Simple User Experience : Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

In my previous blog on product requirements documents I had highlighted the need for  developing prototypes along with other artifacts like use cases/user stories etc for driving product management activities.  I highlighted the reason why ...since requirements and user experience are intertwined . They need to be looked at from one eye to define a usable product that provides value to the end users.  Lets review this topic in detail by looking at a famous quote that is often used in our industry today. I included a non IT definition to illustrate the important of simple user experience.

• "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Steve Jobs
• The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak - Hans Hofmann (abstract impressionist painter)

Here are the core principles for delivering a great user experience that product managers must follow and stick to it at any cost. 

• Focus on the end user and only the end user. End users interaction with the software is what should guide your requirements/design / development. Focus on a few features that would make your product usable.  Make it simple for end users to use .

• Say NO to everything that compromises the user experience. This most importantly applies to your requirements , to the features you prioritize to the downstream development code that gets into the product. This implies that you would say NO to a lot of good ideas, a lot of customer requests, feedback from the internal teams, analysts etc. But, stick to this principle...this would help you eliminate complexity in the product and adapt the 80/20 rule. 20% key features that provide 80% value.

• Provide a direct path to get the task done….a straight path is what you need.

• Don’t pile features . More features would make the product complex and unusable. Focus on a few features that are usable.  Mathew May , author of In Pursuit of Excellence ,says the best ideas have something missing and what's missing leads to a more elegant solution .  Hint : iphone, ipad ?

• Don’t just focus on how things look. Get to the next level and focus on how things actually work. A good UI does not necessarily translates into a simple user experience for the user .

• Ship with minimal documentation.  A product that is usable does not require pages and pages of manuals.  You hit the mark if you pass this test.

How can you start to implement these principles ?

I'm not straightforward to implement these principles especially with existing products with legacy customer base . But you got to start somewhere and the further you delay these decisions the more complex your product becomes. Here is a quick recommendation to help you get some discipline around it :

• Review the value proposition of your product?

• Identify why your customers buy the product?

• Understand how they use they use the product ?
• Create your customers profile (buyer, user)?  List all the tasks they do?

• Keep this profile on your desk or as the background image on your laptop/desktop?

• Keep the core principles in sight ? Always

• Review every features, request, additions to the product from this lens