Simpler is Better

I’ve been obsessed with the idea of simplicity for some time. The proof of my obsession is found in my reading list.

The thought of less doing more, or better, is fascinating to me. Whether I’m writing code, designing a webpage, or writing this article, I remind myself, how can I make it simpler and still retain its core meaning and purpose.

The search for simplicity is also an obsession of humanity:

• Einstein searched for a simplification in laws which explain nature in his quest for a unified field theory, better known as the "theory of everything."
• Bayes theorem is a simple, but elegant, solution to determining conditional probabilities. Its significance ranges from spam filtering to predicting false positives in medical tests.
• John Maeda dedicated a book to the topic.
• Artists of the Minimalism movement are known for work which contain only essential elements.
• Dieter Rams, an industrial designer, advocated "less but better" in Ten Principles for Good Design.
• 37Signals suggest doing less to defeat your competitors.
• Unix operating system programmers advocate for the "Rule of Simplicity" in Basics of the Unix Philosophy.

Mathematicians, artists, designers, writers, engineers, and many others strive for simplicity in their work. But why? Why do people hold the belief that simplicity is more beautiful or elegant?

I think it is because simpler is better. It is an intuition, a gut feeling. The Greek philosopher Aristotle said "The more perfect nature is the fewer means it requires for its operation." Simplicity is elegance.

Simplicity leads to:

• Solutions that use less resources and take less time to create.
• Designs which stands the test of time.
• Websites that load faster and have less bugs.
• Products and software which are easier to create and use.
• Articles which are easier to read and comprehend.