Art and Design
Design Theory: Accidental and Essential Complexity
Simple is not always better, but understanding complexity in design can help you decided when it really applies.
Accidental complexity is when something can be scaled down or made less complex, not lose any value, and likely add value because it’s been simplified. In design, whether it’s a website or a dashboard for a spaceship, the designer is always trying to increase the value of that design by creating simplicity through removing, or hiding accidental complexity.
Taking things to the other extreme, essential complexity is when you cannot simplify something without removing value. I use the word “value” here and not complexity because it’s not that it’s complex, but that the complexity is essential to its function.
One example of intentional essential complexity can be found in Apple products. Let’s take the iPhone home screen, for example. There is no easy way to see your notifications — you have to swipe left, then swipe down, then tap. It could have been made more straightforward, but it would lose value because users would have to go through more steps to get to their notifications.
Essential complexity is often found in security systems. This is why it’s so hard to break into an iPhone compared to an Android device. However…
