You can't design something to be easy.
You can only remove the hard parts until all you have left is ease.
Published Jun 18, 2025 · Around 1 minute to read
You can’t design something to be easy.
You can only remove the hard parts until all you have left is ease.
This is why the design process always starts with defining the problem. Proper problem definition is half the solution.
I posted recently about the launch of the original iPhone. One of Apple’s goals was to make the iPhone the easiest phone to use. Before introducing the iPhone, Steve Jobs didn’t talk about the features. He talked about the problems:
- Phones with fixed keyboards took up to 40% of the device’s real estate, and they were always there whether you needed them or not.
- Poor tactile controls.
- Cluttered UI.
- Weak web browsing and media playback.
Apple removed the friction until all they had left was ease.
I like how physics defines concepts by its opposite: Cold is the absence of heat. Darkness is the absence of light.
Ease is the absence of difficulty. Design is how you get there.
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