Maeda, John.

The laws of simplicity / John Maeda.

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, ©2006.

ix, 100, [6] pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Design, technology, business, life

In this book, the author offers ten laws for balancing simplicity and complexity in business, technology, and design--guidelines for needing less and actually getting more. The author explores the question of how we can redefine the notion of "improved" so that it doesn't always mean something more, something added on. Maeda's first law of simplicity is reduce. It's not necessarily beneficial to add technology features just because we can. And the features that we do have must be organized (Law 2) in a sensible hierarchy so users aren't distracted by features and functions they don't need. But simplicity is not less just for the sake of less. Skip ahead to Law 9: "Failure: some things can never be made simple." Maeda's concise guide to simplicity in the digital age show us how this idea can be a cornerstone of organizations and their products--how it can drive both business and technology. We can learn to simplify without sacrificing comfort and meaning, and we can achieve balance described in Law 10. This law, which Maeda calls "The One", tells us: "Simplicity is about subracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful."--Book cover.

0262134721 (hc. ; alk. paper)
9780262134729 (hc. ; alk. paper)

Systems engineering.
Ingénierie des systèmes.
systems engineering.
Conception de systèmes.

Simplicity (Cambridge, Mass.)

Location: Library main 247910
Call No.: BIB 177447
Status: Available