When designers talk about web design trends, more often than not, they’re referring to a visual design style such as letterpress or gradients but a trend doesn’t have to be something you see.
So this doesn’t mean you have to resort to using a minimalistic design to achieve simplicity in web design. Far from it. Applying simplicity to your websites or designs can be as simple as removing unnecessary elements or by reducing the steps it takes to complete a specific task.
We live in a world where technology is becoming more and more advanced but the way we interact with it is becoming more and more simple. The current example are touch screens and the impending release of tablet computers. When you look at what touch screens are doing for usability, you realise they are removing any intermediate devices (keyboards and mice) and allowing you to interact with the device directly. A great example of making something easier through simplicity.
Less Really is More
The simpler we can make things for web users, the easier it will be for them to achieve the goals we want them to but more importantly that they want to. After all, you’re designing sites for users first and foremost, always.
Too much information can be confusing and off-putting to potential customers as everything is trying to vie for the visitors attention, away from what you want really want them to do. Book a holiday, buy a book or subscribe to your service, simplifying to focus more on these will increase conversion.
Perform user testing to see what features users are not using as much and don’t be afraid to scrap them. If they’re not using a particular feature it may just be in the way, cluttering up the their decision making and preventing them from reaching the final goal. Many companies are insistent on adding new features and more sections and pages to a site on a regular basis believing more choice is always better where in actual fact too much choice can become confusing.
Simplicity Success Stories
There’s no better way to show how simplicity can make a difference than to look at some examples of how simplicity has helped create success. While not all of the following examples are directly related to web design, there are plenty of lessons that can be learnt from their successes. They all have the same thing in common Simplicity in design has helped them achieve greater success.
Apple Products
First the iMac, an all-in-one computer that is mostly screen. In terms of computer design it is very simple as it combines the computer and the monitor which avoids extra cabling in the connection between the two and only require one power cable instead of two.
The iPhone is controlled entirely by the screen. There aren’t any superfluous buttons to bring up a menu, go back or even any buttons for a keyboard, only a single button (of course, there are buttons for silencing and volume control but that’s it) to bring you back to your list of apps. This approach to simplicity is one of the main design decisions why Apple are taking control of the smartphone market.
Nintendo Wii
The common standard in video game controllers before the Wii was a two-handed ergonomic design with numerous buttons. Nintendo saw this ‘complicated’ design as a reason why most people don’t play video games. They released a controller with a familiar design to that of a television remote control which is instantly recognisable. It’s usable with one hand and plays by recognising physical movements. Something that everyone does everyday, making it instantly usable through a simple design. After all, what’s more simple than waving your arms about?
With Nintendo having sold more consoles than their competitors this generation, it is no surprise to see Sony and Microsoft gaining inspiration from their success with simplicity and will be releasing their own motion controlled devices soon.
By far the simplest form of social networking on the web. While it hasn’t achieved commercial success yet, it certainly has captured the minds of it’s users and mostly because of how simple it is. At least at the lowest level.
‘Tweets’ consist of a maximum of 140 characters people who follow you see what you post and you see what people you follow are saying and that’s basically it. Simple but effective.
Further Reading
- Three Secrets to Simplicity from Boagworld
- Simplicity in Good Web Design: Advantages & How-to from Noupe
Remember, simplicity is the key.
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Hey Tom, thanks for this nice read. I’m really enjoying your articles here on Inspect Element.
Simplicity is something that I definitely would love to see more of in 2010. I can say that I’m guilty sometimes of just adding features and other things just for the sake of adding it.
I think we all need to start looking at different things that we have on our sites or we want to put on our sites and really think about its usefulness and its value. If we don’t see that it is being used, we should definitely scrap it.
Great examples by the way. Big fan of Apple here and they probably are the pioneers of simplicity in technology design. Before, the thing was how many buttons and little bells and whistles can you put on the design of a product, but I think now, more and more companies are modeling their products after Apple.
Well-written post and thought provoking. Keep up the great work mate!
Nice call, I’m in.
