sim·ple [sim-puh
l] adjective, -pler, -plest, noun –adjective
1. easy to understand, deal with, use, etc.: a simple matter; simple tools
I don’t write code. But I do appreciate simple software (and tech support). Yesterday Microsoft made good on the Word 2007 bug fix. A support staffer accessed my desktop (slightly chilling) and healed a corrupt file. It got me thinking more about ease of use — another way of saying “simplicity.”
This article in the March issue of Wired has set off a debate about customer-driven design versus a more intimate form of designer-driven design that customers embrace for utility. Chicago-based 37 Signals opts for the designer-driven model with a touch of customer input.
What is better, and why? Is scale the hallmark of successful software, or simplicity?
Here’s the link to 37 Signal’s rebuttal on its approach, and a vibrant string of comments with good points. An example of what makes markets great and provides room for many flavors of innovation.
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