Simplicity over minimalism

Simplicity and minimalism aren’t the same thing. When a saved tap is lost to a wrong guess, the one tap glow fades fast. Simple reduces unnecessary decisions. Minimal can hide real choice. I learned this the hard way. 🟨👇

In 2015 I wrote “Can design be too simple?” after shipping Saga, a one step music downloader. Type ‘Coldplay Magic’, hit Enter, done. 10,000+ songs in 5 days. Then ambiguity hit. Search ‘Animals’? Maroon 5 or Martin Garrix. About 1 in 10 was wrong. People wanted speed and informed choice.

Under the hood this is a decision problem in a UI. If your top guess is wrong p of the time and fixing it costs C seconds, expected time is fast path plus p*C. That can be slower than a two step flow. Trade a tiny select step to cut mistakes. Auto when high. Ask when low.

By 2025 you see this everywhere. Streaming apps label versions and remixes. LLM chats ask follow ups when names collide. Fast paths plus escape hatches. Calibrate with confidence. Measure expected regret, not clicks.

Two principles that last: design for intent disambiguation, and measure the cost of being wrong, not just speed.

Where is the p*C threshold to add a step? How do we keep choice from feeling like friction?

More here: https://anandchowdhary.com/blog/2015/too-simple-design