Managing complexity
Life is complex, we constantly wish to make it simpler. Especially as designers our goal is to create intuitive products, which is fine. However, sometimes that need can fire backwards and create more problems than it was intended to solve. Complexity is part of us. We cannot solve complex problems with simple solutions. Complexity is not bad. It can be challenging and engaging, where simplicity is boring. We need to understand it to master life’s challenges and to create better products. This article helps how to handle it when designing complex products.
There are two types of complexity. We talk about objective complexity or technical complexity, when we can measure it. We can measure for example the number of relationships of elements in a system. The more relationships and dependencies occur, the more complex a system becomes. Engineers are tackled day by day to manage complex systems, mostly the ones they have built by themselves.
Subjective complexity
We encounter subjective complexity when we master a musical instrument. Let’s take a look at playing a Chopin piece on the piano. For a beginner, reading sheet music is complex. Playing them in the appropriate rhythm, harmony and later on with two hands is difficult. Is playing the piano a complex task? Yes, it is, at least for the beginner. For somebody with years of experience that is not the case anymore.
When looking at the pilot’s cockpit in an airplane, which is overloaded with buttons and displays, we see an overwhelming interface. Is this bad interface design? Not for the pilot, for him everything is placed logically. Nature, as another example, is complex. It takes years of biological studies to accurately describe the connection between organisms, plants or atmosphere.
Enterprise organizations and software for professionals are also complex. We need to understand our perception of complexity and how to manage it.
Complex vs Complicated
People have the desire to make things simple. Which is good, because things can be unnecessarily complicated at times. Complicated is usually the term of how we react to complexity when we don’t understand it. A bus schedule with no regular intervals is complicated. A software that does not follow interaction standards is complicated. Often products are extended with features that sell well, but make usage more complicated. Do we need a water kettle with a WIFI-module so my mobile app can display the water temperature? Simply not. Einstein’s quote of simplicity summarizes it well:
“Things should be as simple as possible but no simpler”
Albert Einstein
This principle which applies to science applies to product design as well. The most interesting part in Einstein’s quote are the last three words “but no simpler”. Simplification is necessary. But there is a point, simplification reaches a limit. The limit is an unavoidable complexity. It can show up in two areas:
1. Users work with products and produce complex work (think about 3D animation, CAD models or process automation)
2. Products by themselves cover plenty of features and are complex to use
Features cannot be removed. People have to get their work done. What we can do is to build products, that make complexity understandable.
When learning a Chopin piece on the piano, a smart way of doing it is to split the work into small pieces. We just focus on one thing first and ignore the rest. First, we practice one hand, then the other. We try to understand the harmony, play the melody first and later add the accompaniment. If we design products for doing complex work, that principle applies as well.
Designing complex systems
Once we recognize and remove unnecessary complicated elements, we can use methods to handle unavoidable complexity. These are mental models, structure, just-in-time knowledge, shortcuts, motivation (when the brain produces dopamine) and filtering.
Mental models
Mental models are the constructions people create in their heads of how systems work. When a product, system or a situation appears complex, or when its behavior does not match the mental model they have constructed before. That basically creates cognitive load. People build mental models continuously to understand products or their whole environment. They create expectations which are triggered by signifiers. Interaction standards are based on people’s mental models. As soon as people have build their mental model of a system, it appears less complex.
For example, before version CC 2019, Adobe Photoshop constantly broke users’ mental models with the Undo-shortcut function. Instead of using the standard CMD-Z (CTRL-Z), we had to press the option (alt) key as well.
We are faced with mental models when seeking for intuitiveness and consistency. Because people have mental models in their heads, they will perceive a product as intuitive if it matches their mental model. If multiple features match a single mental model, then it is consistent.
Structure
Let’s take a look at law. It is complex and there is no lawyer who knows all texts of the law by heart. They have to store all the information in books and in libraries. When we look at a lawyer’s library, we see that it’s well organized. Books are in order and due to colored book covers you can easily see which books belong together. That is a kind of structure using grouping and ordering.