I love simplicty and recently redesigned our website to a very minimal look. The use of whitespace (in our case actually white) really helps. The posts at Minimal Mac about “What we believe in and What we don’t believe in” tells the same story, less is more.
The redesign this website feels very open and simple as well. Keep it up.
It worth to be simple. Nice! Simple layout…Loads faster…
It’s incredibly tempting to, as designers, want to bring out the “bells and whistles” to show off our wares. I always take 10 steps back from anything I am working on and ask the simple question, “Does this make sense or does it just look cool?”. When the answer is the latter, I know that I have over complicated the design.
And, if you find yourself too attached to a piece of work, surround yourself with people whose opinion you trust to critique the design. This can include anybody from fellow designers, your spouse or best friend. Their objectivity will go a long way in helping you simplify the final product.
I’m a fan of all styles for one reason or another, but I agree with your points. Personally I want to work on stressing to clients the “less is more” idea. I think my next personal project website will be a one-page site as well.
Great points made here. Simple is always best in my book.
While I like the idea of simplicity, you still have to be careful about doing it right. I know some people that will create an extremely simple design just because they’re lazy, and not even bothering to get it right.
I love minimalism in web design
I’ve only been doing this for 4 years, since I was 10, learning along the way, but my style has developed more toward minimalistic design and simplicity.
Great post.
Yeah. greatest designers design less…
I’m redesigning my own site with this in mind. At the minute it’s a pretty common “gradientised” site. I’m sick of it though. I’m going back to simplicity, with a strong focus on type, content positioning and form.
indeed I think the simpler the better.
As a designer I tend to want to add a ton of stuff to “showoff” my skills but in most cases where I over indulge I tend to cloud the message.
I try to step back at the end of a session and try to reduce the elements to the point to find the clearest path.
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Thanks and Regards
Noel for Nopun.com
a professional graphic design studio
its that the trends of 2010? i now the article is good
Truly great design is achieved when nothing more can be taken away.
Ok. I’m stuck now :S
I just redesigned my site and launched the new version around December time. Loads of people (me included) really like it, but I can see it getting old very quickly. It’s a portfolio site and I’ve often thought of just having something really simple and letting the work speak for itself. Would it be a mistake to redesign it now and change the whole thing again? Would users see it as a step back if I went to a really simple design after such a big, bold and colourful one?
Let me know what you think. (I put my website URL in the comment) Thanks
Great article by the way!
i love simplicity!!
http://whitetees.spreadshirt.de/circle-simplicity-helvetica-A10924334/customize/color/1
simple the best!
Simplicity is amazing and I think it one of the things which are over looked.
B.J Fogg talks about simplicity in his persuasive technology model (FMB).
Its Amazing
The hardest part for simplicity is not knowing how simple things can or should be. It’s not always simple to look at things in a simple way. I think we should integrate functionality and creatively together with simplicity.
I must agree with Aidan !
I almost always make my designs too loaded ! And after I finish them I see that I could have made them much easier and much faster and had a better result. I’m still a beginner but I hope to understand the simplicity faster.
Great article Tom !
simple? or just messy? …
http://www.billchant.com
“Too much information can be confusing and off-putting to potential customers as everything is trying to vie for the visitors attention, away from what you want really want them to do.”
definitely.
great article. i;m just starting but i’m trying to achieve this as well esp. with my blog:
http://www.themiseducationofjomi.com
Simplicity is the best policy all the time. When I redesigned my site I kept it always in mind.
First of all people don’t have time to browse all the content of site/blog you need to be tricky in that field.
It’s important to note that “simplicity is always better” isn’t true. No one solution works for all problems.
Kids, for instance, enjoy spending time on websites “click-hunting” and searching for Easter eggs (ref: Nielsen Norman Groups’ “Teenagers on the Web”). They don’t care about consistency and clarity—they want to explore and have fun. This design style could also work well for adults on sites where discoverability and immersion are valued over information clarity (e.g. a promotional website for a video game that is designed to build hype and intrigue around the game).
It’s probably true that on goal-oriented sites, stripping down to bare essentials will nearly always result in a better product. I just always cringe when I hear web designers say “X is always the best way to do something.”
