D&T Special Edition #1

✍️ From the Canvs Research & Editorial Desk

A frequently encountered skirmish between business and product teams is whether a non-vital feature set should be added in versus improving already present, vital feature sets.

Design logic asks for greater clarity and less distraction to focus on the core of a product’s value. However, the business of design asks for maximising user exposure to whatever kind of perceived value the business has to offer.

This week the Canvs R&E team has spent some time pondering this concept, let’s dive into some details.

“Good design is as little design as possible,” An adage popularised by Dieter Rams of Braun fame; A saying that holds not only true 60 years later, but also has come to be the grounding principles on which product design has boomed at an unprecedented scale.

Key takeaways from this read:

1. Less is generally more

Working on mastering a few, crucial elements that provide user value while driving business goals can be beneficial for both product and business teams – all the while keeping users happy because you are avoiding overload.

2. There are levels to it

Layering items in a manner that reveal features to users only as they ask to see more can improve the kind of engagement you have with the users because prior to showing anything to a user, you’re first either establishing their needs or nudging them into certain need-based mindsets.

3. Learning to let go

Understanding what is vital and what is not can be a defining factor in the success of a product, as a business, having a vast set of offline offerings can work as you will have a workforce working round the clock to help express these in detail to your users, this is not so much the case in your product. Distilling down to the essentials is crucial, but it doesn’t come without its fair share of pains and aches.

The primary issue with adding too much to the visual field of a user is that it will regularly cause more harm than do good. The trap you’ll find yourself in with an overburdened user is that the user simply up and leaves in the case of a choice/analysis paralysis. However, trying to keep it simple is not that simple, considering the right kind of minimalism given a business’ requirement means that the answer isn’t simply removing something off of a page or design.

Key takeaways from this read:

1. Strong UX copy helps greatly in directing users

2. Chunking out your content into groups aids in easier consumption of the content.

3. Say it with us – PROGRESSIVE DISCLOSURE