Hierarchies are helpful as well. They cluster a huge amount of elements into logical groups. People can always see the context of their work and don’t lose control. In software design, for example, we find hierarchies in the form of tree views.
Another part of structure is layout. When we take a look at a goldsmith’s working bench or a dentist’s tool set, we see that all the tools are in the right place. They follow the basic principle of clustering information.
According to Miller’s law, our working memory can handle 7 ± 2 chunks of information. This law applies to information organization especially when people have to make choices. Which tools should I use? Where is the tool I need? Creating groups of information helps to reduce cognitive load and the number of elements we need to process in our working memory.
Software products try to stick to this rule by using menu separators. However, this could be made even better in combination with icons and color coding.
Just-in-time knowledge
Our environment is full of hints and signifiers. If we are on the street, we see signs which direct us. In industrial environments, warning symbols on machines teach us to be careful. Even when we leave notes on paper and place them on other people’s desks, we provide just-in-time knowledge to others.
People don’t read manuals, they just want to start using the product. Manuals or video tutorials feel completely disconnected. We learn best at the moment when we need the knowledge. Usually, we have specific needs of learning and in most cases manuals and videos don’t match them. Learning happens best directly in the product, when we explore it. Software for example, allows undoing actions and forgives mistakes. That allows people to explore it and practice learning by doing.
Especially in complex products learning material is needed. Whether it is assessed in context menus, tooltips or via search, it should feel like a trainer sitting next to the user that replies precisely to every question.
Furthermore, good defaults help people understand how a system works. For example when a product is properly configured as soon as you take it out of the box. Changing the default parameters results in learning and creating a mental model of the system.
Dopamine
Sense of achievement triggers engagement. When we have the feeling that we have accomplished a task or have built something with our hands, our brains produce dopamine, the hormone which gives us the feeling of reward. Designers know this effect very well; everyone who builds something knows that. To conquer complexity, we need to be motivated and engaged. Especially in products which create content, users need to see their result as quickly as possible. In best cases, their work can be shown in different variations. Think about color processing presets in photo editing.
Not every complex software is made for content creation. However, often a little of gamification helps to create this effect of satisfaction. It shouldn’t be overdone or too obvious. For example, a light use of interface animation can help. An overdose just feels stupid.
Filtering complex content
In professional environments, the work produced is complex. As long as the content is in the hands of the creator, complexity is easily manageable. Remember, that complexity is subjective, and everything makes sense in the head of the creator. However, people have to share their work and collaborate. And here comes the mess: the task of deconstructing the way of thinking of their co-workers, which can cause headaches. A proper tool set is needed to split the complexity into smaller pieces.
First of all, people need to analyze complex work. It is helpful when their coworkers left certain virtual post-it’s in the shape of comments, naming conventions or color, but often that’s not the case.
Users then need proper filtering options. It’s similar to a map. It helps to understand cities by displaying their structures in a simplified way. Filtering is a basic principle of reducing complexity to small understandable elements. It also helps to recognize dependencies between elements of complex work.
Shortcuts
The next step is to manipulate that work. We are lazy, which is perfectly fine. We want to get work done with the minimum usage of resources, physical or cognitive. Often there is a discrepancy between designer’s and user’s relationship to a product. What might be beautifully designed and what shines in a presentation, is often different from how it will be used. Especially for enterprise users, products just solve a problem. When users have to accomplish repetitive tasks, they will seek for the quickest way to do this. Shortcuts help them to do that. Shortcuts increase productivity and are quickly learned while users transform from beginners to advanced.
Complexity is part of every business
Face it. Complexity shouldn’t discourage us, rather, we should see the opportunity. It can be rich and rewarding where simplicity is boring. What matters to product design, matters to life. Tackle complexity and make it understandable.
