One of my ongoing frustrations with modern, consumer-facing information organization and retrieval systems is the way in which functionality is often sacrificed in the name of simplicity.
Full functionality under the rubric of simplicity is a laudable goal, and I would agree that this is where we all eventually want to end up in the information systems, interfaces and algorithms that we are designing. Simplicity without full functionality, but with alternative complex interfaces for an advanced user to specify greater functionality is a satisfactory stepping stone along the path to this goal. But simplicity with obstructed or stunted functionality, with no possibility for the user to improve that functionality, is too often what we end up with.
Case in point: Apple’s iTunes/iPod. Continue reading…
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