How complex requirements are understood

In the design field, people always like simple, try to achieve the best combination of vision and minimalism. It is undeniable that this is the trend, can imagine a real life should be irritable enough people are not willing to complicate things. In many cases, Google is a simple, simple interface with excellent response speed, which makes most people in the world fall in love with it. But underneath this simple surface is a complex algorithmic code that doesn't affect your use, because you need only the fruit of the tree, not the root. In summary, Google is not the ultimate simple, but only to give you all the simple.

Complex requirements are left to users to dig

This is the QQ music, at least you can see this is playing songs, and at this time your goal is to need a song can play the appliance, the demand is very simple, so you just:

Find a search box to fill the song name → confirm return → Double-click listen to the song → Enjoy

Very simply, this is just like all music players, for students who just want to listen to songs, this can be very good for him, although the following ads may not be very satisfied.

Suddenly one day you bought high-end Sony MP3 player, equipped with the high end of the sea-ear headset, you are happy to download the song, but found that only the ordinary quality of the song, which for your high-end player and high-end headset is very unfair. QQ Music is shameless to tell you, want high-end? QQ Green Diamond can help you, although this time you miss cool dog, but in order to download as soon as possible so Taobao bought a green diamond, which for you also a few dollars.

Search song → confirm return → audition → Click to download → select high quality → import mobile device

So I learned that green diamonds and high quality, and can import mobile devices, and even to import itunes, after use, think of although these processes cumbersome, but it is quite simple.

Story I do not go on, for the low demand for users will never think of using those features, the recent Valentine's Day, QQ Music advised you to go to the song, but the song also want Green Diamond. It's sad, though I haven't.

Do you understand? Complexity is often necessary for users in need, but these complexities are often simple for current requirements. People will ignore the slight complexity because of the demand, and the demand is proportional to the complexity, and the complexity is in direct proportion to the current purpose in human's vision.

You do not have to deliberately seek simple, simple is to be in the demand environment of the user, the real good design is not the ultimate simple, but will be simply placed in the user's use process.

Complex information and simple information

Information is always the key to the product, only content can be bonded users. Therefore, in the design, interaction designers tend to the information configuration and the amount of a single page to make more or less requirements.

For mobile pages, the direct result of the excessive amount of information is that users are not looking for what they want, and the operation is very easy to make mistakes. Is it too simple to place the content? A separate page also on a few information, so more easily caused the user's operation lost, the lack of information so that users have to find a page.

The requirement of complex information means to retain the information of higher quality without affecting the operation. Simple information is not to reduce the necessary information and content, but to cut off unnecessary design and process, so that the content of information to browse more in line with the needs.

Edward Tufte proposed two solutions:

The same space adjacent to the display (adjacent in spaces)-that is, the same screen to display all content. The complexity depends on how much information and functionality-for example, the cockpit takes all the dashboard and all the important data out, so that the driver can retrieve the information very directly and make a quick decision. The adjacent display provides a more intuitive way of doing things, and accelerates interaction behavior.

Along the timeline display (stacked in time)--contrary to the former, this method divides the functions into different pages, which reduces the number of user errors and facilitates the hiding of unnecessary information in different operations. More pages also represent more user experience/brand experience. The display along the timeline does not require the user to make a quick decision.

Direct Surface Complex requirements

Do people really need to be simple? As a designer, simplicity is of course the first choice. But today's world, admittedly, often complex products represent high-performance high quality, which represents the user's life status.

Why do people tend to pursue complex watches rather than simple spreadsheets? Because it represents their status and satisfies their external needs. As mentioned in the second question in the previous chapter, the so-called "bragging utility principle".

Of course, not exactly. After effects is difficult for ordinary users, but those are necessary because it is intended for the user who is really willing to use it, like the aircraft seat must have so complex equipment, although you do not need to, of course, you do not need to understand.
(Source: Cold Mountain submission)