Simplicity Isn't Simple

Complexity permeates our lives. This phenomenon has been attributed to a host of factors, including changing technology, lawyers, and conflicting objectives. Some of us may be knowledgeable in specific areas---for example, computers, income taxes, or medicine---but it's impossible for anyone to navigate all important facets of modern life without professional help.

We yearn for the apocryphal simplicity of yester-year.

But there is nothing simple about simplicity, and achieving it requires following three major principles: empathizing (by perceiving others' needs and expectations), distilling (by reducing to its essence the substance of one's offer) and clarifying (by making the offering easier to understand or use).

Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn ("Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity") say that progress toward simplicity may be attained through the application of three principles: empathizing, distilling, and clarifying. Of the three, empathy is the most important.

Rx for simplicity: Target's prescription bottle

An example of empathy in action is Target Pharmacy's prescription bottles, which Deborah Adler redesigned by putting herself in the shoes of her grandparents.

Rearranging the small type on the typical prescription label, Ms. Adler put the information in a logical order, giving prominence to the things that people most need to know at the moment they are reaching for their medicine. She divided the label into two parts, separated by a thick black line, and placed the critical information, such as the name and dosage of the medication, at the top, with everything else relegated to the bottom.

Ms. Adler next considered the shape of the bottles. The wraparound labels on conventional round bottles were difficult to read, so she designed a flat tube-shaped container that stood upright on its cap, with plenty of room for a large, flat label that could be read easily at a glance.

We find that Target's bottles are easier to read, open, and store than the medicines from the two other pharmacies we use. Like Google's home page, Apple's iPhone, and Amazon's one-click shopping, they're islands of simplicity amidst oceans of complexity. Let's hope that these examples will multiply and prevail in a world of confusion. © 2013 Stephen Yuen