Being able to guide your visitors to the right part of the site/blog is very key.
What is your message?
What is your target audience?
What do you want out of your site/blog?
Keeping things relatively simple is key in many instances.
Question – what is the easiest way to port a blog from blogger to wordpress?
Do you have any links on this?
Thanks Bob
John Maeda’s “simplicity” should be in the further reading… fantastic wee book (100 pages, 10 chapters) – great philosophy as well as design insight.
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.html
Yes, throwing in widgets and features just because you can, or because it looks cool, is not the best idea. I recommend the “so what?” approach. Next time someone suggests including a whizzy feature, extra content or functionality, ask yourself “so what?” and determine whether or not the suggestion will help achieve the website’s objectives. If it will, fine. If it won’t, you’ll save time and money, and end up with a simpler more effective website.
Actually I’ll be designing for the client, not for a trend.
Most of my work is kept simple for many reasons, but not because there was a blog about it, more so because it reinforces the goals of a project.
Hi Tom and everybody,
nice to see that so many people agree with simplicity and minimalism in web design. Here’s my two cents to this interesting discussion. I think that it is far more difficult to design a minimalist website that is able to stun visitors than to design a fairly “complicated” and colorful one (that is mostly able to confuse the visitors). In my mind content has always to be the king and design has to be its right (and beautiful) complement.
very nice
Totally agree, love websites that have been stripped down to the bare minimum but still give the wow factor. Usability and simple design often go hand in hand.
Thanks for a good post and whole heartedly agree… over complicating websites (in particular) is the surest way to annoy!
So True!! Simplicity can be so easily underestimated, when really it’s a key tool with web design
. Thanks.
I completely agree with the thesis here. I believe simplicity and clear communication should always be the driving factor in web design. The real trick it to take those concepts, and make them unique and interesting. Thank you for this post, it’s shared!
Simplicity does not work for Asia. Asians prefer busy sites with lots of action and moving graphics. Even Google uses animated graphics on their Asian home pages.
I always had the impression that Japan was the master in minimalistic design. Look at their garden or houses. But you re right they also have the opposite tendance. Anyway I like simplicity and clarity and usability often come with well designed simplicity.
Nice reading. Thanks
I’m with you.
First I’d like to say you made a really great redesign here at Inspect Element. A great example of what this post is about, and I like how it portrays what the site is about at just a glance.
I agree with you, but some people may get this the wrong way. Simplicity doesn’t have to mean go Google 90s style, but instead design in a way that gives breathing space, and lets you clearly see how to get something done.
I run an entertainment site and will soon be redesigning the homepage to be more simple yet advanced at the same time. This post was a good refresher, thanks.
Nice article and I agree.
True post mate, simpler is always better in terms of designs.
Great article! I live by the KISS principle
Good article – simple design can definitely be beautifully aesthetic – and quite often more usable! It’s no coincidence that many well-designed ecommerce checkout screens have been created to be as clutter-free as possible.
I think good design is making things simplier.
Hi Tom! I agree that simplicity is a good technique that website owners should practice. Instead of overly bombarding the site visitors with too many information, it would be better to give them relevant and concise information.
This is the same technique that we followed when we create our website through the help of a web development (toronto) company. The homepage contained icons that can be clicked to get specific information like latest products etc. Also, a (toronto) web developer installed interactive links like comment boxes so that our potential clients can send their feedback to us. We will continue to develop simpler strategies for our website in our next site updates. Thanks!
Very interesting article, well written, and clearly thought out. I’ve been struggling with this issue also. I like the concepts behind minimalism but I find minimalistic design boring. I like the way you differentiate between minimalism and simplistic. I also tried to incorporate this idea into my site and you inspired me to write about the same thing. Although I would like for people here to read my article and let me know if it’s a carbon copy of this one? I reference this article a lot and I wrote it quick. If it’s just a re-write of this one I would like to take it down and revise. I appreciate feedback.
Anyways great article and definitely putting Inspect Element on my RSS.