Simplicity and Complexity

Way back in March I started pondering why people seem to value complex design over simple design.  Things that look complex seem, um, cleverer, than things that look simple – so people value them more.

Then, more recently, I posted TOC guru Steve Holt’s thoughts about complexity, where he asked “Which is easier to move 100 miles: a bunch of unassembled airplane parts or an airplane?” and the answer was … well, go have a look … but the answer is obviously the airplane itself.

Which brings me to google.  This article [via fast company] talks about the technology behind google :

It is one of the largest computing projects on the planet, arguably employing more computers than any other single, fully managed system (we're not counting distributed computing projects here), some 200 computer science PhDs, and 600 other computer scientists.

And it is all hidden behind a deceptively simple, white, Web page that contains a single one-line text box and a button that says Google Search.

Which kinda contradicts the paradox – because people value the simplicity of google, not the complexity that hides behind it (and I suspect, that the brainy google people don’t think it is all that complex at all).  

I suppose it all comes down to what my mother has been saying for years: nothing is as simple as it seems.

Comments

[Michael Jones]

Both this and the paradox bit are excellent. Compelled me to write a bit myself on the topic.

Trackbacks are still wonky on this end (I have to edit some WordPress code to make them go, apparently), so I'll just drop the permalink to it here.

http://www.yafle.com/archives/2004/12/the-complexity-of-simplicity/