Uncomfortably Simple: A framework for builders to tighten the feedback loop

Gall’s law: A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.

We’ve all heard of “KISS” (Keep It Simple Stupid), but in practice, many builders err towards complexity, even when we think we’re keeping things simple. This leads us to build feature-rich products that are ready for scale — but the scale never comes, because we’ve built something that isn’t quite what our users want. I believe this was one of my biggest shortcomings until relatively recently — I operated within the range of “comfortably simple”.

But being comfortably simple may also mean quite comfortably spending more money than you need to comfortably create a product nobody wants. A better approach? Taking the “uncomfortably simple” route instead.

Simplicity is uncomfortable

“Uncomfortably simple” is an approach where we strip away as much functional and technical complication as we possibly can, then strip away some more. What is left can be built and put in front of real potential users to get feedback. Then we do it again, and again.

As builders, this level of simplicity is so uncomfortable that when faced with it, the knee-jerk reaction is often to introduce complications under the guise of depth. You may…