How to Make the Hard Things Easy?

Ever found someone’s app or process or learned something new and said, “That was surprisingly easy”? This was not the case in most instances, as the task itself was not simple. It was because somebody took the time to make an intricate phase simple.

Understanding plus planning and simplifying is the key to making difficult things easy.

Start with Understanding

To solve a problem, you must thoroughly understand the problem. The deeper you know the challenge, the more you will see what is truly important and can be eliminated.

Rather than saying “How can I make this look better?,” say:

What does the user want to do?

What challenges do they have?

How can this process be made easier?

Remove the Unnecessary

It is generally thought that the more features or information, the better. Too much complexity, in fact, can lead to confusion.

Simple experiences are produced by:

• Removing unnecessary steps
• Keeping information clear
• Contenting oneself with the basics
• Avoiding distractions

Think from the User’s Perspective

Try to think like a user to improve the usability of the product.

That which is natural to you, may not be to someone else. Empathizing with the user helps to design more intuitive and fun experiences!

The power of one word lies in the question:

If I were using this for the first time would I understand it?

Keep Improving

The best solutions are not always perfect – they are not the first ones that come out of the box. Notice people’s interactions, listen to feedback and keep making incremental improvements. Little things can smooth out the roughest of processes!

Final Thoughts

Difficult is easy is not less work but right work. Every simple experience is underpinned by careful thinking, thoughtful planning and ongoing improvement.

Simplicity makes it easier for people to understand, to work with, and to get better results when designing a product, when solving a problem, or when explaining an idea.

What about you?

What product, app or normal activity does something difficult seem so simple? Give an example in comments!