager to chief marketing officer. Steve has experience in technical, sales and marketing management positions at companies that specialize in both hardware and software. In addition, he is an author, speaker and advisor on product strategy and product management.

View all posts

Author:

Steve Johnson

Steve Johnson was a founding instructor at Pragmatic Institute, a role he held for more than 15 years before he left to start Under10 Playbook. In his return to Pragmatic Institute, Steve supports the complete learning path for product teams, ensuring they are fully armed for success. Over the course of his career, Steve has helped thousands of companies and tens of thousands of product professionals implement product management processes. He has worked in the high-tech arena since 1981, rising through the ranks from product manager to chief marketing officer. Steve has experience in technical, sales and marketing management positions at companies that specialize in both hardware and software. In addition, he is an author, speaker and advisor on product strategy and product management.

Other Resources in this Series

Most Recent

Article

February 1, 2023
Pragmatic Institute

Goals, Readiness and Constraints: The Three Dimensions of a Product Launch

Many companies mistakenly believe their product will sell itself and overcome any adversity. This couldn't be further from the truth. A successful product launch requires skill, experience, market knowledge, and a process.

Category: Product Development Product Marketing

Article

January 20, 2023
Pragmatic Institute

What is Product Management?

Product management oversees a product's development and life cycle. The ultimate goal is to create and deliver a product that meets customers' needs and generates revenue for the company.

Category: Project Management

Article

January 13, 2023
Pragmatic Institute

6 Principles for Successful Product Management in 2023

A principle is something that guides us in how we perceive things and the decisions that we make. These principles will reduce our decision time and our decision fatigue and help us navigate any uncertainties this year will bring.

Category: Product Marketing Project Management

Article

January 4, 2023
Pragmatic Institute

The Ultimate Guide to Positioning

Ask five people what positioning means, and you’ll likely get five different answers. Positioning is often used in place of value proposition and vice versa (sometimes both get confused with messaging) There is agreement on one

Category: Product Marketing

Article

December 22, 2022
Pragmatic Institute

A Look at Clarity in Positioning

Positioning is a process that focuses on conveying product value to buyers, resulting in a family of documents that drives all outbound communications. The best positioning clearly states how the product will solve specific customer problems.

Category: Product Marketing Sales Uncategorized

Sign up to stay up to date on the latest industry best practices.

Sign up to received invites to upcoming webinars, updates on our recent podcast episodes and the latest on industry best practices.