false 225111 4 Finally, we are learning that simplicity equals sanity. We're rebelling against technology that's too complicated, DVD players with too many menus, and software accompanied by 75-megabyte "read me" manuals. The iPod's clean gadgetry has made simplicity hip. But sometimes we find ourselves caught up in the simplicity paradox: we want something that's simple and easy to use, but also does all the complex things we might ever want it to do. In <i>The Laws of Simplicity</i>, John Maeda offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design--guidelines for needing less and actually getting more. <br /> <br /> Maeda--a professor in MIT's Media Lab and a world-renowned graphic designer--explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on. <br /> <br /> Maeda's first law of simplicity is "Reduce." It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: Accept the fact that some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age shows us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products--how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve the balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One," tells us: "Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful." 218022 21 8 2006 The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) total:260|5:68|4:80|3:82|2:30|1:0| 260 966 493 42 5 0 false false Tue Oct 20 07:53:35 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 08:01:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 15 20:03:26 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 20:03:26 -0800 2009
Madea’s background coming from both computer science and design is...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Apr 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 01:13:34 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 15:32:29 -0700 2009
also, the register was often annoyingly sort of oprahish. explaining to the reader why certain objects make them feel certain emotions, with the implication that if you follow these instructions a...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Oct 22 22:49:13 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 23:56:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Feb 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 19:18:49 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 04 20:38:42 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 07:41:33 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 07:43:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Jun 17 20:42:20 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 20:44:31 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 04:54:04 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 04:55:09 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Tue Jun 30 06:16:57 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 06:19:45 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Aug 21 20:53:06 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 20:54:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Aug 20 22:29:43 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 22:30:23 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jul 04 21:49:49 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 21:50:32 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu May 07 00:51:33 -0700 2009 Thu May 07 00:53:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Dec 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 08:18:38 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 08:20:28 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Dec 18 00:14:45 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 00:15:13 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Fri Oct 09 06:49:05 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 06:49:47 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 22 06:29:58 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 06:30:13 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 09:09:03 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 06 09:14:13 -0700 2008
John Maeda does a wonderful job of raising these types of questions. His si...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Mar 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 24 13:38:12 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 17:36:17 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 17 17:32:35 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 17 18:10:52 -0700 2008 He has obviously put a lot of thought into how to keep it simple. His is a sane voice in the hum of technology, although I wou...more...]]>