When easy is not enough
When easy is not enough
I’m guilty of using the words simple and easy interchangeably without<br>understanding their differences.
After reading some dictionary entries, we can associate a few different<br>qualities with those two words.
Simple ; something that goes to the essential
Easy ; something that involves minimal difficulty or low effort
Okay, so the word simple relates to the form. And the word easy relates<br>to the effort needed to do something.
Easy is relative. An expert in a field can find a task easy , whilst a<br>novice will find it hard to approach. The canned phrase “easy to use<br>product” found on marketing websites is not always true. There is a learning<br>curve to easiness, and your previous experience will set the bar.
Simple is universal. Something intuitive and immediately understandable is<br>simple . A tumbler is simple ; people of any era will find out how to<br>scoop water and drink with it. There is an immediate, even spooky, connection.<br>As if the behaviour and understanding are coded in our DNA or part of Carl<br>Jung’s collective unconscious.
Can something be easy and simple at the same time? Yes, but I think the use of<br>both words to describe it is redundant. The simpler something is, the more<br>likely people will find it easy to use.
To understand something, it is always helpful to study the opposites or, in this<br>case, the antonyms.
An antonym of easy is difficult .
An antonym of simple is complex .
I found coffee machines an excellent example of a product that can swing between<br>easy or difficult to use and be simple or complex .
easydifficultsimple Filter coffee (e.g. V60)Aeropresscomplex NespressoEspresso machine (e.g. La Marzocco)
Using a filter coffee machine similar to the V60 is easy and simple . It<br>doesn’t require much effort from the human operator, and the machine is merely a<br>piece of glass and a piece of paper.
The Aeropress requires muscle power from the operator. Pushing down the plunger<br>is sometimes challenging. The machine is simple ; it’s made of plastic and<br>uses mechanical energy transferred by a human.
A Nespresso machine is a no brainer. You pop in a capsule and press a button.<br>However, the device is complex because it relies on electricity, an integrated<br>circuit and sensors.
Finally, a proper barista machine is part of the “difficult and complex”<br>quadrant. It’s a complex machine that uses electricity and sensors. Operating<br>and maintaining it requires training and experience.
Of course, all these machines don’t make the same style of coffee. The<br>interesting thing here is to compare where they sit on the easy and simple<br>spectrum. We could do the same exercise with bikes and cars. What are other<br>examples coming to your mind?
So, François, why are we talking about this? Why does it matter? As makers and<br>designers, we should strive to make products that fit the easy-simple and<br>difficult-simple quadrants. When you think about it, a V60 makes life easier.<br>The device is easy to operate and maintain. On the environmental side, it has a<br>low impact. Indeed it doesn’t require electricity and is made of environmentally<br>friendly materials.
Funnily enough, making something simple is difficult.